ECP Funding for 18 States

July 7, 2006 - Agriculture Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin allocating $11.8 million in Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funding for 18 states to help producers rehabilitate land damaged by natural disasters.

"Excessive rainfall, flooding, drought and other severe weather conditions have taken a toll on our farm and ranchlands," said Conner. "These ECP funds will help assist farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate and restore conservation practices on their lands."

ECP gives producers additional resources to remove debris from farmland, restore fences and conservation structures, provide water for livestock in drought situations and grade and shape farmland damaged by a natural disaster. The program is administered by USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) state and county committees. Eligible producers will receive cost-share assistance of up to 75 percent of the cost of the approved practice, as determined by FSA county committees.

The 18 states to receive ECP funds are: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Vermont.

More information on ECP and other disaster assistance programs is available at local FSA offices and online at: http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

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