How Does the EQIP Bridge Loan Work?

12/11/2018

The EQIP Bridge Loan was created to support farmer and rancher access to the EQIP program by lessening the burden of the EQIP reimbursement process.

The NRCS EQIP Program is for growers to help build infrastructure to support their conservation efforts including financial resources for cover crops, high tunnels, fencing, water catchment, and renewable energy production.

These programs are reimbursement based, so participants in EQIP must front the capital to access these programs. Once the project is completed and inspected, farmers are then paid back. FI's EQIP Bridge Loan covers the cost of EQIP projects up front to smooth cashflow for growers.

Who should apply

- You are a farmer or rancher.
- You are currently working with an NRCS agent. Bonus if you have already qualified for an EQIP program.
- You may have difficulty with the up front costs of the reimbursement process and are looking to explore other options.

What we fund

AFI is open to exploring funding for any NRCS EQIP program. That said, we're particularly interested in projects that are high impact, capital intensive, and are quickly completed. Some examples of this might be:

- High Tunnel construction
- Fencing construction
- Water storage facility
- Pond installation
- Composting facility

Overview of how it works

Case Study

Read about how an EQIP Bridge Loan worked for Cold Springs Farm outside of Dallas. Cold Springs and High Tunnels: FI makes accessing High Tunnels a little easier with the EQIP High Tunnel Program

Ready to apply?

If you're ready to get going, head over to our Apply page and submit an application. It's a little long, but it helps us know if folks are serious about moving forward. If you don't know the answer to some of the questions just skip it and we'll go over those questions later.

EQIP resources

Have questions about the basics of the NRCS EQIP Program? Check out some of the links below:

NRCS EQIP main website

Browse the main site to get a general idea of EQIP offerings and process.

Find your NRCS County Office

The best way to find out more about EQIP is to schedule a meeting with your NRCS county representative. Find their office and give them a call.

Complete list of EQIP Offerings

EQIP has a bunch of different offerings. This will give you an even better idea of what EQIP offers - although not all programs are available in every county. Contact your county NRCS rep for more details on this.

EQIP High Tunnel Program

This has been our most popular program for diversified farmers to date.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the NRCS Bridge Loan or other FI farm offerings, feel free to drop us a line using the form below. Or, email FI Associate, Evan Driscoll, at evan@austinfoodshedinvestors.com