Drought prevention and conservation efforts by farmers and ranchers being supported.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has made federal aid available to farmers and ranchers in four states as drought conditions have intensified. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is being administered through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and is open to producers in Arizona, California, Colorado and Oregon.
“As ongoing drought conditions in the West continue to worsen, we knew we needed to increase our support to farmers and ranchers in dealing with drought and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow,” said NRCS Chief Terry Cosby. “EQIP is our flagship conservation program, and with the expanded benefits the Conservation Incentive Contracts offer, it enables producers to deploy conservation activities that strengthen existing efforts on their land to help during times of drought. Additionally, by targeting this program in several states, we can make any needed adjustments before rolling out Conservation Incentive Contracts nationwide in fiscal year 2022.”
The USDA program comes as California experiences its worst drought since 1997, causing farmers to leave some fields fallow and dig deep for water to save crops already planted. While some farmers are taking action to conserve what water they have, others are deciding whether to just plow under fields that have current but unripened crops. Some farms have reduced their workforces and the cost of the drought will eventually be borne by the consumer due to prices rising as the availability of goods decreases.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- Pray for the USDA as they offer conservation incentives to producers experiencing the drought in the Southwest.
- Pray for California farmers and ranchers, as well as those in Arizona and other states dealing with the lack of water.
- Pray for government officials who endeavor to oversee water distribution and usage.
- Pray for rain to ease the drought and wildfires.
Sources: Reuters, CUESA, KCRA
