Connecticut farmers are reminded that two agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture with offices in Norwich, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency, are available to offer assistance in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene.

Jay T. Mar, state conservationist for the conservation service, and Marsha Jette, state executive director of the farm service agency, want farmers to know that there is help for producers who have sustained damage to crops, as well as for land where damage from flooding has occurred.

“The NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection Program was set up by Congress to respond to emergencies created by natural disasters,” Mar said in a news release Wednesday. “It is designed to relieve imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fire, windstorms, and other natural occurrences.”

He added, however, that “all projects undertaken must be sponsored by the state, or a political subdivision of the state such as a city or town.”

Jette said his agency has several programs that can help farmers who have sustained crop damage. These include the Emergency Conservation Program, Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, Farm Loan Program, Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program and the Tree Assistance Program.

For information about NRCS programs, call the agency’s Norwich office at (860) 887.3604. For information about Farm Service Agency programs, call the agency’s Norwich office at (860) 887.9941.