Farm and Forest Planning
Do you own a farm and/or forest? If so, consider getting a farm/forest plan to help you with your natural resource challenges. Here is a sample of a farm/forest plan. A plan would also contain soil maps and aerial photos of your property.
SAMPLE_RMS_Farm_Plan
NEWS
For
Immediate Release Deadline for popular conservation cost-share program set for Friday, August 13, 2010
SPOKANE, Wash. (June 21, 2010) – Agricultural producers have until August 13 to apply for financial and technical assistance through Washington’s most popular conservation program, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced today. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary, technical and financial assistance program designed to help farmers improve irrigation efficiency; manage nutrient run-off and/or animal waste; improve the health of native plant communities; and reduce soil loss. In most instances, producers who participate in the program pay for roughly half of the costs of the conservation measures or practices.
The August 13 signup deadline is for Washington’s general EQIP funding. According to the NRCS, there will be additional ranking deadlines later in the year for some of the EQIP special initiatives such as funding specifically for Organic Producers, funding for Conservation Activity Plans and possibly others.
“EQIP has become NRCS’ primary conduit in providing conservation assistance to producers on Washington’s working lands,” Asst. State Conservationist Dave Brown said. “Applicants who want to be considered for a fiscal year 2011 EQIP contract will need to have a signed application on file by August 13,” he said. Based on an estimate of funding availability, selected applicants will work with NRCS staff to develop conservation plans that serve as the basis for their EQIP contracts.
In 2009, Washington agricultural producers qualified for more than $13 million in financial assistance through the program, according to the NRCS.
Brown said that while NRCS programs operate on a year-round signup basis, and producers can file applications at any time, periodic ranking deadlines are established so applications on file at that time can be evaluated for the next available funding allocation.
Interested agricultural producers are encouraged to contact District Conservationist Steve Nissley at 360.428.7684 or steve.nissley@wa.usda.gov at the USDA service center office in Mt. Vernon or check the agency’s web site at www.wa.nrcs.usda.gov for more information.
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An
Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.
The
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits
discrimination in all its programs and activities on the
basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and
where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status,
parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic
information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or
a part of an individual's income is derived from any public
assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all
programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information
(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact
USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To
file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director,
Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice)
or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity
provider and employer.
Agricultural
Resources Committee (ARC)
Helping encourage and support agriculture in the San Juan
Islands.
The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC)
provides administrative and financial support to the
Agricultural Resources Committee (ARC) through an
inter-local agreement with San Juan County.
Please call Peggy Bill the San Juan County ARC Coordinator
at the EDC (360) 378-2906
Producer Survey Summary 2006
(PDF 90
KB)
Read about the mission the ARC
(PDF 64 KB)
You can learn more about the ARC by visiting
www.sjcarc.org
Announcements
& News
From the Governor's Office:
Working Lands Initiative
(PDF 512 KB)
Links to
Useful Agriculture Resources
Alternative Farming Systems
Information Center: http://afsic.nal.usda.gov
American Farmland Trust: www.farmland.org
Biodynamic Farming & Gardening
Association: www.biodynamics.com
Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food
Systems: www.zzyx.ucsc.edu.casfs
Center for Food Safety: www.centerforfoodsafety.org
Center for Rural Affairs: www.cfra.org
Community Alliance with Family
Farmers: www.caff.org
Community Food Security Coalition: www.foodsecurity.org
Farming & the Environment: www.farmingandtheenvironment.org
Food & Agriculture Organization of the
UN: www.fao.org
Food Security Learning Center: www.worldhungeryear.org/fslc
Holistic Management International: www.holisticmanagement.org/
Institute for Agriculture & Trade
Policy: www.iatf.org
Land Institute: www.landinstitute.org
Land Stewardship Project: www.landstewardshipproject.org
Leopold Center for Sustainable
Agriculture: www.leopold.iastate.edu
National Sustainable Agriculture Information
Service: http://attra.ncat.org
Northwest Agricultural Business
Center: www.agbizcenter.org
Office of Farmland Preservation http://ofp.scc.wa.gov
Organic Farming Research
Foundation: www.ofrf.org
Polyface Farms: www.polyfacefarms.com
Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland: www.skagitonians.org
Small Farm Center: www.sfc.ucdavis.edu
Sustainable Agriculture Research &
Education: www.sare.org
UC Sustainable Agriculture & Research
Program: www.sarep.ucdavis.edu
US Department of Agriculture: www.usda.gov
USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service: www.nrcs.usda.gov
Washington State Conservation Commission:
http://www.scc.wa.gov
Washington State Department of
Agriculture: http://agr.wa.gov
Wild Farm Alliance: www.wildfarmalliance.org
WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture & Natural
Resources: http://csanr.wsu.edu
WSU Extension: www.sanjuan.wsu.edu/agriculture