Due to the excessive wind and tornado damage that occurred in Pike County on Feb. 15, 2016, the Pike/Bullock County FSA will be accepting applications for cost share assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) if the damage:

• Will be so costly to rehabilitate that the 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

• 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.  No producer is eligible for more than $200,000 cost sharing per natural disaster occurrence.  The following types of measures may be eligible:

• Removing debris from farmland

• Restoring permanent fences

Producers who have suffered a loss from a natural disaster may contact the Pike/Bullock FSA County Office and request assistance from March 1 – April 1, 2016.

To be eligible for assistance, practices must not be started until all of the following are met:

• An application for cost-share assistance has been filed

• The Pike/Bullock 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

To sign up for the Emergency Conservation Program, please contact the Pike/Bullock FSA office at (334)566-2301, ext. 2.