Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Drought Agriculture topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners hear drought briefing; federal programs, grazing aid outlined
Summary
At its March meeting the Garfield County Commission received a briefing on drought conditions and federal and state programs that could help ranchers, including livestock disaster payments and grazing-improvement funding; commissioners said they would connect producers with agencies.
Commissioners heard an extended briefing on drought and agricultural assistance programs during their March meeting, with Commissioner Tibbs outlining several federal and state options available to ranchers and grazing permit holders.
The presentation summarized existing programs and described who might qualify. "Farm Service Agency...they can pay up to $50.50 dollars per animal," Tibbs said, and he described an "ELAC program" that can reimburse costs to haul water or feed to livestock. He said the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) focuses on water-conservation projects that take time to implement.
The county’s discussion placed emphasis on programs that cover immediate costs and longer-term conservation. Tibbs said some programs reimburse hauling or feed costs regardless of scale — "it doesn't matter if it's 1 bale of hay or a semi load of hay. The reimbursement amount is the same." He also described a program that can let a producer defer capital gains if they sell livestock because of drought and buy back in later.
Commissioners and staff noted that several programs require planning or have application timelines and that some federal and state agencies have limited short-term options. Tibbs encouraged ranchers to contact county staff to be put in touch with agency contacts and to explore grazing-improvement and water-development grant opportunities discussed at a recent Cedar City drought meeting.
Less immediate programs such as NRCS water projects and local grazing-improvement grants were flagged as useful but slower to produce relief, while emergency programs administered by the Farm Service Agency or related disaster programs were presented as nearer-term options.
The county will share agency contacts and follow up with permittees and allotment owners to identify projects that might qualify for state or federal funding. Commissioners did not take formal action at the meeting on drought-specific appropriations.
