NRCS Offers Assistance for Nebraska Farmers and Ranchers Impacted by Wildfires
Funding available for farms and ranches impacted by natural disasters.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering technical and financial assistance through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to assist agricultural producers whose land was impacted by recent wildfires. While NRCS accepts applications for all programs year-round, producers and landowners should apply for this opportunity by June 6, 2025, to be considered for this funding cycle.
Through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding is available to help producers plan and implement conservation practices on farms and ranches impacted by natural disasters.
“Fires have impacted farmers and ranchers across Nebraska leaving ground vulnerable to erosion,” said Nebraska NRCS State Conservationist Rob Lawson “We can assist landowners with installing conservation practices to help prevent any further damage to their agricultural land and aid in the recovery of rangeland productivity and soil health.”
Lawson encourages landowners whose agricultural operations were impacted by wildfire to visit their local NRCS field office. EQIP funding is available to assist wildfire recovery efforts by planting cover crops on impacted cropland and applying mulch and/or deferring grazing on rangeland. “NRCS can help with recovery efforts,” Lawson said. “Our staff works one-on-one with landowners to assess the damage and develop a plan that leads to effective land recovery.”
The application signup for this wildfire assistance is currently open and will continue until June 6, 2025. Applications will be assessed using the ACT NOW process with a minimum ranking threshold of10 points. While some lands may be eligible for assistance, not all acres are guaranteed financial assistance due to limited funding.
More Information
To learn more about NRCS programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also apply for NRCS programs, manage conservation plans and contracts, and view and print conservation maps by logging into their farmers.gov account.
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