ISSUE 1105 USDA
MAKES DISASTER FUNDS AVAILABLE USDA
announced Friday (March 3) it is making $63 million in Emergency Conservation
Program (ECP) funds available to assist agricultural producers struck by hurricanes
during 2005. Producers
in counties that were declared presidential or secretarial disaster areas due
to hurricanes of 2005 are eligible. Eligible
agricultural producers may receive up to 100 percent cost-share to remove debris
and restore fences and conservation structures. This
is the first allocation from $199.8 million available in ECP funds, and could
be a good source of relief for losses not covered by crop insurance. The
ECP funds are part of $2.8 billion in aid announced in January to assist victims
of the 2005 huricanes, and are a combination of money from the recently passed
defense spending bill and Section 32 funds that had been set aside in response
to the hurricanes. ECP
funds have fewer restrictions than many other funding sources. For additional
information and to apply for ECP assistance, eligible producers should visit their
local FSA office. ALSO IN THIS WEEK'S RAP-UP (Members-Only articles are indicated in bold.) | |
