SALINA — Gaye L. Benfer, acting Kansas State Conservationist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service announced this week that NRCS is offering technical and financial assistance to producers in Kansas suffering from ongoing drought conditions. Drought recovery funding assistance is available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Drought Initiative.
The State of Kansas declared a Drought Emergency for the following counties: Barber, Barton, Butler, Chase, Clark, Clay, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Dickinson, Edwards, Ellsworth, Finney, Ford, Geary, Grant, Gray, Greenwood, Hamilton, Harper, Harvey, Haskell, Hodgeman, Kearney, Kingman, Kiowa, Lincoln, Lyon, Marion, McPherson, Meade, Morris, Morton, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Reno, Rice, Riley, Saline, Sedgwick, Seward, Shawnee, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, and Wabaunsee.
“Through this initiative, eligible landowners and producers in declared drought emergency counties will be eligible to address livestock water shortages in their operations,” said Benfer.
Applications for assistance under the EQIP Drought Initiative are currently being accepted. The application evaluation cut-off period will be Aug. 24, with contract funding to occur shortly after. Due to immediate need, applicants may apply for waivers to initiate necessary practices before contracts are funded.
Additional information about NRCS programs is located on the Kansas NRCS website at ks.nrcs.usda.gov or stop by the local USDA Service Center. To find a service center, check the telephone book under “United States Government” or on the Internet at offices.usda.gov.