NRCS Assists Farmers Affected by Tornadoes

JACKSON, Miss. (Press Release) — During the recent storms in Mississippi, hundreds of individuals and business were affected by powerful tornadoes. Many counties in the state were declared disaster areas, qualifying them for federal disaster assistance. The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering assistance to qualified farmers and ranchers that were affected by these storms through the Tornado Assistance Initiative (TAI) program. All applicants must meet the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) eligibility requirements.

The NRCS is partnering with the Mississippi Board of Animal Health and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to determine what type of assistance is needed most when assisting individuals affected by the storms.

In certain situations, the NRCS will issue waivers to participants of federal assistance programs. A waiver allows a producer to start a program in a timely manner and recoup funding at a later date. Applicants starting a practice prior to receiving funding must complete and meet the standards and specifications set forth by NRCS.

“The motto of the NRCS is ‘Helping The People Help The Land’. We are honored to offer assistance to the affected producers during these tough times and to be able to address the environmental concerns after the devastating tornado damage,” stated Kurt Readus, NRCS State Conservationist.

The counties officially designated as federal disaster areas and eligible to participate in the TAI program are Hinds, Itawamba, Jones, Lauderdale, Leake, Lee, Lowndes, Madison, Montgomery, Newton, Noxubee, Rankin, Scott, Simpson, Warren, Wayne, Winston and Yazoo.

The deadline for applying for assistance during the first application cut-off period is June 6. Additional information may be obtained by visiting your local NRCS office. To locate a USDA Service Center visit our website at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/contact/local/.