USDA Approves Emergency Conservation Assistance for Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom Counties

[Davies, Kaitlin - FPAC-FSA, WA]

USDA Approves Emergency Conservation Assistance for Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom Counties

 

Everson, Washington, January 30, 2026 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom Counties are accepting applications for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to address damages from flooding that occurred in December 2025. ECP provides cost-share and technical assistance to producers to restore farmland to pre-disaster conditions following a qualifying natural disaster. ECP signup in Whatcom County began on January 26, 2026, and ends on March 27, 2026. ECP signup in Skagit and Snohomish Counties began on January 28, 2026, and ends on March 30, 2026.

“The Farm Service Agency can help producers and landowners recover from natural disasters that impacted their operation,” said CED Kara Christensen, FSA County Executive Director for all three counties. “If you have an immediate need to clean up and restore your operation, please call our office before beginning any restoration activities in order to determine program eligibility and to request restoration practice approval before taking any action.”

 

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

Approved ECP practices include:

• Removing debris from farmland
• Grading, shaping and releveling
• Replacing or repairing permanent fence
• Restoring conservation structures
• Emergency soil erosion measures

 

Check with FSA before beginning work to ensure required compliance measures are complete to be eligible for cost share payment.

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.  

 

Eligibility and Environmental Requirements

Producers with damage from qualifying natural disaster events must apply for ECP assistance before beginning reconstructive work. FSA’s environmental compliance review process is required to be completed before any actions are taken. A waiver can be requested for necessary activities that are taken as emergency action to prevent further loss. Producers who apply after reconstructive work has been completed are at risk of not qualifying for ECP.

 

FSA county committees will evaluate applications based on an on-site inspection of the damaged land, taking into consideration the type and extent of the damage. An on-site inspection does not guarantee that cost-share funding will be provided.

More Information

To learn more about ECP, producers can contact the Whatcom County FSA Office at 360-592-6115, the Mount Vernon FSA Office at 360-428-7684 x 2, or visit farmers.gov/protection-recovery.

 

FSA helps America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners invest in, improve, protect and expand their agricultural operations through the delivery of agricultural programs for all Americans. FSA implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster recovery and marketing programs through a national network of state and county offices and locally elected county committees. For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov.    

 

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