Federal Cost Share Programs:

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Forestry Incentives Program (FIP)

Stewardship Incentives Program (SIP)

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)

State Cost Share Programs:

Conservation Practices Program (CPP)

Tax Incentive Filter Strip Program

Illinois Water Well Abandonment Practice (IWWAP):

Nutrient Management Plan Practice:

Local Cost Share Programs:

Habitat Restoration Program for the Fox and Kishwaukee River Watershed

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

The Conservation Reserve Program reduces soil erosion, protects the Nation's ability to produce food and fiber, reduces sedimentation in streams and lakes, improves water quality, establishes wildlife habitat, and enhances forest and wetland resources. It encourages farmers to convert highly erodible cropland or other environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetative cover, such as tame or native grasses, wildlife plantings, trees, filterstrips, or riparian buffers. Farmers receive an annual rental payment for the term of the multi-year contract. Cost sharing is provided to establish the vegetative cover practices.    (back)

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program is a joint program between the state of Illinois and the USDA to address environmental problems within the Illinois River watershed. The goals of the program are to reduce sedimentation and nutrients in the Illinois River and increase populations of waterfowl and native fish and mussels. The program provides additional incentives for farmers to enroll environmentally sensitive land in the Conservation Reserve program (CRP)

To be eligible for the CREP program, you must be eligible to be enrolled in the continuous CRP Program. It must be cropland that has been cropped 2 out of the last 5 years. For DeKalb County, land must be located in the Fox River Watershed which includes Little Indian Creek, Indian Creek, Somonauk Creek, Battle Creek, Big Rock Creek, Little Rock Creek, Buck Creek and other smaller creeks and ditches that drain into these mainstreams.

Land must meet eligibility requirements as either Highly Erodible Land or Riparian Buffer. Land eligible as Highly Erodible Land must be adjacent to a stream and may be devoted to permanent native grasses, tree planting, or permanent wildlife habitat. Land eligible as frequently flooded land, farmed wetlands, and prior converted wetlands may be devoted to shallow water areas for wildlife, wildlife food plots, filter strips, riparian buffers, or wetland restoration. Most of the area to be enrolled will be limited to the land within the 100 year floodplain and associated buffer zone.

Participants in the Illinois CREP program will receive a 30% increase above the annual per acre rental rate for enrollment of riparian buffers, filter strips, and wetland restoration or a 20% increase for erodible areas. The Federal Government will pay 50% of the cost of establishing the new vegetative cover and provide $5 an acre for annual maintenance costs.

In addition, landowners who wish to extend their CREP contracts beyond the 15 year federal contract will be offered additional incentives by the State Government. Participants will be offered 15 year, 35 year, or permanent easement options. Those opting for a permanent easement will receive reimbursement of the remaining 50% of costs to establish vegetative practices and a lump sum payment equal to the CRP maximum annual payment times 15 times 30% per acre. Landowners choosing 15 or 35 year easements will receive reimbursement of 40% of the remaining costs to establish practices and 50% or 75% respectively of the lump sum payment for the permanent easement. In addition, those installing filter strips may be eligible for a reduction in property taxes.

The landowners must agree to keep the conservation practices in place for the duration of the easement. There will be no development allowed on the property. The easement does not allow for the right of public access to the property and the landowner retains rights to use the property for undeveloped recreational uses, including hunting and fishing. (back) 

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) encourages agricultural and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt additional ones on their operations.  CSP is a new voluntary conservation program that provides financial and technical assistance to conserve and enhance soil, water, air, and related natural resources on their land.  CSP provides opportunities to both recognize excellent stewards and deliver valuable new conservation.

Benefits:

CSP provides participants with two possible types of payments.  An annual payment is available for installing new conservation activities and maintaining existing activities. A supplemental payment may be earned by participants receiving an annual payment who also adopt a resource-conserving crop rotation.  Through 5-year contracts, payments will be made as soon as practical after October of each year for contract activities installed and maintained in the previous year.  For all contracts, CSP payments to a person or legal entity may not exceed $40,000 in any year, and $200,000 over the term of the initial contract period.

