County producers may be eligible for emergency assistance

Fire and drought have caused severe damage in Phillips County. Farms and ranches suffering from drought and/or fire damage may be eligible for assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) administered by the Phillips County Farm Service Agency (FSA).

To be eligible for program benefit livestock producers must have a failed water source or a conservation structure lost to fire. A producer qualifying for ECP assistance may receive cost-share levels not to exceed 75 percent of the eligible cost of restoration measures. No producer is eligible for more than $200,000 cost sharing per natural disaster occurrence. The following types of measures are eligible for ECP drought assistance. Restoring water conservation structures and other similar installations. Producers who have lost livestock fence may want to review the ECP-fire program. The program may restore fences and water conservation structures. For ECP drought projects we have a thirty day signup period, Aug. 14, 2017 through Sept. 12, 2017. The ECP-fire sign-up is a sixty day sign-up. Aug. 14, 2017 through Oct. 12, 2017. To be eligible for assistance, practices must not be started until all of the following are met. Producer must file an application for cost-share assistance in the county office. NRCS technicians will need to complete an onsite inspection of the damaged area and an environmental assessment conducted. Our Natural Resource Conservation Service staff will make the ECP eligibility determination.

2017 Livestock Forage Losses

Producers in Phillips County are eligible to apply for 2017 Livestock Forage Disaster Program. The program provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who suffer grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or cash leased land, or fire on federally managed land. Eligible livestock producers must complete a CCC-853 and the required supporting documentation no later than Jan. 30, 2018, for 2017 losses. Producers are eligible to receive assistance in an amount equal to five monthly payments.