Federal funds available for farmers affected by natural disasters

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins has announced that agricultural producers affected by natural disasters in 2023 and 2024 may now apply for $16 billion in assistance through the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP).

The program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), is being rolled out in two stages. The first stage, which began July 10, is open to producers who received crop insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) support during 2023 and 2024. To streamline the process, FSA mailed pre-filled applications to eligible producers on July 9. Stage Two, which will address shallow or uncovered losses, is scheduled to begin in early fall.

Under Stage One, assistance will be available for crop, tree, and vine losses, with eligibility determined using existing NAP and Risk Management Agency loss data. Losses must be tied to natural disasters that occurred during 2023 or 2024. Qualifying disasters include hurricanes, floods, wildfires, derechos, excessive heat, tornadoes, winter storms, freezes such as polar vortex events, smoke exposure, excessive moisture, and certain drought conditions.

For drought-related claims, producers must show losses in a county identified by the U.S. Drought Monitor as experiencing at least eight consecutive weeks of severe drought (D2) or higher levels of extreme (D3) or exceptional (D4) drought during the relevant year.