Farmers get aid in drought Survey shows more than 100 need help

BANGOR – While a family of four may use 150 to 200 gallons of water per day, a typical 100-cow dairy farm uses about 5,000 gallons each day.

“Farmers are very frugal and thus mindful of conserving water,” said David Lavway, state director for the Maine Farm Service Agency. But as the drought of 2001 continues to threaten water supplies across the state, farmers finally are getting financial assistance to bring water to their livestock.

Lavway said that when U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman earlier this year designated 15 of Maine’s 16 counties as disaster areas due to drought conditions, FSA conducted a preliminary survey of Maine’s farmers. Franklin County also is eligible for aid because it is a contiguous county.

He said he was surprised when it appeared that more than 100 farmers were in need of water assistance, either to drill new wells or install pipelines.

“A few weeks ago, the individual county directors told us that up to 107 farmers had well problems or were hauling water,” Lavway said Friday. “We certainly did not expect that many.”

“Even though it is March,” Lavway said, “farmers are reeling from the drought conditions that have been ongoing for the past nine months. Wells have simply dried up. Farmers come into our county offices to seek assistance for water supplies that have suddenly failed.

“While we can’t make it rain, we can help with the burden of replacing a failed water supply,” Lavway said.

The Emergency Conservation Program is being set up and will provide money to farmers who

need to develop water sources for livestock. A second program can provide emergency loans so farmers can restructure debt or purchase feed for livestock.

Lavway said that last October, November and December, some farmers already drilled wells. The ECP program can assist with up to 50 percent of the costs of wells, pumps and underground pipes, even if already in place.

For those farmers still hauling water, 64 percent of those costs can be covered, up to $125 per trip.

The loan program, with an interest rate of 3.75 percent, is for farmers who have suffered a qualifying physical loss, such as water shortage.

Farmers should contact their local FSA field office for more information, said Lavway.