XXXXX XXXXXXXX Supervisory District Conservationist XXXXXXXX, Kansas XXXXXXX COUNTY LOCAL WORKING GROUP Month Day, 2016 Helping People Help the Land

FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2016 PREPARATION  The State Conservationist (STC) is seeking local working group (LWG) recommendations for Farm Bill Programs:  Resource concerns to be addressed  Eligible conservation practices (CPs) to be offered  Payment rates (e.g., 50 percent or 75 percent cost share)  Ranking criteria to be considered  The STC is accepting comments to be forwarded to national headquarters (NHQ) for National and Landscape Initiatives.

FY2016 PREPARATION  Cutoff Dates  Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) General ― dates to be announced. (The goal is to stay consistent with the mid – November cutoff date from the previous years.)  Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) dates to be announced.  EQIP Initiative dates to be announced.  Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) dates to be announced.

FARM BILL PROGRAMS  EQIP  CSP  RCPP

EQIP

 The STC requests input for the following:  Eligible conservation practices  Resource concerns  Primary resource concerns  Secondary resource concerns  Payment rates  Ranking criteria

EQIP OVERVIEW  EQIP is a voluntary conservation program that provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers who face threats to soil, water, air, and related natural resources on their land.  Sixty percent of funds must be obligated to address livestock – related issues.  Five percent of funds must be obligated to address wildlife.

EQIP OVERVIEW  Kansas currently has nine different ranking categories under general EQIP that offer financial assistance (FA) to address various resource concerns.  Conservation plans received prior to August 31 receive additional ranking points.

EQIP CONSERVATION ACTIVITY PLANS  Conservation Activity Plans (CAPs) contracts are available for the development of the following:  Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan  Drainage Water Management  Fish and Wildlife Habitat Management Plan  Forest Management Plan  Integrated Pest Management Plan  Irrigation Water Management Plan  Nutrient Management Plan  Pollinator Habitat Enhancement Management Plan  Transition from Irrigation to Dryland Plan

 Forestland Health  Grazing Lands Health  Livestock Waste  Sedimentation Above Federal Reservoirs  Tribal  Soil Health  Water Quality  Water Quantity  Wildlife Habitat EQIP GENERAL RANKING CATEGORIES

2016 Funding Levels: 1% $158, FORESTLAND HEALTH (Statewide)

2016 Funding Level: 19% $3,010, GRAZING LANDS HEALTH (Statewide)

2016 Funding Level: 20% $3,168, LIVESTOCK WASTE (Statewide)

2016 Funding Level: 5% $792, SEDIMENTATION FEDERAL RES. (Statewide)

2016 Funding Levels: 10% $1,584,470 In six sub-accounts statewide (Area I, Area II, Area III, Area IV, and historically underserved) 2016 SOIL HEALTH (Statewide)

2016 Funding Level: 18% $2,852,046 Note: FY2016 applications to be funded at the Management Unit level. Will evaluate effectiveness at the end of the year WATER QUALITY (Statewide)

2016 Funding Level: 11.5% $1,822, WATER QUANTITY (Statewide)

2016 Funding Level: 0.5% $79, TRIBAL (Statewide)

2016 Funding Level: 5.0% $793,235 Note: 5% of general EQIP allocation is required to be offered by statute WILDLIFE HABITAT (Statewide)

NATIONAL AND LANDSCAPE INITIATIVES  The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer nine different initiatives that Kansas took part in to address specific resource concerns in FY2016.

EQIP ‒ NATIONAL INITIATIVES

NATIONAL INITIATIVES  On-Farm Energy Initiative—EQIP  Organic Initiative—EQIP  Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative—EQIP  Water Quality Initiative—EQIP

NATIONAL ON-FARM ENERGY INITIATIVE– EQIP

NATIONAL ON-FARM ENERGY INITIATIVE OVERVIEW Designed to specifically address energy conservation and assist producers in two ways: 1.Identify ways to conserve energy on farms through an Agricultural Energy Management Plan (AgEMP) CAP, also known as an on-farm energy audit. 2.Provide assistance to implement various recommended measures through the use of conservation practices (CPs) offered through this initiative, such as CP 374, Farmstead Energy Improvement.

NATIONAL ON-FARM ENERGY INITIATIVE 2016 Funding Level: $100,000

NATIONAL ORGANIC INITIATIVE—EQIP

NATIONAL ORGANIC INITIATIVE  Assist eligible producers with installation of conservation practices to treat resource concerns on agricultural operations related to organic production.  Includes:  Certified organic producers  Producers transitioning to organic  Exempt organic producers (less than $5,000 a year in organic agricultural production)

NATIONAL ORGANIC INITIATIVE 2016 Funding Level: $50,000

NATIONAL HIGH TUNNEL SYSTEM INITIATIVE—EQIP

NATIONAL HIGH TUNNEL SYSTEM INITIATIVE  Assist producers to extend the growing season for high value crops in an environmentally safe manner.  Potential to assist producers in addressing a resource concern by improving plant quality, improving soil quality, and reducing nutrient and pesticide transport.

NATIONAL HIGH TUNNEL SYSTEM INITIATIVE 2016 Funding Level: $300,000

NATIONAL WATER QUALITY INITIATIVE— EQIP

NATIONAL WATER QUALITY INITIATIVE OVERVIEW  Assist producers with addressing high-priority water resource concerns in small watersheds.  NWQI will accelerate efforts to improve water quality in hydrologic unit code (HUC) 12-digit watersheds with targeted waters emphasizing treatment of nutrient, sediment, and pathogen concerns.  The following three HUC-12 watersheds were selected in Kansas:  Big Creek—Ellis County  Emma Creek—Harvey and McPherson Counties  Grasshopper Creek—Atchison, Brown, Jefferson Counties

NATIONAL WATER QUALITY INITIATIVE (Statewide) 2016 Funding Level: $683,168 Emma Creek Grasshopper Creek Big Creek

EQIP LANDSCAPE INITIATIVES

LANDSCAPE INITIATIVES  Ogallala Aquifer Initiative  Working Lands for Wildlife — Lesser Prairie-Chicken

OGALLALA AQUIFER INITIATIVE (OAI)

OGALLALA AQUIFER INITIATIVE  The OAI is designed to reduce the quantity of water removed from the aquifer and to improve water quality using conservation practices on cropland and rangeland.  Priority areas* defined in OAI proposal:  Water Quantity  Greater than 25 foot of groundwater decline  Water Quality  60 percent or greater chance of nitrate levels exceeding 4 ppm in recent groundwater recharge *based on analysis from the U.S. Geological Survey

OGALLALA AQUIFER INITIATIVE 2016 Funding Level: $1,100,000

WORKING LANDS FOR WILDLIFE (WLFW) LESSER PRAIRIE- CHICKEN (LPCI)

 WLFW is an effort between the NRCS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that leverages capabilities and resources and targets assistance where it is most needed.  Eight species targeted nationwide.  In Kansas the Lesser Prairie-Chicken was selected and the eligible area was determined by a multi-state group (Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas).

WLFW—LPCI 2016 Funding Level: $384,081

CSP

 The purpose of this program is for producers to address resource concerns by:  Completing new conservation practices.  Improving, maintaining, and managing existing conservation activities.  Annual enhancement payments are offered and vary according to the signup. CSP OVERVIEW

 CSP is a nationally managed program which means suggestions are accepted, but the following are predetermined by the agency when the program is announced:  Eligible enhancements  Resource concerns  Payment rates  Ranking criteria CSP OVERVIEW

RCPP

 The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) promotes coordination between NRCS and its partners to deliver conservation assistance to producers and landowners.  NRCS provides assistance through partnership agreements and through program contracts or easement agreements.  RCPP combines the authorities of four former conservation programs:  Agricultural Watershed Enhancement Program  Chesapeake Bay Watershed Program  Cooperative Conservation Partnership Program  Great Lakes Basin Program  Assistance is delivered in accordance with the rules of EQIP, CSP, ACEP, and HFRP. RCPP OVERVIEW

 Funding for RCPP is allocated to projects in three different categories:  Critical Conservation Areas–for projects in 8 geographic areas chosen by the Secretary (35% of the funding).  National–for nationwide and multistate projects (40% of the funding).  State–for projects in a single state (25% of the funding).  Eligible Partners–producer associations, farmer cooperatives or other groups of producers, state or local governments, American Indian Tribes, municipal water treatment entities, water and irrigation districts, conservation-driven nongovernmental organizations and institutions of higher education. RCPP OVERVIEW

 Eligible Participants–Under RCPP, eligible producers and landowners of agricultural land and non-industry private forestland may enter into conservation program contracts or easement agreements UNDER THE FRAMEWORK OF A PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT. RCPP assistance is also available independent of a partner if the land is located either in a partner project area or in a critical conservation area designated by the Secretary.  Partnership Agreement–defines the project scope including:  Activities to be implemented  Potential agricultural or private forest operations affected  Geographic coverage area  Planning, outreach, implementation, and project cost assessment RCPP OVERVIEW

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