The Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated $6 million to help aid farmers and ranchers recovering from recent wildfires in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The $6 million in available funding, delivered through USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program, will assist farmers and ranchers as they attempt to restore grazing lands, rehabilitate devastated landscapes, rebuild fencing and protect damaged watersheds. Kansas Republican and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts in a statement said he was “pleased USDA has acted swiftly to aid producers.” Roberts noted that farms lost not only livestock, grazing lands, and fencing – but in some cases, homes, machinery and equipment, as well. EQIP, administered by USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service, is a voluntary conservation program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to help plan and implement conservation practices that address local and state resource concerns. States will begin accepting applications in the near future. Producers in the affected counties are encouraged to check with their local NRCS service centers for additional information.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.