The US Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) has again extended the application period for its Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) in Nebraska counties burned by wildfires in March, The Fence Post reports from a USDA announcement. The new deadline is Monday, 26 October 2026; the window first opened in late April.

The programme covers damage from the Morrill Fire (Arthur, Garden, Grant, Keith and Morrill counties), the Cottonwood Fire (Dawson and Lincoln), the Road 203 Fire (Blaine and Thomas), the Anderson Bridge Fire (Cherry) and the Ashby and Minor Fires (Grant and Garden).

ECP provides cost-share and technical help for producers to restore farm and ranch land to its condition before a qualifying natural disaster. Approved applicants can receive up to 75 percent of the allowable cost of an approved restoration activity, with a ceiling of $500,000 per disaster event.

"Due to the scope of this historic disaster event, we requested this two-month deadline extension to ensure producers who suffered eligible losses or damages can apply for and receive this critical assistance," said Hilary Maricle, FSA state executive director for Nebraska.

Producers are asked to call their FSA county office for an appointment to apply.

Photo: NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Source: The Fence Post