Owners of farms and ranches in Lassen Plumas and Sierra counties may be eligible for emergency conservation program assistance according to information released Monday by the California Farm Service Agency.
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 theland 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
A producer qualifying for ECP assistance may receive cost-share levels not to exceed 75 percent of the eligible 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
• restoring conservation structures and other similar installations
Producers who have suffered a loss from a natural disaster may contact the local FSA County Office and request assistance from May 9, 2017 to July 7, 2017.
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 onsiteinspection 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
To schedule a signup appointment, please contact the Lassen, Plumas, Sierra County FSA Office at 530-257-4127 x 104 or email Debi Michaels at [email protected]
