INDIANA BULLETIN NO. 300-8-8
SUBJECT: LTP- Release of Indiana Amendment 4 to the Conservation Programs Manual, 440-V-CPM, Part 515 (EQIP), Revision of EQIP Indiana 2008 State Guidelines.
Purpose: To release the revision of the “EQIP Indiana 2008 State Guidelines” as Indiana Amendment 4 to the Conservation Programs Manual, 440-V-CPM, Part 515 (EQIP).
Expiration Date: September 30, 2008
Background: Clarifications and changes have been made to the EQIP Indiana 2008 State Guidelines to address questions received and to improve implementation. To incorporate these changes into permanent Indiana policy, the attached Indiana Amendment 4, “EQIP Indiana 2008 State Guidelines”, to the Conservation Programs Manual is hereby issued.
Indiana Amendment 4, “EQIP Indiana 2008 State Guidelines”, should be filed in 440-V-CPM, behind part 515 if you keep a hard copy of 440-V-CPM. The EQIP Indiana State Guidelines will be posted on the Indiana web site under Programs, EQIP. It will also be available in the Indiana E-Directives web page at http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/intranet/manual_supplements.html Title 440.
All NRCS employees working with 2008 EQIP applications should thoroughly review the revised Guidelines and ensure that changes are properly implemented.
Changes include the following:
Page 2 Special Groups- added wording that increased rate applies to structural practices.
Page 3 Payment Rate- added wording that rates will never go down from original contract.
Page 5 Practices Eligible for Payment, second paragraph- added wording to clarify that management practices are eligible for only three consecutive payments within a contract.
Page 6 CNMP- Multiple changes to clarify control of the land and manure, some wording removed.
Page 7 Cover Crop- added wording to prohibit harvesting for grain.
Page 9 Nutrient Management, Basic and High- added wording to clarify eligibility and criteria on both.
DIST: 0 Page 9 Pest Management, Basic- clarified eligibility.
Page 10 Pest Management, High- clarified eligibility.
Page 11 Residue Management, No-till- removed restriction on receiving previous payments.
Page 12 Residue Management, Mulch till- removed restriction on receiving previous payments.
Page 14 Waste Storage Facility- added pre-fabricated structures (slurry store, etc.) to Concrete Pit payment.
Page 15 Waste Utilization, Basic and High- clarified eligibility and criteria on both.
Page 16 Water and Sediment Control Basin- re-emphasized requirements for payment.
Page 17 Technical assistance codes- additional information included in all 900 codes.
Page 19 Technical Assistance from TSPs- totally restructured to eliminate issuing separate annual instructions for TSP TA funding.
Page 20 TSP TA Step-by-Step Instructions for NRCS and EQIP Applicants- added direct link to revised 2008 Step-by-Step instructions and forms.
Page 21 Potential Duplicative Payments- new section added.
Any 2008 applications that have been signed into contracts, or are in approved status before November 9, 2007, will continue to follow the guidance as issued in Indiana Amendment 3 to the Conservation Programs Manual, 440-V-CPM, Part 515 (EQIP) “EQIP Indiana 2008 State Guidelines” dated October, 2007 and issued by IN-Bulletin 300-8-3. Offices should maintain copies of both 440-V-CPM, Part 515, Amend. IN-3 and 440-V-CPM, Part 515, Amend. IN-4 for reference.
If you have questions on EQIP implementation or quality assurance, contact Jim Dunaway at 317-290-2300, ext. 334, or Harold Thompson at ext. 320.
/s/
JANE E. HARDISTY State Conservationist
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