Thursday, June 3, 2010
Lawrence Farmers Eligible For USDA Rehabilitation Funding
Local farmers are eligible to apply for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding geared toward rehabilitating Tennessee farmland damaged recently as a result of flooding and tornadoes.
USDA Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Gene Davidson announced that Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funds are being made available to farmers and ranchers in Tennessee to repair farmland damaged by natural disasters in 2010.
“USDA is committed to helping farmers and ranchers restore conservation measures on farmland devastated by the recent floods, tornadoes and other disasters,” said Davidson. “These funds will help producers recover from several potentially devastating events, and further USDA ongoing efforts to maintain a healthy agricultural economy that conserves our environment.”
Eligible Tennessee producers will be able to use the more than $9,020,000 being made available in the state through ECP to remove farmland debris, restore fences, grade and shape land, and repair conservation structures that were damaged by floods and tornadoes.
For land to be eligible, the natural disaster must have damaged existing conservation measures that:
*if untreated will impair or endanger the land
*materially affect the land’s productive capacity
*represent unusual damage that, except for wind erosion, is not likely to recur frequently in the same area
*would be so costly to repair that federal assistance is or will be required to return the land to productive agricultural use.
All of the above conditions must be met for eligibility. Conservation problems that exited before the disaster are not eligible for cost-share assistance. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees determine land eligibility based on on-site inspections of damage, taking into account the type and extent of damage.
Affected Lawrence County farmers may apply if their land sustained damage as a result of flooding that occurred May 1 and May 2, 2010. The approval amount for these farmers is $8,980,000.
For additional information you may visit their website at: www.fsa.usda.gov.
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