U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe today announced that the Farm Services Agency (FSA) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has agreed to their request to approve economic assistance to Maine farmers. USDA-FSA informed Senators Collins and Snowe today that it has approved a $400,000 grant through its Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to help approximately 50 farmers who suffered crop damage during recent storms. The heavy rains and severe weather caused top soil in many fields to be completely washed away, which dramatically reduces the productive yield of acreage and can potentially reduce the value of that farm land.
Last month, Senators Collins and Snowe sent a letter to Mr. Bruce Nelson, Acting Administrator of the Farm Service Agency at USDA in support of the Maine farmers' request for assistance.
"This is welcome news and we truly appreciate the agency's cooperation with our request for an expedited review of the request for ECP funding for these farmers," said Senators Collins and Snowe in a joint statement. "July is a critical month for Maine's potato industry, which is the backbone of the northern Maine economy. This funding will help farmers affected by last month's devastating storms repair the damage to their fields and help prevent further losses."
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