08/18/06 Earlier deadline for EQIP

Washington Ag August 18, 2006 Washington agricultural producers interested in participating in the popular cost-share Environmental Quality Incentives Program face an earlier deadline than in the past to receive funding for 2007. Brown: "We've moved our deadline from the past years when it has been the middle of January up to the middle of November for this upcoming fiscal year 2007 EQIP funds." That's Dave Brown, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Brown: "The reason behind it is to allow our producers and our NRCS employees some additional time to do some good conservation planning with the producer and hope that the contract we develop for those EQIP cost-share dollars will be just that much better information." Producers can apply anytime for the EQIP program but that November 17th deadline is the cutoff for funding fiscal year 2007 projects and due to the high level of interest in the program Brown urges those interested not to delay in submitting their applications. Last year Washington producers qualified for more than 20-million dollars in cost share assistance through the voluntary EQIP program. I'm Bob Hoff.