NRCS has recently announced the expansion of its previously announced drought assistance program.  There are several major changes to note.

1.  Growers in four additional counties are now eligible to receive funding.  Santa Cruz, Siskiyou, Solano and Ventura County growers are now eligible.

2.  The filing deadline has been extended until May 22, 2009.

3.  The program funding has increased to $3 million.

Growers in the following counties are now eligible:

Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, and Yuba.

Practices being offered through the program include establishing vegetative cover, soil surface roughening, incorporation of soil-stabilizing organic matter, silt fencing adjacent to highways, irrigation water management, pruning to keep trees alive, livestock watering facilities, maintaining standing stubble and more.

More information on the current drought initiative is available at www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/features/cadrought.html or by contacting your local NRCS office.