USDA gifts Ohio $461,200 in emergency funds

COLUMBUS – The USDA is providing $ 461,200 in Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funding to Washington, Belmont, Monroe, Muskinghum, Morgan, Athens, Hocking, Perry, and Jefferson counties in Ohio affected by Hurricane Ivan and Frances.
This funding is provided by the 2005 Emergency Hurricane Supplemental Appropriations Act, signed by President Bush Oct. 13, under which $150 million is authorized for ECP.
“These new ECP funds will be used to help farmers and ranchers rehabilitate farmland damaged by hurricanes and other natural disasters in the past year,” said Larry Adams, Ohio state executive director for Farm Service Agency.
About the program. The program provides technical assistance to help producers remove debris from farmland, restore fences, repair conservation structures, grade and shape farmland damaged severe washouts and flooding.
The program is administered by FSA, located in county agricultural service centers.
Eligible producers will receive cost-share assistance up to 75 percent of approved practices, as determined by FSA county committees.
Producers should immediately check with their local FSA office regarding ECP sign-up periods, which are set by the county FSA committees.
Eligibility. For a producer’s land to be eligible, the disaster must create new conservation problems that, if untreated, would impair or endanger the land and affect its productive capacity.
Conservation problems existing prior to the applicable disaster are ineligible for ECP assistance.
USDA offers additional programs to help farmers and ranchers recover from damages caused by natural disasters. These programs include the Emergency Loan Program, Federal Crop Insurance and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.
Learn more online. More information on ECP and other disaster assistance programs is available at local FSA offices and online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.