STATE — U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director CED, Marcia Hall, today announced that Oxford County is accepting applications for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to address damages from the December 18, 2023, severe rain/wind storm. ECP signup will begin on March 18 and end on May 16, 2024.

ECP assists producers with the recovery cost to restore the agricultural land to pre-disaster conditions. Approved ECP applicants may receive up to 75% of the cost of approved restoration activity. Limited-resource, socially disadvantaged, and beginning farmers and ranchers may receive up to 90% cost-share.
‘Dealing with natural disasters is never easy, especially when you have to consider the health and safety of livestock, but it’s important for producers to call our office before they take any action,’ said Hall.

Producers with damage from such events must apply for assistance before 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. Those applying after reconstructive work has been completed may not qualify for ECP. 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.

The 2018 Farm Bill increased the payment limitation for ECP to $500,000 per disaster. The use of ECP funds is limited to the activities to return the land to the relative pre-disaster condition. Conservation concerns that were present on the land before the disaster are not eligible for ECP assistance.

For more information on ECP, please contact the Oxford County FSA office at 207-743-5789, x2, or visit famers.gov/recover.

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