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USDA Offers Additional Assistance To Wildfire Victims

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is now offering additional assistance for farmers and ranchers affected by recent wildfires. More than 700,000 acres in 21 Kansas counties were scorched by a series of blazes that tore across the state.

The NRCS is offering $2 million in funding to restore cropland, rangeland, and forestland destroyed by the wildfires. The initiative also extends to Oklahoma, and Texas.

The agency is working with local conservation districts to identify specific concerns within various counties.

But the help won't just come in the form of financial assistance; the NRCS says staff will also be able to provide technical assistance to prevent further losses due to the wildfire. That includes measures to rebuild fencing, restore grazing lands and protect against wind erosion. The funds can also be used to establish water supplies for livestock.

Applications for assistance will be accepted until April 21. For more information, go to the Kansas NRCS Web site www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov/programsor visit your local U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Service Center.

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Follow Abigail Beckman on Twitter @AbigailKMUW.

To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.