Sidney, Mont. – Irrigators in the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project (LYIP) area in Dawson and Richland Counties have until Friday February 20, 2015, to apply for financial assistance through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to install sprinkler irrigation systems on irrigated land.
For the past five years, owners and operators of land within the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project have received funding from NRCS through its Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) to increase irrigation efficiency on agricultural land. The Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District sets priorities for the funding and sprinkler irrigation systems have been a high priority for the LYIP in the past due to their high water application efficiency.
“The 2014 Farm Bill cut AWEP funding levels last year,” according to Jamie Selting, District Conservationist in the Sidney NRCS Field Office. The last scheduled year for the AWEP program was 2014, but since funding levels came in short, the NRCS in Montana has provided funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to fill the gap in 2015. These funds are eligible for projects in Dawson and Richland Counties in Montana only.
Selting is encouraging irrigators interested in the program to sign up by Friday Feb. 20, 2015. Eligible participants compete for funds to assist in the installation of conservation practices that increase irrigation efficiency in the LYIP area. Producers with projects in Montana should contact the Sidney NRCS Field Office at 406-433-2103 or stop in the office at 2745 W Holly St., Sidney, Montana.
Reader Comments(0)