Take Action!
Speak up for EQIP: NRCS needs to hear from farmers and concerned citizens!
Help us ensure a more sustainable food and farm future! Between now and February 18, 2020, we are coordinating a national comment campaign to make sure that farmers (and the broader public) have an opportunity to weigh in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Interim Final Rule.
EQIP matters because it supports hundreds of thousands of farmers in implementing conservation projects on millions of acres. EQIP is also a secret weapon in the fight against climate change: many EQIP-funded conservation practices help build soil organic matter and sequester carbon!
However, NRCS’s new Interim Final Rule for EQIP fails to prioritize soil health and climate resilience, while also creating a new, unfair payment limit loophole – both in direct contradiction of the 2018 Farm Bill. We need farmers, organizers, and people who care about climate change and soil health to submit comments. Tell NRCS to do as Congress intended: prioritize soil health and climate change, and keep reasonable payment limits in place!
It’s important to speak out during this comment period because we only get this opportunity every five years or so with a new farm bill. Now is our chance to impact how this critical program operates – and how it can help fight the climate crisis – for the years ahead.
Ready to get involved? Submit a comment to NRCS today!
NRCS is accepting public comments on the EQIP Interim Final Rule through February 18, 2020. After it reviews and takes into consideration public comments, NRCS will develop a permanent Final Rule that will govern the program for years to come. This is the public’s one chance to weigh in.
NRCS will only accept comments submitted online. You can use the sample materials attached below to get started! It is important to personalize your comment – NRCS will read every single submission, and unique comments have the most impact.
- Step 1 – Get informed – read the comment template below to learn what may change about EQIP under the new rules, how these changes could impact farmers, where NRCS could be doing more to help EQIP reach its full potential, and why this matters for everyone.
- Step 2 – Customize the comment below for yourself! There are guiding questions to help you tell your story effectively to NRCS.
- Step 3 – Click here to submit your comment online, and follow these steps:
- Upload your saved comment file (Word or PDF) by clicking “choose files”.
- Fill in your personal information. Note that no personal information is required – you can submit anonymously. However, we suggest putting your name, city, and state; comments with names are typically taken more seriously.
- Click “continue”.
- Check the box indicating that you have read the privacy statement.
- Click “submit”
Click here to download the EQIP comment template!
How Can I Get Involved with NSAC?
If you care about getting healthy food to everyone, protecting our natural resources, and supporting the next generation of American farmers, then you’ll want to get involved this year!
- STAY INFORMED: Sign up for free Action Alerts; this is our #1 means to communicate with people like you when it’s time to take action. (We never sell or share your information!)
- GROW THE MOVEMENT: Share this page with your friends and family and ask them to join our campaign!
- TELL YOUR STORY: Are you a farmer who has benefited from – or struggled with – federal farm programs? We want to hear from you! Contact us to share your experience and potentially be part of our farmer storybank.
- GET TO KNOW YOUR LEGISLATORS: Do you know who your Senators and Representative are? Do you know how they vote on sustainable agriculture issues? Find out who represents you here; send ’em an email and ask them how they voted on the issues that matter to YOU.
- JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Did you know that many legislators really do read what folks share with them via Facebook and Twitter? Follow NSAC on Facebook and Twitter – and consider following your legislators, too!