HURON, S.D., June 5, 2025 – In response to agricultural producers impacted by the Route 13 Fire in Ziebach County, South Dakota (SD), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced open enrollment for disaster assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which offers financial and technical support to help producers plan and implement post-fire restoration practices on their land.

While applications are accepted year-round, June 20, 2025, is the final date by which an operator or landowner must sign an application at their local NRCS office for fiscal year 2025 funding consideration.

“We will work one-on-one with producers to assess the critical damages from the disaster and develop an effective recovery plan that looks at implementing conservation solutions that help rebuild agricultural communities, working lands, and natural resources that were lost to the wildfires, said Valorie Dupraz, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs.

The disaster assistance applications will be evaluated using the ACT NOW process. ACT NOW allows NRCS to pre-approve a ranked application when the ranking score meets or exceeds an established threshold score. The minimum threshold ranking score for EQIP disaster assistance funding is 100 points. Applications will be batched and processed in the order received.  

This EQIP disaster assistance funding is targeted toward the conservation practice of prescribed grazing, in this case, it will be to defer grazing on the burned acres to allow adequate time for recovery of the area.

Applications are accepted for conservation programs year-round, but to be included in this funding batch, interested producers can apply at their local USDA Service Center by submitting a Conservation Program Application (NRCS-CPA-1200) by June 20, 2025.

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