Blackfoot Valley Dispatch - The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980

Flooding has caused severe damage in Lewis & Clark County recently. Farms and ranches suffering severe damage may be eligible for assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) administered by the Lewis & Clark County Farm Service Agency (FSA) 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 (and generally $1,000 or more)

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

affects the productive capacity of the farmland

will 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. The following types of measures may be eligible:

removing debris from farmland

grading, shaping, or releveling severely damaged farmland

restoring permanent fences on agricultural land

restoring conservation structures and other similar installations.

Producers who have suffered a loss from flooding may contact the local FSA County Office in Helena at (406) 449-5000 and request assistance from July 9 to Aug. 24, 2018.

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 a 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.