Don’t miss out on funding for your farm. Stay up to date on the EQIP deadlines for your agricultural business.
EQIP, or the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) farm funding program that enables producers to adopt conservation practices on the farm. As the USDA prioritizes natural resource concerns, it offers up to $80,000 in financial and technical assistance so farmers, ranchers and producers can adopt conservation activities such as cover crops, fencing, nutrient management, high tunnels, natural pesticides and rotational grazing.
While EQIP is a national program, each state has its own deadline, and fiscal year 2023 (FY23) deadlines are well under way. In fact, many of those deadlines passed in 2022. What’s more? There can be up to four deadlines per fiscal year depending on your state!
Notice Massachusetts for example. In the table below, you’ll see that the state has two deadlines, meaning it has one cutoff for two different rounds of funding. These deadlines are constantly changing so be sure to sign up for funding alerts so you don't miss a date. You can also check to see if you're eligible for EQIP funding with our 5-minute Eligibility Quiz.
Keep in mind: although there are EQIP deadlines, you can submit an application year-round. If you need help with your application or understanding when is best to submit, try FarmRaise Premium and we’ll hook you up with a Farm Funding Advisor who will walk you through the entire process.
Check out our chart below to find the 2023 deadline for your state:
For more information about how the program works, read this FarmRaise guide to EQIP.
Those dates are for the EQIP but what about the EQIP Cover Crop Initiative?
The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) sets aside a little less than $40 million to help producers adopt the practice of cover cropping on your farms. There are so many pros to trying out cover cropping like curbing your erosion problem, improving your soils, discouraging pests and saving the environment. That's great for the future of your farm.
Here's the thing though. Even though it’s a part of the 2018 farm bill, it was only piloted in 11 states just last year. Why? Because they were chosen as testing grounds to see if the program would take off. So far, we haven’t gotten word about whether the program will continue or not.
If you live or operate your farm in any of the states below, check out these dates for the 2022 EQIP Cover Crop Initiative. If the program is renewed, it’s likely that your state’s CCI deadline will be within a few weeks of that date. And of course, check back here or sign up for funding alerts for the most timely updates about the program. You can also reach out to your local USDA service center for more details.
Finding funding for your farm can be tough, but FarmRaise is here to make the application process easier so you can get back to what matters – your farm!
