Washakie and Hot Springs County producers may be eligible for emergency conservation program assistance

WORLAND — A drought has caused severe damage in Washakie and Hot Springs counties.

If you’ve suffered severe damage, you may be eligible for assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) administered by the Washakie-Hot Springs County Farm Service Agency (FSA)

For land to be eligible, the natural disaster must create new conservation problems that, if untreated, would:

•be so costly to rehabilitate that Federal assistance is or will be needed to return the land to productive agricultural use

•is unusual and is not the type that would recur frequently in the same area

•affect the productive capacity of the farmland

•impair or endanger the land

If you qualify for ECP assistance, you may receive cost-share levels not to exceed 75 percent of the eligible cost of restoration measures. Eligible socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers and ranchers can receive up to 90 percent of the eligible cost of restoration. No one is eligible for more than $500,000 cost sharing per natural disaster occurrence.

If you’ve suffered a loss from a natural disaster may contact the local FSA County Office and request assistance from Sept. 21 to Oct. 23.

To be eligible for assistance, practices must not be started until all of the following are met:

•an application for cost-share assistance has been filed

•the local FSA County Committee (COC) or its representative has conducted an onsite inspection of the damaged area

•the Agency responsible for technical assistance, such as the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), has made a needs determination, which may include cubic yards of earthmoving, etc., required for rehabilitation

For more information about ECP, contact your Washakie-Hot Springs County USDA Service Center at 307-347-2456 or visit fsa.usda.gov.