How CSP Works

NRCS at the State level, in consultation with the State Technical Committee and local working groups, will focus CSP on natural resources that are of specific concern for a State.  Agricultural land and non-industrial private forest land will be ranked separately.  Producers interested in CSP are encouraged to begin the application process by completing a producer self-screening checklist.  The self-screening checklist helps potential applicants decide for themselves whether CSP is the right program for them.  The level of environmental benefit to be achieved will be estimated to determine eligibility, rank applications and establish payments.  For a pre-approved applicant, NRCS will request the applicant's conservation activity records and conduct on-site field verification to ensure that information provided by the applicant was accurate prior to contract approval.  Once information is verified, NRCS and the applicant proceed to develop the contract.

Basic Eligibility

For More Information

For more information & updates about the Farm Bill, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill ; or NRCS' website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/farmbill; for more information on CSP, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/new_csp.   (back) 

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program provides technical, educational, and financial assistance to eligible farmers and ranchers to address soil, water, and related natural resource concerns on their lands in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner. The program provides assistance to farmers and ranchers in complying with Federal, State, and tribal environmental laws, and encourages environmental enhancement. The program is funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation. The purposes of the program are achieved through the implementation of a conservation plan which includes structural, vegetative, and land management practices on eligible land. Five- to ten-year contracts are made with eligible producers. Cost-share payments may be made to implement one or more eligible structural or vegetative practices, such as animal waste management facilities, terraces, filter strips, tree planting, and permanent wildlife habitat. Incentive payments can be made to implement one or more land management practices, such as nutrient management, pest management, and grazing land management.

Fifty percent of the funding available for the program will be targeted at natural resource concerns relating to livestock production. The program is carried-out primarily in priority areas that may be watersheds, regions, or multi-state areas, and for significant statewide natural resource concerns that are outside of geographic priority areas. (back) 

Forestry Incentives Program (FIP)

The Forestry Incentives Program (FIP) supports good forest management practices on privately owned, non-industrial forest lands nationwide. FIP is designed to benefit the environment while meeting future demands for wood products. Eligible practices are tree planting, timber stand improvement, site preparation for natural regeneration, and other related activities. FIP is available in counties designated by a Forest Service survey of eligible private timber acreage. (back) 

Stewardship Incentives Program (SIP)

The Stewardship Incentive Program provides technical and financial assistance to encourage non-industrial private forest landowners to keep their lands and natural resources productive and healthy. Qualifying land includes rural lands with existing tree cover or land suitable for growing trees and which is owned by a private individual, group, association, corporation, Indian tribe, or other legal private entity. Eligible landowners must have an approved Forest Stewardship Plan and own 1,000 or fewer acres of qualifying land. Authorizations may be obtained for exceptions of up to 5,000 acres.    (back) 

The Wetlands Reserve Program is a voluntary program to restore wetlands. Participating landowners can establish conservation easements of either permanent or 30-year duration, or can enter into restoration cost-share agreements where no easement is involved. In exchange for establishing a permanent easement, the landowner receives payment up to the agricultural value of the land and 100 percent of the restoration costs for restoring the wetlands. The 30-year easement payment is 75 percent of what would be provided for a permanent easement on the same site and 75 percent of the restoration cost. The voluntary agreements are for a minimum 10-year duration and provide for 75 percent of the cost of restoring the involved wetlands. Easements and restoration cost-share agreements establish wetland protection and restoration as the primary land use for the duration of the easement or agreement. In all instances, landowners continue to control access to their land.   (back) 

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)

The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program provides financial incentives to develop habitat for fish and wildlife on private lands. Participants agree to implement a wildlife habitat development plan and USDA agrees to provide cost-share assistance for the initial implementation of wildlife habitat development practices. USDA and program participants enter into a cost-share agreement for wildlife habitat development. This agreement generally lasts a minimum of 10 years from the date that the contract is signed. (back) 

Conservation Practices Program (CPP)

Each fiscal year the SWCD has cost-share funds available for various conservation practices. Practices included in the program are Filter Strips, Field Border Strips, Grassed Waterways, Critical Area Plantings, No-Till, Terraces, and Grade Stabilization Structures.

