Funds for Irrigation Assistance Available in Aroostook County

Bangor, Maine, June 1, 2009 – The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Maine has announced that Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program funds are available for irrigation assistance to private landowners in Aroostook County.

AMA, administered by NRCS, is available in 16 states where participation in the Federal Crop Insurance Program is historically low. AMA assists agricultural producers to manage risk and voluntarily address issues such as water management, water quality, and erosion control by incorporating conservation practices into their farming operations.

According to Juan Hernandez, State Conservationist for NRCS in Maine, $238,390 of AMA funding will be used to assist producers to establish new irrigation capacity in Aroostook County.

“This program gives landowners an additional opportunity to construct or improve their water management structures and to mitigate risk through production diversification or resource conservation practices,” said Hernandez. “This will benefit not only the landowner, but their neighbors and community as well.”

Under AMA, contracts will have a one to ten-year contract period, and the practices must be maintained for the life of the practice. The maximum contract award will be $50,000 per participant.

Sign-up for AMA is available on a continuous basis. Landowners can sign up for this program at their local USDA Service Center/Natural Resources Conservation Service office. Applications that have been planned and ranked will be submitted in a funding request on July 24, 2009.

For more information about AMA and other NRCS conservation programs, visit your local USDA Service Center or go to www.me.nrcs.usda.gov.

The following document requires Adobe Acrobat Reader (.pdf)

AMA Fact Sheet (.pdf)

National AMA website

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