Nebraska wildfire ECP 2026 applications are open as of today, April 27, 2026. USDA’s Farm Service Agency began accepting Emergency Conservation Program applications this morning for producers in Nebraska counties impacted by five named wildfires that burned through the western and central Sandhills region in March. The signup period runs from today through June 26, 2026. The program provides cost-share and technical assistance to help ranchers restore farm and ranch land to pre-disaster conditions — covering debris removal, fence repair or replacement, water structure repair or replacement, and other recovery needs tied directly to wildfire damage.
Ten Nebraska counties are eligible across five fire events. The Morrill Fire burned through Arthur, Garden, Grant, Keith, and Morrill counties. The Cottonwood Fire impacted Dawson and Lincoln counties. The Road 203 Fire affected Blaine and Thomas counties. The Anderson Bridge Fire hit Cherry County. The Ashby and Minor Fires added Grant and Garden counties. FSA Nebraska State Executive Director Hilary Maricle urged impacted producers to call their county office and schedule an appointment. She noted that FSA is waiving onsite inspection requirements for certain non-ground-disturbing practices — including debris removal and fence repair — to allow recovery work to begin immediately without waiting for full approvals.
Nebraska wildfire ECP 2026 cost-share covers up to 90% for disadvantaged ranchers
ECP cost-share payments cover up to 75 percent of the cost to implement approved restoration practices. Producers who certify as limited resource, socially disadvantaged, or beginning farmers or ranchers can receive up to 90 percent cost-share. Conservation concerns that existed before the wildfires are not eligible. FSA is also streamlining environmental compliance reviews given the scale of the disaster, though on-site environmental reviews will still be completed for applicants whose practices do not qualify for the non-ground-disturbing waiver. NRCS is available to provide technical assistance during recovery, and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program offers additional financial assistance for conservation practices on wildfire-impacted land. Emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program acres has also been authorized in Nebraska and 13 other states to help livestock producers find forage during the Primary Nesting Season, which runs May 1 through July 15 in Nebraska, though stocking rates are reduced by 50 percent during that window. For more on the broader disaster assistance landscape available to producers this season, Agroinformacion covered USDA’s April 24 announcement doubling SDRP disaster payments to 70% and extending the application deadline to August 12.
30 Alabama counties get federal disaster status for extreme drought — 42 total eligible for emergency loans
Separately, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins designated 30 Alabama counties as primary natural disaster areas on April 23, 2026, due to severe drought conditions during the growing season. The designation also covers 12 contiguous Alabama counties and extends to contiguous counties in Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi, making a total of 42 Alabama counties eligible for FSA emergency loan assistance. The 30 primary counties are Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Escambia, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tallapoosa, Washington, and Wilcox. The 12 contiguous counties are Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Chilton, Clay, Coosa, Dallas, Mobile, Perry, Pickens, Randolph, and Tuscaloosa.
To qualify, the U.S. Drought Monitor must show the county experienced D2 Severe Drought for eight or more consecutive weeks, or D3 Extreme Drought or D4 Exceptional Drought at any point during the growing season. Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate said the drought was placing significant stress on farmers and ranchers, affecting crops, pastures, and livestock across much of the state. He added that dry conditions had also raised wildfire risk, with the Alabama Forestry Commission issuing red flag warnings in recent weeks. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the Secretarial declaration to apply for emergency loans at their local USDA Service Center. The Nebraska ECP announcement was published by the USDA Farm Service Agency on April 24, 2026.