McKenzie County Approved For Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)

Farmers and ranchers who suffered severe damage due to the flooding that occurred along the Yellowstone River Valley may be eligible for assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) administered by the McKenzie County Farm Service Agency (FSA).

For land to be eligible, the natural disaster must create new conservation problems that, if untreated, would:

• be so costly to rehabilitate that Federal assistance is or will be needed to return the land to productive agricultural use

• is unusual and is not the type that would recur frequently in the same area

• affect the productive capacity of the farmland

• impair or endanger the land

A producer qualifying for ECP assistance may receive cost-share levels not to exceed 75 percent of the eligible cost of restoration measures. No producer is eligible for more than $200,000 cost sharing per natural disaster occurrence. The following types of measures may be eligible:

• removing debris from farmland

• grading, shaping, or re-leveling severely damaged farmland

• restoring permanent fences

• restoring conservation structures and other similar installations

Producers who have suffered a loss from a natural disaster may contact the local FSA County Office and request assistance from April 22, 2019 to June 5, 2019.

To be eligible for assistance, practices must not be started until all of the following are met:

• an application for cost-share assistance has been filed

• the local FSA County Committee (COC) or its representative has conducted an onsite inspection of the damaged area

• the Agency responsible for technical assistance, such as the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), has made a needs determination, which may include cubic yards of earthmoving, etc., required for rehabilitation.

For more information about ECP, please contact the McKenzie County FSA Office at 701-842-3628 or visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/nd. We will be taking appointments, so give us a call to schedule yours today!