Contract sign-up is typically in July at the beginning of the SWCD fiscal year, although notification of your interest in the program can be discussed at any time of year. The SWCD board of directors will prioritize the applications received based on tons of soil saved, acres benefited, cost per acre of practice, and cost per ton of soil saved. Practices must be installed in the Fall or Spring of that Fiscal year.

To be eligible, landowners need to have a conservation plan approved by the SWCD. To receive cost share, the land upon which the landuser intends to install the practice must be experiencing sheet and rill erosion exceeding T (tolerable levels) or ephemeral/gully erosion.

CPP funds are available through the Conservation 2000 legislation to help landowners achieve the T by 2000 goals set by the state of Illinois. Achieving tolerable soil loss levels on cropland will assure productive agricultural lands for the future as well as help improve water quality.  (back) 

As an incentive for installing protective vegetative filter strips on land adjacent to surface or ground water sources, landowners may receive a reduced property tax assessment of 1/6th of its value as cropland. Landowners can expect to save about $1 to $25 per acres in taxes depending on soils and local tax rates. Vegetative filter strip design and certification assistance is available from the Soil and Water Conservation District office.    (back) 

Streambank Stabilization & Restoration Program (SSRP)

Streambank erosion is a natural wearing away of soil and rock that forms streambanks. This natural process has been accelerated by activities that increase drainage water flow and water velocity, including stream channelization and straightening, removal of streamside vegetation, and construction of impervious surfaces. Streambank erosion, a major source of sediment buildup in bodies of water, threatens soil, water, plant and animal resources. It decreases the depth and holding capacity of lakes and reservoirs and reduces stream channel capacity, which increases the likelihood of flooding and additional streambank erosion. Excessive flooding degrades water quality and damages fish and wildlife habitat.

The streambank stabilization and restoration program is designed to demonstrate effective, inexpensive vegetative and bio-engineering techniques for limiting streambank erosion. Program monies fund demonstration projects at suitable locations statewide and provide cost-share assistance to landowners with severely eroding streambanks.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois' Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (NRCS) serve as partners in implementing the program.

Eligibility:

Both cost-share assistance and demonstration project funding require sites meet assessment and selection criteria established for successful streambank stabilization using vegetative or other bio-engineering techniques. Program funds may be used for labor, equipment and materials. Proposals must be sponsored by the local SWCD. An independent committee selects grant recipients in the fall of the year. Recipients of cost-share and demonstration project funding must agree to maintain streambank stabilization practices for at least 10 years.  (back) 

Habitat Restoration Program for the Fox and Kishwaukee River Watershed

The Habitat Restoration Program (HRP) is intended to provide cost share and technical assistance for the protection, restoration and enhancement of aquatic resources with secondary benefits to wildlife habitat to landowners in priority areas of the Fox, Kishwaukee, and Des Plaines River Watersheds.     (back)

 Program Guidelines:

All landowners within McHenry, Kane, DeKalb, Boone, and the western part of Lake and North Cook County (except state and federal agencies) are eligible to apply for cost-share funds.   
-The program will provide cost share payments for all eligible practices at a rate of 75%.  The remaining 25% is the obligation of the landowner.  
-The Technical Oversight Committee will use a prioritization system for selecting projects that will result in the maximum benefits to water quality and wildlife.  A contract will be signed between an applicant and the local SWCD.  The cost shared practices are to be continued and maintained for a minimum of ten years.  (back) 

Illinois Water Well Abandonment Practice (IWWAP):

The purpose of the Illinois Water Well Abandonment Practice is to provide technical and financial assistance to owners of improperly abandoned wells who wish to seal those wells to protect groundwater from potential contamination.  This goal is consistent with the five-year goal of the Illinois Water Well Sealing Coalition to double the current rate at which abandoned water wells are being sealed within the state, particularly in rural areas.

Specific objectives for the practices are:

Nutrient Management Plan Practice:

The purpose of the Nutrient Management Plan practice, eligible under the C-2000 Program, is to assist agricultural producers in optimizing the application of nutrients for plant production while minimizing offsite impacts to the environment and protecting water quality. (back)