USDA PROVIDES $750,000 FOR DROUGHT ASSISTANCE IN MONTANA

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2002-Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced today that USDA will provide $750,000 in expedited assistance to dryland farmers in 11 Montana counties that are experiencing the worst drought conditions in the nation.

"Montana has been hit hard by these drought conditions and we continue to examine every effort to provide additional relief to farmers and ranchers in the state," said Veneman. "Because of the recent rain and snow, we hope that there is now enough moisture in the soil to allow seed germination. However, if the drought persists, the farmers will have only a small window of opportunity to get the conservation practices in place before the soils dry out again."

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will use the Environmental Quality Incentives Program funds to help producers in Blaine, Cascade, Chouteau, Fergus, Hill, Judith Basin, Liberty, Phillips, Pondera, Teton and Toole counties to rapidly establish or maintain ground cover to protect the soil and lessen or prevent dust storms.

In order to maximize public health and safety benefits, first priority will be given to fields that have highly erosive soils, are near population centers or adjacent to roads, and which currently have little residue on the soil surface.

Producers will be offered two options for controlling wind erosion: cover crops and no-till farming for residue management. NRCS will offer producers flat rate payments of $16 per acre for cover crops and $9 per acre for no-till.

For this effort, NRCS developed a simplified application process jointly with the Farm Service Agency to expedite the process. This will allow producers to immediately begin to install the conservation practices.

Secretary Veneman designated Montana as a drought disaster area in March during a visit to the state. Last week, the Secretary also announced the authorization of emergency grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres in Montana also in an effort to provide drought relief in areas hardest hit by drought conditions during the past year.

USDA has other programs available to assist farmers in Montana including Federal Crop Insurance, Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance, the Emergency Conservation Program and the Emergency Loan Program.

For more information about how to apply for these programs, visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/ . For additional information on local drought conditions in the 11 Montana counties, contact your local NRCS office or visit the NRCS Montana website at http://www.mt.nrcs.usda.gov/ .

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