FARMINGTON — On Monday, May 1, a flood and high winds caused severe damage in Sandy River watershed area(s) of the County.

If you’ve suffered severe damage, you may be eligible for assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) administered by the Franklin County Farm Service Agency (FSA)

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 the land 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

If you qualify for ECP assistance, you may receive cost-share levels not to exceed 75 percent of the eligible cost of restoration measures. Eligible socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers and ranchers can receive up to 90 percent of the eligible cost of restoration. No one is eligible for more than $500,000 cost sharing per natural disaster occurrence.

If you’ve suffered a loss from a natural disaster, you may contact the local FSA County Office and request assistance.

To be eligible for assistance, practices must not be started until all 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 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

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), FSA must complete an environmental compliance review prior to producers taking any actions.

For more information about ECP, contact the Franklin County USDA Service Center at (207) 778-2788 x2 or visit fsa.usda.gov.