Severe and continuing Drought has affected many commercial Livestock operations in Marion County and caused severe damage to commercial agricultural operations. Commercial livestock producers that suffer from access to water in their pastures caused by this drought may be eligible for assistance in the Emergency Conservation program (ECP) practice EC-6, (Water Conservation Measures), administered by the Marion County Farm Service Agency (FSA) Office.
Livestock producers may be eligible for the assistance 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;
- •Is unusual and is not the type that would recur frequently in the same area;
- •Affects the productive capacity of the farmland, and;
- •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. Eligible socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers may receive up to 90 percent of the eligible cost of restoration. No producer is eligible for more than $500,000 cost share per natural disaster occurrence.
The following types of water conservation assistance may be eligible: Pumps, wells, rural water connections, water facilities, livestock pipelines, and heavy use areas.
To be eligible for ECP a functioning water system must have been available before the disaster and only the minimum conservation practices needed to provide emergency water will be approved.
The Mississippi State FSA Committee must monitor drought conditions and discontinue this assistance when drought conditions improve and fall below the U.S. Drought Monitor D3 level.
Producers who continue to suffer from these losses may contact the Marion County FSA Office and request assistance for a 30-day period from December 1, 2023, thru December 30, 2023 to sign up for possible assistance.
To be eligible for assistance, practices must not be started until final approval has been provided in writing by the Farm Service Agency Office. Requests with practices started before approval will not receive assistance. The following must be completed before the Farm Service Agency can issue approval:
- •An application for cost-share assistance must be filed,
- •The FSA office has conducted an onsite inspection of the damaged area,
- •An Environmental Assessment review is successfully completed,
- •The Agency responsible for technical assistance has made a needs determination required for rehabilitation, and
- •All Eligibility requirements have been met and funding has been successfully received.
For more information on ECP, contact the Marion County FSA Office by calling 601-731-5400,x. 2 before the signup deadline of December 30, 2023.
