FSA is Accepting Emergency Conservation Program Applications in Lewis/Hickman/Perry Counties

Hickman/Lewis/Perry County FSA is Accepting Emergency Conservation Program Applications

Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting applications in Hickman/Lewis/Perry County for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to address damages from flooding on March 28th – April 8th, 2021. ECP signup will begin on May 17th, 2021 and end on June 15th, 2021.

The approved ECP practices include: Removal of debris from Farmland; Grading, shaping, and releveling on Farmland fields.

ECP helps you with the cost to restore the farmland to pre-disaster conditions. You may receive up to 75 percent of the cost of approved restoration activity. Limited resource socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers and ranchers may receive up to 90 percent cost-share. The payment limitation for ECP is $500,000 per disaster, and the funds are limited to activities to return the land to the relative pre-disaster condition.

You must apply for assistance prior to beginning reconstructive work. FSA’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and environmental compliance review process is required to be completed before any actions are taken. Submitting an application after reconstructive work has been completed may not qualify for ECP. Conservation concerns that were present on the land prior to the disaster are not eligible for ECP assistance.

FSA county committees will evaluate applications based on an on-site inspection of the damaged land, taking into consideration the type and extent of the damage. An on-site inspection does not guarantee that cost-share funding will be provided.

For more information on ECP and to see if you may qualify, contact Hickman/Lewis/Perry County USDA Service Center at 931-729-2686 or visit farmers.gov/recover.