USDA Approves Emergency Conservation and Emergency Forest Restoration Assistance for 1 County in Michigan

(East Lansing, Michigan, June 15, 2026) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Michigan is accepting applications for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) to address damages from high winds that occurred March 6, 2026, through April 27, 2026. ECP provides cost-share and technical assistance to producers to restore farmland to pre-disaster conditions and EFRP provides cost-share and technical assistance to restore nonindustrial private forestland (NIPF) damaged by a qualifying natural disaster. ECP and EFRP signup begins on June 15, 2026, and ends on July 15, 2026.

"The Farm Service Agency can help producers and landowners recover from natural disasters that impacted their operation," said Joel Johnson, State Executive Director for FSA in Michigan. "If you have an immediate need to clean up and restore your operation, please call your local office to see if restoration practice approval is needed before you take any action."

The following county is eligible for ECP and EFRP assistance due to the high winds that occurred March 6, 2026, through April 27, 2026: Jackson County.

Emergency Conservation Program

Approved ECP applicants can receive up to 75% of the allowable cost of the approved restoration activity with a maximum cost share of $500,000 per natural disaster event.

Approved ECP practices include:

• Non-engineering practices:

  • Removing debris from farmland

  • Grading, shaping, releveling, or similar measures

  • Replacing or restoring permanent fences

  • Restoring conservation structures and other installations

  • Emergency wind erosion control measures

  • Other emergency conservation measures

  • Field windbreaks and farmstead shelterbelts emergency measures

Check with FSA before beginning other work such as:

• Repairing dams, ponds, irrigation field ditches, lined waterway or underground outlet

• Grading, shaping or releveling

• Repairing grade stabilization structures, grassed waterways or terraces

ECP cost-share assistance can provide advance payments for up to 25% of the total allowable cost for all ECP practices before the restoration is carried out. The advance payment must be spent within 60 days.

Producers who lease federally owned or managed lands, including tribal trust land, as well as state land, are eligible to participate in ECP.

Conservation concerns present on the land prior to the qualifying natural disaster event are not eligible for ECP assistance.

Emergency Forest Restoration Program

EFRP assists forest landowners with completing restoration that is necessary to address damage caused by a natural disaster that, if not treated, would impair natural resources, and affect forest health and the future use of the forestland. EFRP cost-share is reimbursed to the landowner at 75% of the lesser of the actual costs incurred or allowable cost after an approved restoration activity is complete. EFRP has a maximum cost share of $500,000 per natural disaster event. Assistance for EFRP is not provided upfront.

Approved EFRP participants must:

• Complete approved restoration activities according to the forest restoration plan.

• Document and keep records of all costs incurred to complete the restoration activities, including costs associated with personal labor.

EFRP activities may include:

• Hardwood forest restoration

• Mixed forest restoration

Check with FSA before beginning other work such as:

• Land Clearing

• Thinning/Pruning Prescribed burning/Firebreaks

• Forest road repair

• Site preparation

• Tree planting

• Structures

To meet eligibility requirements, NIPF land must have existing tree cover or had tree cover immediately before the natural disaster occurred and be sustainable for growing trees. The land must also be owned or leased by a nonindustrial private individual, group, association, corporation or other private legal entity that has definitive decision-making authority over the land.

Eligibility and Environmental Requirements

To allow producers to begin their recovery efforts sooner, FSA is offering flexibilities that apply to certain non-ground disturbing practices.

FSA is waiving the onsite inspection for certain ECP and EFRP practices to remove surface debris, hazard trees, and repair fencing. Additionally, FSA is waiving the requirement for producers to obtain prior approval to conduct surface debris removal, fence repair and hazard tree removal, up to 100 acres aggregate to support critical disaster recovery efforts.

FSA is streamlining environmental compliance reviews due to the impacts of this disaster event. However, FSA will continue to complete on-site environmental reviews for applicants who do not meet the required conditions.

More Information

To learn more about ECP and EFRP, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center or visit farmers.gov/protection-recovery.

To learn more about FSA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and view other farm records data and customer information by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don't have an account, sign up today.

###