Climate change has altered weather patterns, leading to more extreme weather events. This has contributed to more frequent and severe drought in some areas of the country, causing water usage issues to abound.1
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Over the period from 2000 through 2020, roughly 20 to 70 percent of the U.S. land area experienced conditions that were at least abnormally dry at any given time.”2 Those drought conditions are a tough break for the agriculture sector.
With today’s increased frequency of wildfires, longer and more extreme drought seasons, it’s more important than ever that growers are aware of the funding available to them for drought response, improved irrigation systems, water efficiency and many other conservation practices. Producers can stay equipped by knowing where to turn for financial assistance and by adopting drought resilient practices that protect natural resources and make the best use of water supplies.
Federal government and state agencies have drought relief and prevention programs for farmers and ranchers across the country. Finding the right program for you can be somewhat confusing, so here are a few programs to keep in mind.
But before we get started, here’s an important tip. If you’re planning to apply for funding for these programs, you’re going to need a farm number. Think of it as your farm’s social security number. FarmRaise makes applying for a farm number quick and easy. Check out our Premium Plan to get farm number help and many more farm finance services.
The Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)
The Emergency Relief Program
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP)
The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
The WaterSMART Program
State Agency Assistance
Your state or island may have drought relief assistance available, too. Be sure to check with your local state department of agriculture or department of conservation for options.
Register with the FSA
Remember, you can prepare yourself to more efficiently take advantage of the above federal relief programs by registering your farm with your local USDA service center. Maintaining active farm records and participating in Farm Service Agency (FSA) insurance programs can help you get alerted more quickly about emergency assistance, and this can also provide you with more expedited application processing when emergencies strike.
Emergency relief programs are intended to help you survive when emergencies - like drought - strike. But you can also make your farm or ranch more resilient proactively, so that the impact of drought is less immediate and extreme. Here are some tips for how to proactively invest in drought resilience on your operation.
Invest in climate-smart practices
Regenerative and climate smart agricultural practices can mitigate the effects of of drought through improving soil health, irrigation efficiency and water storage. Consider researching the best climate-smart agriculture opportunities for your farm or ranch, and then experiment by incorporating one at a time on different fields to see what works
If you’re a livestock producer, consider rotations and forage species that make your pastures more resilient to drought conditions
Apply for cost-share to implement conservation
Once you’ve established the climate smart practices that you want to try, apply for financial assistance to de-risk the cost of adopting the practices. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) dedicates funding for agricultural producers to improve their water systems, water use and adopt many other conservation practices.
One NRCS program worth considering is the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP will cover up to 75 percent of the cost of certain practices or structures to help make your farm more climate smart.
Apply for EQIP by visiting with your local NRCS office or, if you’d like to save yourself some time, use FarmRaise to generate your application.
Adapt to dry-farming
As producer, you don’t have any control over the availability of groundwater or water in an aquifer. That’s why some agriculturalists are promoting dry farming as one answer to water concerns, especially in the west. Dry farming refers to the non-irrigated cultivation of crops.
Consider adopting dry farming on your farm, and plan in advance to change your crop rotations or livestock grazing cycles to better suit a limited water environment
Apply for on-farm research grants to find drought resilience techniques for your unique farm or ranch
Farmers and ranchers can get grants to do on-farm research experiments. The USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program can grant you between $5,000 and $20,000 to conduct an on-farm research project. You can view previously awarded SARE grants pertaining to drought to get inspired.
You can sign up to receive drought alerts when the U.S. Drought Monitor updates for your city or zip code. Sign up for alerts here.
It’s also a good idea to stay up to date about what’s happening in your state. For example:
The FarmRaise Briefing highlights stories like these, so make sure to create your free FarmRaise account so that you can receive the weekly Briefing.
Some of the federal assistance programs available to farmers and ranchers take a long time to process. But the help can be critical, even if it’s months or years down the line. To best prepare yourself to get your full financial assistance benefit, follow the below steps:
Water is one of the world’s most plentiful resources. But the availability of groundwater, precipitation, drinking water, clean water and water infrastructure has been one of our world’s most pressing issues. Regardless of whether you’re in a rural community or you’re an urban farmer, being smart about your water management is key to your operation - and FarmRaise is here to connect you with resources to plan, document and implement your natural resources conservation practices.
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