FACT SHEET

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY

Page 1

March 2012

Emergency Conservation Program

Overview

USDA Farm Service Agency’s 

(FSA) Emergency Conservation 

Program (ECP) provides emergency 

funding and technical assistance to 

farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural 

disasters and for implementing 

emergency water conservation measures in periods of severe drought. 

Funding for ECP is appropriated by 

Congress. 

Program Administration

ECP is administered by FSA state 

and county committees. Subject to 

availability of funds, locally-elected 

county committees are authorized 

to implement ECP for all disasters 

except drought, which is authorized 

by the FSA national office.

Land Eligibility

FSA county committees determine 

land eligibility based on on-site 

inspections of damaged land and the 

type and extent of damage. For land 

to be eligible, the natural disaster 

must create new conservation problems that, if untreated, would:

• Impair or endanger the land; 

• Materially affect the land’s 

productive capacity; 

• Represent unusual damage 

which, except for wind erosion, 

is not the type likely to recur 

frequently in the same area; and 

• Be so costly to repair that 

Federal assistance is or will be 

required to return the land to 

productive agricultural use. 

Conservation problems existing 

before the applicable disaster event 

are ineligible for ECP assistance.

Payments

As determined by FSA county committees, ECP participants may 

receive cost-share assistance of 

up to 75 percent of the cost to 

implement approved emergency 

conservation practices. Qualified 

limited-resource producers receive 

cost-share assistance of up to 90 

percent of the cost to implement 

approved emergency conservation 

practices.

Individual or cumulative requests 

for cost-share assistance of $50,000 

or less per person or legal entity, per 

disaster are approved at the county 

committee level. Cost-share 

assistance requests exceeding 

$50,000 require approval from the 

state committee or national office 

level. Cost-share assistance is limited to $200,000 per person or legal 

entity, per disaster.

Technical assistance may be 

provided by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Emergency Conservation Practices

To rehabilitate farmland, ECP 

participants may implement 

emergency conservation practices 

such as:

• Debris removal from farmland; 

• Restoring livestock fences and 

conservation structures; and

• Providing water for livestock 

during periods of severe 

drought. 

Other conservation measures may 

be authorized by FSA county 

committees, with approval from 

FSA state committees and the FSA 

national office.

Sign-up Periods

Producers should inquire with their 

local FSA county office regarding 

ECP sign-up periods, which are 

established by FSA county committees.

For More Information

More information on ECP is available at FSA offices and on FSA’s 

Web site at: http://disaster.fsa.

usda.gov

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

prohibits discrimination in all of its programs 

and activities on the basis of race, color, 

national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, 

parental status, religion, sexual orientation, 

political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because all of part of an individual’s 

income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all bases apply to all 

programs.) Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large 

print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s 

TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice 

and TDD). 

To file a complaint of discrimination, write to 

USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil 

Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., 

Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or 

call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or 

(800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 

(English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 

(Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer.