Technical Assistance to Develop and Implement Conservation Programs

The summary for the Technical Assistance to Develop and Implement Conservation Programs grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the NRCS Arkansas State Office, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Technical Assistance to Develop and Implement Conservation Programs: The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary conservation program that promotes agricultural production and environmental quality. The objective of EQIP is to provide technical and financial help to producers in planning, designing and implementing conservation practices that contribute to agricultural viability, water quality improvements, soil and plant health, wildlife habitat improvements and other natural resource enhancements. EQIP assists producers in maintaining and/or enhancing their agricultural viability while protecting farm natural resources. Applicants will be responsible for assisting NRCS in providing technical assistance necessary to develop and implement conservation programs to assist producers. The applicant will need to be certified as a technical service provider meeting the NRCS national criteria established for certification in the category(ies) for which the applicant applies. The certification criteria is located in TechReg, an NRCS web based certification application program at http://techreg.usda.gov. Categories include: Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans state wide. NRCS anticipate being substantially involved in carrying out the work covered by resulting cooperative agreement(s). Evaluation Criteria: 1. Organizational capabilities. The adequacy of organizational resources and experience to successfully manage and perform the project. Share in a common mission that supports the natural resource conservation efforts with agricultural producers. Capable of providing in-kind contributions and other sources of financial support toward meeting the objective of the project. 2. Project personnel. The reasonableness and feasibility of the applicant?s approach for successfully achieving the objectives of the project within the required time frame. 3. Understanding the intent of EQIP and other USDA cost-share programs. The applicant?s recognition of the value and need of the project and the full understanding of the intent of EQIP. 4. Ability to demonstrate past history and credibility of working with farm clients. Ability to be certified by NRCS to receive clearance for network access as well as client data files. Cooperative agreements will be awarded for a one-year project. It is anticipated that approximately $125,000 will be available for this program in FY2004. The available funding for subsequent years is not fixed and may vary considerably. Amendments to agreement(s) may be developed upon availability of funding in follow-on years (approximately a five-year period).