Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”
This week, Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda discuss cost-share assistance available to farmers to help them develop and conserve water resources.
The Soil and Water Conservation Commission has allocated $340,000 to the Agricultural Water Resources Assistance Program to support the construction of new farm ponds. These cost-share monies are available statewide through a competitive application process. Farmers should submit applications to their local soil and water conservation district. The deadline is Feb. 10.
The commission also approved an additional $510,000 that was requested by 69 local districts to help farmers convert existing irrigation systems to more water-efficient systems, or to install or expand water supplies. These cost-share funds may be used for conservation irrigation conversions, installing micro-irrigation systems, making agricultural pond repairs or retrofits, removing sediment from agricultural ponds, and putting in wells. Farmers should submit applications to their local district. Contact your district office for more details.
Water availability is one of the biggest challenges facing farmers in North Carolina, Troxler says. Making these funds available will help farmers maintain their crops in an environmentally sound manner.
Click below to listen to Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda discuss this topic.
[Audio:http://info.ncagr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Troxler_1-31.mp3 |titles=Today’s Topic for Jan. 31]
Southern Farm Network is a division of Curtis Media Group.