Initiative Provides Assistance to Farmers and Ranchers Directly Impacted by the St. Mary Siphon Failure

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Montana is accepting applications for the St. Mary Initiative. Farmers and ranchers in Blaine, Glacier, Hill, Phillips, and Valley counties including the Blackfeet Nation and the Fort Belknap Indian Community directly impacted by the St. Mary Canal siphon failure should visit their local NRCS office now to apply. The final application batching date for the initiative will be Feb. 28, 2025.

“We’ve been working closely with partners critical to the rehabilitation of the St. Mary system as well as agricultural stakeholders to understand how we can best support ag producers in the region,” said Tom Watson, NRCS State Conservationist for Montana. “Our technical and financial assistance will help farmers and ranchers that won’t get the usual irrigation water supplies or livestock water due to the siphon failure.”

The St. Mary Initiative will focus on key conservation practices to mitigate resource concerns that could be caused by the loss of irrigation water in the St. Mary Canal and Milk River system. Producers in the region may not be able to plant annual crops, irrigate forage, or provide adequate stockwater. Conservation practices in the initiative include cover crops, fence, livestock water systems, and upland wildlife habitat management. There are options within the cover crop practice to allow for haying or grazing while meeting requirements for adequate soil cover. Upland wildlife habitat management will incentivize leaving perennial stands unharvested through the growing season to rest stands stressed by lack of irrigation water so that plant health and wildlife food and cover are maintained. Stockwater practices will be available for pastures where the only source of water was the St. Mary Canal or the Milk River. The initiative also provides fencing where the boundary of a pasture was the St. Mary Canal or the Milk River.

The St. Mary Initiative will be funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) using the Act Now application process. Applications eligible for the St. Mary Initiative will be accepted on a continuous sign-up basis. To be considered for this funding cycle, applications must be received by Feb. 28, 2025. Applications received after that date may be considered in other relevant ranking pools. St. Mary Initiative applications will be processed in the order received and those that rank above the established minimum ranking score of 50 will be pre-approved as funds are available. Farmers and ranchers that apply won’t need to wait for all applications to be ranked to find out if their application was funded.

Producers directly impacted by the St. Mary Canal siphon failure are encouraged to visit the local NRCS office now to begin the planning process and submit applications. Once fiscal year 2025 EQIP funds are received in Montana, the St. Mary Initiative application ranking and pre-approval process will begin. Early planning will help producers to have time to implement practices for the 2025 growing season.

The St. Mary EQIP initiative will help to offset potential affects like increased soil erosion and decreased forage production on ag operations that usually irrigate with water from the Milk River Project. The initiative will also provide alternatives to ranchers that use the St. Mary Canal as a livestock barrier or for stockwater.

Get more information from the local NRCS office. Find contact information at nrcs.usda.gov/contact. Information is also available at nrcs.usda.gov/montana.