Help available for flooded farms and ranches
Comet staff report

A flood and heavy rains in January caused severe damage in the northern and western areas of Carroll County. Farms and ranches which suffered severe damage may be eligible for assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) administered by the Carroll Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office if the damage:

• Will 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; and

• Will impair or endanger the land.

A producer qualifying for ECP assistance may receive cost-share levels not to exceed 75 percent of the cost of restoration measures. No producer is eligible for more than $200,000 cost sharing per natural disaster occurrence. The following types of measures may be eligible:

• Removing debris from farmland;

• Grading, shaping, or releveling severely damaged farmland;

• Restoring permanent fences; and

• Restoring conservation structures and other similar installations.

Producers who have suffered a loss from a natural disaster may contact the Carroll FSA county office between March 27 and April 16 at (765) 564- 2849 for assistance.

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

• An application for costshare assistance has been filed;

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

• 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 or other information required for rehabilitation.