The Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District hosted a meeting of the the Androscoggin and Sagadahoc Counties USDA Local working Group on November 19, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon at the USDA Service Center, 254 Goddard Road, Lewiston, Maine.  The room was filled with about 30 people in attendance.

Local Working Groups assist the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in matters relating to the implementation and technical aspects of conservation programs under Title II of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill).

Agenda items included prioritizing resource concerns affecting land users in Androscoggin and Sagadahoc Counties and setting funding allocation pool percentages, reviewing Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) practices and payments rates proposed for program participants in FY 2012, prioritizing conservation planning needs for 2012 program applicants with the EQIP Application Screening Tool, and developing local issue questions for applications with the EQIP Application Evaluation Ranking Tool. To see flyer with the agenda, click here.