Tennessee receives $778,044 in additional drought assistance

Posted: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 8:00 pm

Tennessee has received $778,044 dollars in additional funding to help crop and livestock producers through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) hopes to fund as many drought-related contracts as possible before the spring planting dates. The funds are available through NRCS for financial and technical assistance to help apply conservation practices that reduce the impacts of drought and improve soil health and productivity.
Drought assistance funds from NRCS target states that have experienced either exceptional or extreme drought conditions. Learn more about drought conditions and categories at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.
Exceptional drought continues to dominate sections of Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming, causing widespread losses of crops and pastures and water shortages in reservoirs, streams and wells.
Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina and Utah are under extreme drought, with accompanying major losses of crops and pasture, widespread water shortages and restrictions on water use.
The additional funding will allow NRCS to address the backlog in applications from the previous drought assistance signup, as well as accept new applications from producers interested in applying selected conservation practices to address drought, including prescribed grazing, livestock watering facilities and water conservation practices. Producers can also apply for financial assistance to re-install conservation practices that failed due to drought. The deadline for signing up for this additional drought assistance is Jan. 18, 2013.
Producers and landowners are encouraged to visit the NRCS website: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/national/programs/?&cid=stelprdb1048530 or stop by their local NRCS office [http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?agency=nrcs] to find out if they are eligible for this new funding.  
Learn more about EQIP and other NRCS programs at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helps America’s farmers and ranchers conserve the Nation’s soil, water, air and other natural resources. All programs are voluntary and offer science-based solutions that benefit both the landowner and the environment.

Published in The Messenger 12.11.12

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