USDA Under Secretary Meets with South Dakota Farmers and
Ranchers Impacted by Blizzard, Urges Farm Bill
Passage
10/23/2013 09:14 AM EDT
Release 0198.13
USDA Under Secretary Meets with South Dakota Farmers and Ranchers
Impacted by Blizzard, Urges Farm Bill Passage
RAPID CITY, South Dakota, Oct. 22, 2013 --
Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael
Scuse announced today that conservation assistance is available from
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for those affected by the
Atlas Blizzard that swept through western South Dakota earlier this
month. Scuse made the announcement in Rapid City during a meeting
with western South Dakota producers.
"This blizzard impacted lives and livelihoods across the region and
USDA is committed to doing all we can to help ranchers during this
difficult time," Scuse said. "Due to the lack of a new Farm Bill,
our means to help are limited - but we will do all we can. This
disaster is a reminder of the unpredictable nature of agriculture,
and the need for a strong farm safety net that would be provided by
a new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill."
USDA is offering a special signup through the Natural Resources
Conservation Service' (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives
Program (EQIP) to help South Dakota producers address the impacts of
the storm. In addition, Scuse encouraged producers to submit forms
to the Farm Service Agency to document their losses with the hope
that Congress will quickly pass a Farm Bill to reauthorize the
livestock disaster assistance programs that have expired. The Under
Secretary also noted that the USDA's StrikeForce Initiative for
Rural Growth and Opportunity has been working with Native American
Tribes in the state to connect them with a variety of USDA
resources, including conservation programs.
The EQIP signup runs through November 15th, 2013. EQIP assistance
will help producers dispose of livestock carcasses, replace
destroyed fencing, and rebuild shelterbelts and other conservation
practices that were damaged by the storm. USDA will begin providing
assistance to producers as soon as this week.
Scuse noted that NRCS is working in partnership with the State of
South Dakota to provide the greatest possible amount of assistance.
NRCS is entering into an agreement with the state to share in the
cost of deploying additional state and local personnel into the
field to help producers perform impact assessments on their
operations and identify sites for carcass disposal. This additional
assistance will also help perform outreach for the EQIP signup and
support producers with their applications. NRCS is also providing
the state government with technical information, such as soils
information and technical practice standards, and the state is using
this information to work directly with agricultural partners and
individual producers to provide assistance.
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