When natural events like hurricanes come in and cause significant damage to farms, there are a few federal programs that may be able to help. One of which is the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP). It helps farmers and ranchers repair damage to farmlands caused by natural disasters through funding and technical assistance. For land to qualify for ECP funds, the damage from the natural disaster must create new conservation problems that if not dealt with would:
- Further damage the land
- Significantly affect the land’s productive capacity
- Represent damage from a natural disaster unusual for the area (an exception to this is damage from wind erosion)
- Be too costly to repair without Federal assistance in order to return the land to agricultural production
Conservation problems that existed before the disaster or severe drought are ineligible for ECP assistance. Farmers and ranchers should check with their local FSA office to find out about ECP sign-up periods, which are set by the FSA County Committee.
Listen to Sabrina Halvorson’s program here.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour and The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.