To
enable farmers to perform emergency conservation measures to control
wind erosion on farmlands, to rehabilitate farmlands damaged by
wind erosion, floods, hurricanes, or other natural disasters and
to carry out emergency water conservation or water enhancing measures
during periods of severe drought.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Direct Payments for Specified Use. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Following
a natural disaster, the county FSA committee determines, with concurrence
from the State FSA committee, to make the program available in the
county. Emergency cost- sharing is limited to new conservation problems
created by natural disasters which, if not treated will impair or
endanger the land, materially affect the productive capacity of
the land, represent damage that is unusual in character and, except
for wind erosion, is not the type that would recur frequently in
the same area and will be so costly to rehabilitate that Federal
assistance is or will be required to return the land to productive
agricultural use. Eligible drought situations for water enhancing
measures must be determined by the Deputy Administrator for Farm
Programs, FSA.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: Any agricultural producer who as
owner, landlord, tenant, or sharecropper on a farm or ranch, including
associated groups, and bears a part of the cost of an approved conservation
practice in a disaster area, is eligible to apply for cost-share
conservation assistance. This program is also available in Guam,
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the
Virgin Islands.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: Any agricultural producer who
as owner, landlord, tenant, or sharecropper on a farm or ranch,
including associated groups, and bears a part of the cost of an
approved conservation practice in a disaster area, is eligible
to apply for cost-share conservation assistance. This program
is also available in Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Credentials/Documentation:
Identification as an eligible person and proof of contribution
to the cost of performing the conservation practice. This program
is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.
Pre-application
Coordination: None. This program is excluded
from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102 and E.O.12372.
Application
Procedure: Eligible persons may submit an
application on Form AD-245, for cost-sharing, at the county FSA
office for the county in which the affected land is located. This
program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular Nos. A-102
and A-110.
Award
Procedure: The county FSA committee reviews,
prioritizes, and may approve applications in whole or in part.
Approvals cannot exceed the county allocation of Federal funds
for that purpose.
Deadlines:
Applications for payment must be filed with the county FSA committee
by a prescribed date. The conservation practice for which cost-shares
have been approved must be completed during the program year,
within the time specified by the county FSA committee, and such
performance reported to the county office within a specified time.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: From 2 to 3
weeks.
Appeals:
Participants may appeal to county FSA committee, State FSA committee,
or National Appeals Division (NAD) on any determination. Matters
that are generally applicable to all producers are not appealable.
Renewals:
Certain approvals may be extended by the FSA county committee,
when necessary, with proper justification.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: Not applicable.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: Practice cost-share
approvals are given on a fiscal year basis. The approvals specify
the time that the practice must be carried out. Payment is by
check or electronic funds transfer following completion of the
measure.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Not applicable.
Audits:
Recipients are subject to audit by the Office of Inspector General,
USDA.
Records:
Maintained in the county FSA office and Federal record centers
for a specified number of years.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 12-3316-0-1-453.
Obligations:
(Direct payments) FY 01 $65,681,313; FY 02 est $147,093,033; and
FY 03 est $82,000,000.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance:
$50 to $64,000. Average: $2,681.
For fiscal year 2001, $60 million in supplemental funding was provided
for the Emergency Conservation Program, to remain available until
expended. Of this amount, $10 million was designated for rehabilitating
farmland damaged by fires resulted from prescribed burning conducted
by the Federal government in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Under the program,
$64,985,108 in cost- sharing and technical assistance was provided
in 44 States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to treat farmland
damaged by droughts, floods, hurricanes, ice storms, tornadoes,
wildfires, and other natural disasters. The 2001 program rehabilitated
approximately 7,624,332 acres of farmland damaged by these natural
disasters. In fiscal year 2002, it is estimated that $147 million
in cost-share and technical assistance will be available for farmers
and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters.
It is also estimated that $82 million in cost-share and technical
assistance will be available for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate
farmland damaged by natural disasters during 2003.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
Program regulations published in the Federal Register at 7 CFR,
part 701. Program is announced through the news media in the county
area designated as a disaster area.
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: Farmers are advised to contact
their local county FSA office after a natural disaster has occurred
to determine whether the program is available in the county and
to determine eligibility for emergency cost-share assistance. Consult
the local telephone directory for location of the county FSA office.
If no listing, get in touch with the appropriate State FSA office
listed in the Farm Service Agency section of Appendix IV of the
Catalog.
