I heard yesterday of a program from the county soil conservation department that will pay for anywhere between half and all of the costs of grading land if it's causing water runoff into a barn. I was at a local eatery and was chatting with a young farmer there who mentioned it to me. When I appeared incredulous at the very prospect of getting government help to pay for something I actually wanted to do anyhow he hollered over at a friend of his to join us. This other individual said he'd know a couple people to use the program. His only concern was whether I had enough land to qualify. Apparently it takes over ten acres so I just made the cut. Has anyone else heard of this or used it or anything similar? It just sounds too good to be true.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), February 24, 2002

Answers

There are major assistance programs from the USDA, just type them in to your search engines and go for it.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), February 24, 2002.

Check with your county's Soil and Water conservation office. They will have all the info you need, including the applications, regulations, etc.

I make sales calls on our local office, and they are really great down here in Johnson County Indiana. Very friendly and knowledgeable. They have told me that they have alot of Federal and State Programs to offer, but not always alot of funding to go along with it. Doesn't hurt to try!!!!!!

-- clovis (clovis97@Yahoo.com), February 24, 2002.

Planted pine trees after a tornado blew down most of 60 acres of woods under a goverment program that would pay for 60 percent of the cost of planting. Sounded like a great plan untill I found I would get my 60 percent paid to me after I sprayed all 60 acres with herbacide that killed everything except pine trees. Yea sure I get my drinking water and raise my food in areas that that 60 acres drains into. I just said no thank you. About a year ago they were back had a great plan to stop erosion into the creek. If I would plant hardwoods so far back from the creek they would pay me so much for the planting and so much per acre for several years. Course I would have to spray it with herbacides for so many years. There is already trees further than they wanted from the creek so I politely told them to go bother some one else I just didn't want to do buisness with them, they were welcome at any time but not no but h--l no. Get a little money and you will never get through with the inspections and paper work. Just my opinion. The free advise is great but when they want to pay you look out.

-- David in North Al (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), February 25, 2002.

There are a lot of government programs out there to take advantage of. But there are alot of requirements that go with it. We know some people that were able to put a damn in their pasture. It created a very nice pond. The catch was they had to let the public use it for so many years. It got to be pain as the public was always leaving gates open. His cattle were always on the roads. This is just like those farm subsidies. There is always a catch.

-- Cindy in Nebraska (dh40203@navix.net), February 25, 2002.

The county folks put a drainage culvert in the back corner of our pasture 40 YEARS after my husband's dad asked for it. Put it in the wrong place. It drains nothing.

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), February 25, 2002.

I spoke with the County Soil and Water Conservation office today and a gentleman from there is going to meet me at my property Thursday at 8 AM to walk it with me, offer suggestions and see if there's a program that might help me do this. Incredibly nice people with whom to deal thus far. I'll post more later to update on what I find out.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), February 25, 2002.

read over my post earlier and just wanted to restate that they are great folks and have good advice on tons of stuff. Its just we don't use herbacides, or insecticides and try to not use commercial fertilizers. As we get older we are having to look at just how much manure and compost we can handle and so may have to use some bought fertilizer. As some one else said "Old age is not for sissies"

-- Davd in North Al (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), February 26, 2002.