NEWS
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of Communications News Room 460-A
Washington, DC 20250-1300
Internet: News @usda.gov
Phone: 202-720-4623
World Wide Web Home Page: http://www.usda.gov

 
Release No. 0218.07

 
Contact:
Stevin Westcott (202) 720-4178
Keith Williams (202) 720-4623

 
USDA ALLOCATES $16 MILLION IN EMERGENCY CONSERVATION AID TO 18 STATES

 
WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2007 - Under Secretary of Agriculture Mark Keenum today announced that USDA is distributing $16 million in new Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funding to help farmers and ranchers in 18 states to rehabilitate land damaged by natural disasters or drought.

 
"Floods, tornadoes, drought and other weather-related disasters have adversely affected agricultural land in portions of the country this year," said Keenum. "These Emergency Conservation Program funds will assist producers back on the road to setting things right again."

 
The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007, P.L. 110-28, signed by President Bush on May 25, 2007, authorized the $16 million in ECP funds. Unlike other ECP funding, the new $16 million excludes participants whose income exceeds certain levels. Also, under existing regulations, payments are limited to $200,000 per "person" per disaster. Producers may apply for ECP funding through applicable local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) service centers.

 
ECP provides emergency funding and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters and for carrying out emergency water conservation measures in periods of severe drought. FSA county committees determine land eligibility based on on-site inspections of damage, taking into account the type and extent of damage.

 
For land to be eligible, the natural disaster must create new conservation problems that:
  • if untreated, will impair or endanger the land;
  • materially affect the land's productive capacity;
  • represent unusual damage which, except for wind erosion, is not the type likely to recur frequently in the same area; and
  • would be so costly to repair that federal assistance is or will be required to return the land to productive agricultural use.

 
The following chart shows the states, dollar amounts and disasters associated with this announcement:

 
State
Amount Approved
Disaster Type
Alabama
$1,049,300
Drought
California
$5,000,000
Freeze
Colorado
$87,500
Landslide
Georgia
$163,000
Tornado
Iowa
$1,368,300
Flood
Maine
$32,000
Flood
Maine
$5,000
High Winds
Missouri
$990,000
Ice Storm
Missouri
$12,000
Tornado
Missouri
$2,626,600
Flood
Mississippi
$1,291,900
Drought
Montana
$140,000
Drought
New Hampshire
$50,000
Flood
New Jersey
$450,000
Flood
New York
$589,600
Flood
Oklahoma
$543,200
Ice Storm
Oregon
$45,000
Drought
Pennsylvania
$22,000
Flood
South Dakota
$215,000
Flood
South Dakota
$1,177,000
Drought
Utah
$132,000
Drought
Vermont
$10,600
High Winds
Total
$16,000,000

 
More information on ECP is found on FSA's Web site, http://www.fsa.usda.gov; click on Disaster Assistance Programs. For more information about FSA programs, contact the agency's Web site or local FSA service center.

 
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