Excessive rainfall has caused severe damage to Jenkins County farmland. Farms and ranches suffering severe damage may be eligible for assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) administered by the Jenkins County Farm Service Agency (FSA) 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 or is not the type that would recur frequently in the same area; affect the productive capacity of the farmland; or 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. The following types of measures may be eligible: grading, shaping, or releveling severely damaged farmland; and restoring conservation structures and other similar installations.

Producers who have suffered a loss from a natural disaster may contact the Jenkins County FSA office, 837 College Avenue, and request assistance through April 29.

To be eligible, practices must not be started until all of the following are met: an application for cost-share assistance has been filed; the local FSA county committee or its representative has conducted an onsite inspection of the damaged area; and the agency responsible for technical assistance, such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service, has made a needs determination, which may include cubic yards of earthmoving, etc. required for rehabilitation.