Environmental Quality Incentives Program

Action Needed! Help stop EQIP from subsidizing factory farms!

What is the Environmental Quality Incentives Program?
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary conservation program for farmers and ranchers. EQIP offers financial and technical help to assist eligible farmers install or implement structural and management practices on eligible agricultural land.

What is happening now?
During the 2002 Farm Bill debate, corporate agribusiness and their allies in the commodity groups sought changes in the federal EQIP that would funnel public funding into the hands of corporate livestock factories. If they got their way, EQIP would become corporate welfare at its worst, and US taxpayers would be subsidizing factory farms to the tune of one billion dollars per year.

The final Farm Bill brought many negative changes to EQIP. Foremost was the elimination of the provision which excluded large factory farms from receiving funds through EQIP. The bill also mandated that 60% of the total funding be obligated to livestock practices. Combined with a nine fold increase in the maximum payment total—from $50,000 to $450,000—these changes made this program another form of corporations feeding at the public trough.

What you can do to help
EQIP is administered in each state by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a USDA agency headed up by the State Conservationist.

1. Contact your State Conservationist and local Natural Resources Conservation Service and let them know that they should fund family farmers with their limited conservation dollars, not new or expanding factory farms. Some states have successfully limited the ability of factory farms to access EQIP funds through the state-level implementation process at NRCS.
   
   State Conservationist (Iowa)
   Rick Van Klaveren
   515/284-4769
   rick.vanklaveren@ia.usda.gov
   
   Chief, U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service
   Bruce Knight
   202/720-7246
   bruce.knight@usda.gov
   
   
2. Write a letter to the editor about the program and the importance of targeting EQIP to family farmers who can provide a long-term investment in America’s natural resource base. Call us for more information on the program – 515/282-0484.
   
   
3. Join Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement to get involved with the EQIP implementation process.