Grab a handful of writhing maggots and cheer your favorite cockroach racing to victory: It's Insectapalooza 2007, Saturday, Oct. 20, at Cornell's Department of Entomology in Comstock Hall, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Insectapalooza beckons those with an unflinching love of all things buggy. It is free and open to all arthropod fanatics and their adventurous companions of all ages.

NRCS Announces 2008 Sign-up for Conservation Assistance September 19, 2007, Syracuse, NY - State Conservationist Ronald Alvarado of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that November 9 is the deadline for New York farmers to apply for the 2008 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP is a voluntary conservation program that provides financial and technical assistance to landowners willing to implement practices to improve natural resources on privately owned agricultural land. To receive more details and apply for 2008 program funds landowners should contact their local NRCS field office.

"The deadline for signing up is earlier than in past years so that we can ensure that EQIP funds are obligated to our producers in a timely manner," said Alvarado. "To accomplish this, our employees will need to be out in the field this fall evaluating applications before winter weather sets in. This will benefit producers because the earlier they apply, the sooner they will know if they have a contract."

Alvarado emphasized the importance of a conservation plan when applying for EQIP. The plan identifies the resource concerns of an operation along with the best practices available to help address them. This year producers will be asked to identify their highest priority resource concern, and then apply for appropriate practices under one of three Local Focus Areas: Livestock Waste, Cropland, or Grazing. NRCS employees are available to help landowners develop a conservation plan for their operation. For livestock producers who want to receive EQIP funds to install livestock waste related practices, a current Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) is required. Agricultural producers without a CNMP can apply for an incentive payment to have a plan developed by a New York certified CNMP planner.

EQIP is a comprehensive program that provides financial and technical assistance for improvements in soil, water, wildlife habitat, forestry, and other natural resources on farms and other private working lands. The program can help in implementing soil conservation practices, water quality improvements, grazing management, manure management and more. Assistance can be in the form of engineered structures and conservation field practices such as grassed waterways or manure management facilities, as well as, incentive payments for adopted management techniques that achieve greater environmental benefits.

Applications are ranked based on national, state, and locally identified resource priorities and their overall benefit to the environment. All Livestock Waste, Cropland, and Grazing applications for fiscal year 2008 funding must be received by the local USDA NRCS office no later than November 9, 2007. Applications for the CNMP Initiative will continue to be considered for funding after November 9th, as long as funds remain available. Sign-up details for landowners can be obtained by contacting their local USDA-NRCS office.