#### Detailed Information on the 2006 EQIP Signup for Cranberry Production

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) will once again be
made available for conservation on Wisconsin cranberry marshes during
2006. Cranberry growers interested in EQIP assistance for conservation
work are encouraged to sign up immediately. Growers can apply for EQIP
at any time during the year. However, to be considered for funding in
2006, growers must have completed the necessary application procedures
prior to December 30, 2005.

#### Eligibility Criteria and Application Procedures

In order to be eligible for financial assistance through EQIP, the
applicant must be determined to be an eligible producer by USDA. This
includes a determination that the applicant is an agricultural producer,
does not exceed EQIP payment or Adjusted Gross Income limitations, and
is in compliance with Highly Erodible Land and Wetland conservation
provisions of program rules. The land on which the proposed EQIP
practices will be applied must also meet certain eligibility
requirements. These determinations are made by USDA personnel.

Interested producers must complete and sign all necessary forms prior to
the application cut-off date of December 30, 2005. The *Conservation
Program Application/Contract* (form CCC-1200) is the official
application form, and is available at USDA Service Centers or can be
obtained on-line. Note: the *CCC-1200-EQIP (Appendix)* will also need to
be reviewed and signed prior to the application deadline. The "Wisconsin
Cranberry Growers Self Assessment Tool -- EQIP 2006" will also need to
be completed, signed, and dated by the application cut-off date of
December 30, 2005. Additional forms may be required for the
determination of producer eligibility (form CCC-502) and compliance with
Highly Erodible Land and Wetland conservation provisions of the Farm
Bill (form AD-1026).

To be eligible for EQIP financial assistance, the producer must not have
started the practice(s) prior to having an EQIP contract approved.

#### Developing an EQIP Contract

Applicants who rank high enough to be selected for contracting must
develop a conservation plan with a certified conservation planner. The
conservation plan will outline the practices to be included in the
contract, and will include a preliminary schedule for implementing
practices. To initiate the conservation planning process, complete the
*Conservation on Your Land* workbook, and submit it to Michael
Stinebrink, at the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association (WSCGA)
office. This workbook is available at the WSCGA office or can be
downloaded from the Wisconsin NRCS website. Growers are encouraged to
begin development of a conservation plan prior to applying for financial
assistance through EQIP or other conservation programs. [NOTE:
Applicants who commit to the whole farm planning process and complete
the *Conservation on Your Land* workbook will receive higher priority
for EQIP ranking purposes]{.underline}**.**

A cost-shared practice must be started within 12 months of contract
approval. Once begun, the producer is expected to make continuous
progress towards implementation. Failure to commence a practice within
12 months of contract approval may result in contract termination unless
circumstances beyond the producer's control prevented the start of the
practice.

#### Priority Resource Concerns

The Cranberry Work Group, an advisory group to NRCS, has identified
water quality, water conservation, and soil erosion as the primary
resource concerns on cranberry production systems in Wisconsin.
Available EQIP financial assistance resources will be targeted to
address the following specific EQIP resource concerns:

Water Quality -- Excessive nutrients and organics in surface water

Water Quality -- Harmful levels of pesticides in surface water

Water Quality -- Harmful temperatures of surface water

Water Quantity -- Inefficient water use on irrigated land

Soil Erosion -- Streambank, shoreline, or ephemeral gully

Only practices that address at least one of the above listed
EQIP resource concerns will be eligible for financial assistance through
the Statewide Cranberry Sign-up.

Water quality and quantity are key resource issues due largely to the
fact that cranberries are grown in close proximity to water. The risk of
contamination of water resources from the application of plant nutrients
and pesticides is largely due to this factor. Surface water resources
can also be impacted by the release of "flood waters", which have the
potential to increase in temperature as they are used in production,
before being returned to streams, lakes, or other surface water
features. Opportunities exist to improve the efficiency of irrigation
water applications, and to recover and re-use irrigation or other water
discharges, thereby reducing net water use. Excessive erosion from
reservoir and natural lake shorelines, streambanks, and constructed
dikes and ditch banks also has the potential to negatively impact water
quality.

#### Ranking and Funding of Applications

Scoring of all eligible applications will be done after the application
cutoff date (12/30/05) has passed. Scoring of the applications will be
based upon the *EQIP FY 2005 Scoring Sheet, Cranberry Conservation,
Wisconsin Statewide Signup*. Applications will be selected for plan
development and contracting in ranked order according to the scoring
results as available funds allow. If insufficient funds are available to
fund all eligible applications, the remaining applications will be
retained and may be re-ranked with additional applications if another
application ranking period is announced in FY 2005. Contracts will be
entered into no later than April 15, 2006.

Applicants for the statewide EQIP sign-up for cranberry production are
not prohibited from also applying for EQIP assistance through the local,
county-level EQIP funding pools or other statewide funding pools.
However, separate applications for the same conservation practice(s) on
the same land are not permitted. And, the separate applications must be
consistent with the requirements of the individual funding pools.

#### Where to Apply

Interested growers may apply at any Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) office. Applicants may also request EQIP assistance by
telephone, fax, e-mail, or by letter. Contact your local USDA Service
Center for more information. The application process may also be
initiated at the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association (WSCGA)
office, where an NRCS conservationist is staffed. The street address for
the WSCGA is 132 E Grand Ave., Suite 202, and the mailing address is PO
Box 365, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495. Michael Stinebrink is the NRCS
Resource Conservationist staffed at the WSCGA office. He can be reached
via email at <michael.stinebrink@wi.usda.gov>, or by phone at (715)
423-2070 Ext. 4. The WSCGA fax number is (715) 423-0275.