11/16/06 Wildfire assistance for ranchers

Washington Ag November 16, 2006 Washington agricultural producers whose grazing lands were affected by fires this year will have until December 15th to sign up for fire recovery assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The deadline for the regular EQIP program remains November 17th. USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service is offering to assist private landowners in recovering from documented 2006 wildfires through a $4 per acre, per-year incentive payment. This incentive payment, which can be made for up to two years, is intended to help offset the ranchers` cost of finding alternative pasture. Dave Brown, assistant state conservationist for programs says a key requirement of this assistance is that producers must agree to defer grazing on the contracted acres to give rangeland plants a chance to go to seed and regenerate naturally. Jim Sizemore, President of the Washington Cattlemen's Association, says this past summer's fires hit some producers hard. Sizemore: "I wish we wouldn't have those kind of fires but until we are able to change out management of those timberlands we probably are going to continue to have some major fires." Sizemore says the WCA was instrumental in getting some CRP ground opened for grazing for fire victims. I'm Bob Hoff.