The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is opening a special disaster sign-up for $5 million in additional funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for farmers and ranchers in the Texas Hill Country who have been impacted by recent flooding. Producers must submit applications to the local USDA NRCS office by Oct. 3, 2025, to be considered for this opportunity.  
 
Farmers and ranchers in Bandera, Bexar, Burnet, Caldwell, Coke, Comal, Concho, Edwards, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Lampasas, Llano, Mason, Maverick, McCulloch, Menard, Real, Reeves, San Saba, Schleicher, Sutton, Tom Green, Travis, Uvalde, and Williamson are eligible for this opportunity. 

“The Natural Resources Conservation Service in Texas is prepared to assist landowners with their efforts to address resource concerns caused by the recent flooding,” said Kristy Oates, NRCS state conservationist in Texas. “We know many of our Texas farmers and ranchers were affected by this disaster and we are here to help.” 

Additionally, NRCS Texas will use the ACT NOW process for this funding opportunity. Through ACT NOW, NRCS can immediately approve and obligate a ranked application when an eligible application meets or exceeds a determined minimum ranking score. For this opportunity, the minimum ranking score is 25. 

Assistance includes practices aimed at replacing damaged infrastructure such as fencing and water resources, as well as management and recovery of affected lands. Eligible practices for the flooding disaster funding include, but are not limited to: 

• Fence
• Watering facilities
• Livestock pipeline
• Critical area planting
• Cover crop
• Grassed waterway
• Range planting
• Wildlife habitat planting 

For more information about applying for EQIP assistance or help with evaluating land to address concerns following the Hill Country floods, landowners and managers should contact their local USDA Service Center. 

NRCS Assistance for Communities 

NRCS also administers the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program, which provides assistance to local government sponsors with the cost of addressing watershed impairments or hazards such as debris removal and streambank stabilization. 

The EWP Program is a recovery effort aimed at relieving imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms and other natural disasters. All projects must have an eligible project sponsor. Due to the severity of the natural disaster conditions in Texas, up to 75% of the construction cost of emergency measures for EWP may be provided by NRCS. The remaining costs must come from local sources and can be in the form of cash or in-kind services. 

EWP is designed for installation of recovery measures to safeguard life and property as a result of a natural disaster. Threats that the EWP Program addresses are termed watershed impairments. These include, but are not limited to: 

• Debris-clogged waterways
• Unstable streambanks
• Severe erosion jeopardizing public infrastructure
• Wind-borne debris removal. 

Eligible sponsors include cities, counties, towns or any federally recognized Native American tribe or tribal organizations. Sponsors must be able to provide the local construction share, obtain permits and site access and agree to perform operations and maintenance of the constructed projects. Willing sponsors must submit a formal request (by mail or email) to the state conservationist for assistance within 60 days of the natural disaster occurrence or 60 days from the date when access to the sites become available. For more information, potential sponsors should contact their local NRCS office. 

In addition to EWP, Conservation Technical Assistance is another valuable service that NRCS can provide following a flood. NRCS technical assistance can help flood victims with planning cost-effective post flood restoration practices.   

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. If you don’t have an account, sign up today. 

For 90 years, NRCS has helped farmers, ranchers and forestland owners make investments in their operations and local communities to improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and wildlife habitat.  NRCS uses the latest science and technology to help keep working lands working, boost agricultural economies, and increase the competitiveness of American agriculture. NRCS provides one-on-one, personalized advice and financial assistance and works with producers to help them reach their goals through voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs. For more information, visit nrcs.usda.gov.