USDA Providing $53 Million for Drought Recovery

USDA Providing $53 Million for Drought Recovery

Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman recently announced that 17 states will receive $53 million that will be used to help farmers and ranchers implement technologies and practices to conserve water and mitigate the long-term impacts of drought.

The funds are available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). States that receive funding will provide cost-share and incentive payments to producers who undertake eligible water conservation activities, including irrigation improvements, conversion to less water-intensive crops and dry land farming.

?These funds will help farmers and ranchers improve areas impacted by drought by employing sound conservation practices,? stated Veneman. ?The USDA Drought Coordinating Council continues to monitor drought conditions to determine how resources can best be provided to those affected.?

Because of chronic water supply problems in the West, federal financial and technical resources are being concentrated in key western watersheds. The following states will receive assistance: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

For more information and for a state-by-state listing of funds, visit http://disaster.usda.gov/ on the World Wide Web.

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