USDA and the NRCS has made $300,000 available for special drought disaster, fire recovery and wildlife habitat restoration conservation in the hardest hit drought areas.
Producers in Butte, Lawrence, Pennington, Custer, Fall River, Shannon, Bennett, Todd, Jackson, Meade, Haakon, Davison, Hanson, McCook, Hutchinson, Yankton, Lincoln, Union, Turner, Clay and Bon Homme counties are eligible.
The deadline for applying for this funding is Aug. 15, but applications are accepted on a continuous basis.
Several conservation practices can be funded, including cover crops, fence, pipeline, watering facility, prescribed grazing and range planting.
$300,000 Targeted For South Dakota's Hardest Hit Counties
Contact NRCS for ideas on how to manage through or to recover from the drought. Crop residue management helps prevent precipitation loss by reducing runoff and soil temperatures and evaporation. Ponds, pipelines and tanks can help distribute water to where forage is located. Grazing plans and fencing can manage livestock grazing to keep forage plants healthy and deep rooted to maximize plant survival and productivity. Cover crops can improve soil health to improve water storage in the soil profile as well as provide additional grazing.
Source: NRCS