WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that Aroostook County will receive $500,000 in Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funding for farmers who sustained serious erosion in their fields due to recent heavy rains. 

The severe weather that Aroostook County has experienced has resulted in the loss of crops and the loss of top soil, which can dramatically reduce the produce yield of acreage and reduce the value of farm land. 

“We are pleased that the Farm Service Agency will be assisting farmers in Aroostook County who were harmed by the severe rainfall that fell in May and early June,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “The potato industry is the backbone of the Northern Maine economy, supporting thousands of jobs year round and many more during the harvest season.  These funds will help farmers repair the damage to their fields, which could mitigate the effect of these severe storms and help the rebuilding process.”

The ECP, administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, helps farmers and ranchers to repair damage to farmlands caused by natural disasters and to help put in place methods for water conservation during severe drought. The ECP does this by giving ranchers and farmers funding and assistance to repair the damaged farmland or to install methods for water conservation. 

###