Opportunity Overview
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) has opened the Maine Healthy Soils Program Top-off Incentive Program (TIP), RFA ARDTIP27. TIP is a Maine-administered payment-for-practice program that supplements eligible USDA-NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contract payments for Maine farmers.
Funding and Deadline
DACF anticipates awarding up to $500,000 through this RFA. Individual TIP payments are formula-based and depend on available DACF funding, the applicant pool, eligible EQIP practice costs and units, and the USDA-NRCS cost-share percentage. For each eligible practice, TIP cannot exceed the difference between the total cost per unit and the amount covered under the farmer’s USDA-NRCS contract. Applications are due November 6, 2026 at 12:00 noon Eastern Time.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants must own and/or operate a farm in Maine; have a USDA-NRCS EQIP contract containing eligible practice codes; have completed or plan to complete covered EQIP work between January 1, 2022 and June 30, 2031; produce at least $2,000 in annual agricultural value for commercial sale in at least one of the last three years or produce at least $2,000 in agricultural value supporting community food access; have access to at least one acre of farmable land; and enroll in Maine Healthy Soils Program email updates.
Allowable Activities
The RFA lists eligible soil-health and conservation practices including soil-health testing and planning, conservation cover, crop rotation, no-till and reduced-till practices, cover crops, prescribed grazing, composting, nutrient management, irrigation-water management, drainage-water management, silvopasture and other specified NRCS practice codes. Costs tied to practice codes outside the RFA and work already paid with prior TIP funding are not eligible.
Application Process
Applicants must submit the online ARDTIP27 application and required supplemental documentation by the deadline. Required materials include the completed ARDTIP27 Invoice Request Form, NRCS-CPA-1155 for each contract, and available NRCS-CPA-1245 verification forms. Supplemental documents are submitted to the RFA coordinator according to the RFA instructions.
Atlas Assessment
Atlas fit: strong. This is a current Maine-administered opportunity with a clear application pathway and meaningful value for eligible Maine farms already participating in qualifying EQIP practices. Atlas can assist with eligibility review, document organization, application completeness, and package preparation at no cost.
N9+ fit: not established. This opportunity is designed around specified soil-health and conservation practices tied to existing EQIP contracts. Do not introduce or force N9+ unless a future applicant-specific project and allowable-cost review establish a legitimate fit.
Dr. Miltie / QC Healthcare direct-vendor fit: none identified. This is an applicant payment program for eligible Maine farms, not a direct procurement for Dr. Miltie or QC Healthcare.
Applicant Control
Before organization-specific outreach, independently verify the farm’s current EQIP contract, eligible practice codes, Maine location, applicant eligibility, verified business contact, opt-out and bounce status, and authoritative original-outreach history. Do not infer applicant facts or email addresses.