WASHINGTON — Farmers and ranchers will receive $77 million in Emergency Conservation Program funds to repair farmland damaged by natural disasters in 2008, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer.
Producers will be able to use the money to remove farmland debris, restore fences and repair conservation structures which were damaged by floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, storms, wildfires, and to carry out emergency water conservation measures after severe drought.
Eligibility
For land to be eligible, the natural disaster must create new conservation problems that if untreated, will impair or endanger the land; materially affect the land’s productive capacity; represent unusual damage that, except for wind erosion, is not likely to recur frequently in the same area and would be so costly to repair that federal assistance is or will be required to return the land to productive agricultural use.
All of the above conditions must be met for eligibility. Conservation problems that existed before the disaster are not eligible for cost-share assistance.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency county committees determine land eligibility based on on-site inspections of damage, taking into account the type and extent of damage.
States, dollar amounts
The states and estimated dollar amounts for the Emergency Conservation Program are:
Arkansas $1,040,000
California $168,000
Georgia $3,339,000
Hawaii $97,000
Illinois $447,000
Indiana $13,013,000
Iowa $17,560,000
Kansas $1,184,000
Kentucky $67,000
Louisiana $16,000,000
Maine $10,000
Michigan $59,000
Mississippi $337,000
Missouri $3,420,000
Montana $927,000
Nebraska $892,000
N. Hampshire $195,000
New Mexico $1,200,000
New York $10,000
N. Carolina $40,000
Ohio $375,000
S. Carolina $95,000
Tennessee $2,758,000
Texas $13,729,000
Utah $45,000
Virginia $20,000
A detailed list of counties and associated specific disasters is available at www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/ecpcounties2.pdf.
A national map with a visual depiction of the affected counties and disaster types is available at www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/ecpmap2.pdf.
The remainder of funds will be allocated as additional requests are processed.
More information
For further information on eligibility requirements as well as applications, producers may visit their local Farm Service Agency office or http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
