The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is offering funding to producers who lost crops due to this year’s severe weather.
Brad Soncksen, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, says 2014 has been a bad year for storms in the state, with everything from hail damage and tornadoes to drought and flooding.
Soncksen says the USDA-NRCS is offering an environmental quality incentive program that provides options to producers to help restore some of the residue that was lost.
"Which will allow producers to come in and apply for some cost share assistance to let them go out and establish cover crops on these acres affected by the storms. This will be a one-time planting this fall but we feel like the long term effects of these cover crops would be beneficial.”
Soncksen says the NRCS’ primary concern with the lost residue has to do with how that affects soil quality and soil health.
Producers have until August 15th to apply for the funding.