Office visit script: At NRCS

What to say on your first EQIP visit to NRCS

EQIP can cover up to 75% of NRCS’s estimated cost for a conservation practice, or up to 90% for beginning and other historically underserved producers, if your application is funded. Funding is competitive. The first visit is a conversation about your land, not an application.

Where to go: NRCS, at your local USDA Service Center

When: Applications are accepted year-round and ranked at state cutoff dates.

Farmer’s Navigator is not USDA. Your NRCS office decides eligibility, ranking and payment rates.

Prints on one or two pages, with room to write.

If you call

Fill in the brackets with your own details.

“Hi, I’d like to set up a time to talk about EQIP. I run [cattle / crops / a mixed operation] on about [X] acres in [county], and I’d like to look at [fencing / livestock water / grazing management / brush control]. I haven’t applied before. What should I bring to the first meeting?”

If you walk in

“Hi, I’m [your name]. I run [cattle / crops] on [X] acres near [town]. I’d like to talk about EQIP for [your top project]. The problem I’m trying to solve is [for example, no reliable water in the south pasture]. Can we talk about what might work on my place and how the application process goes?”

What to bring

A map of the land, printed or on your phone
Your farm number, if you have one. FSA, usually in the same building, can set one up.
Your tax ID: Social Security number or employer ID
A property deed or lease agreement showing you control the land
Acres and what you run on them: head count or crops
Your top one or two projects, with photos of the area if you have them

Questions to ask

Which resource concerns and practices does EQIP prioritize here this year?
When is the next application cutoff date in this state?
Which practices would fit what I’m trying to do?
What does this year’s state payment schedule show for those practices, and what might my share be?
If I lease this land, does my landlord need to sign anything?
How long does it usually take to get from application to a decision right now?
I’m a [beginning / veteran / limited resource] producer. Does that change my payment rate, ranking pool or advance payment options?

What happens next

NRCS talks through your goals and can help you plan. You only need a farm number if you want financial assistance.
To apply, you work with NRCS on form AD-1026 and the application, form NRCS-CPA-1200. NRCS then checks your eligibility.
NRCS ranks applications. If yours is selected, you choose whether to sign the contract.
After you sign, you get the practice standards and a set time to do the work. Once the work is done and inspected, NRCS can pay the contract rate if it meets the standards.

Good to know

Don’t start the work early. EQIP won’t pay for a practice started before you apply, or before the contract is approved unless NRCS granted a waiver before you began.
Each EQIP contract is limited to $450,000. NRCS says there is no per-person payment limit in FY2026.
Historically underserved producers can ask about advance payments of at least 50% of the expected cost of materials and services. The rule requires an approved practice design first, and the money has to be spent within 90 days.

Sources

Last updated November 5, 2026. Checked against the sources above.

farmersnavigator.com/tools/scripts/eqip-first-visit