USDA to Issue More than $235 Million to Farmers Hit by Natural Disasters, Including Hurricane Milton

 

Assistance includes $143 million for crop and forestry losses due to Hurricane Milton, $92 million to offset grazing losses due to drought and wildfire in 2022

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing payments this week to agricultural producers impacted by natural disasters, including $143 million in crop insurance indemnities for Florida producers impacted by Hurricane Milton and more than $92 million for livestock producers, nationwide, who faced increased supplemental feed costs as a result of forage losses due to 2022 qualifying drought and wildfire. The payments for Milton-impacted Florida producers are for those who have Federal crop insurance coverage through the Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index (HIP-WI) endorsement and the Tropical Storm (TS) option. These crop insurance payments are part of USDA’s broader support to help producers after Hurricane Milton. The payments for livestock producers are through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) 2022, and are a second round of payments to producers using remaining funds in the program. “Florida farmers, livestock producers and forest landowners have been hit hard by hurricanes this year, and we’re continuing our efforts to help producers recover following hurricanes like Milton,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We’ve used a number of flexibilities following hurricanes Debby and Helene, and we’re extending those to producers impacted by Hurricane Milton and future named storms. Additionally, today’s payments for America’s livestock producers serve as another example of how we’re leveraging every available resource to help as many people as possible on the road to recovery.” Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index Producers with Federal crop insurance coverage through the Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index (HIP-WI) endorsement and the Tropical Storm (TS) option will see payments from their Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) in the next 30 days. Under this insurance option, producers will receive over $143 million in indemnities for hurricane-related losses from Hurricane Milton. These payments will directly help farmers and rural communities recover. In total, over $776 million in payments have been issued under HIP-WI in 2024. With the payments from Milton, Florida producers will have received about $340 million since HIP-WI became available in 2020. Producers do not need to file a claim to receive an indemnity payment under HIP-WI. If a county is triggered, the AIP will issue an indemnity payment in the coming weeks. Triggered counties were identified by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) in Product Management Bulletin 24-069 and will also be available in the county’s actuarial documents. Eligible producers will receive a HIP-WI indemnity payment in addition to any applicable indemnity payments due to them through their underlying crop insurance policy. Additional Crop Insurance Support Producers with crop insurance coverage beyond HIP-WI will see indemnity payments in the coming weeks. If you have Federal crop insurance, contact your crop insurance agent as soon as crop or livestock losses are apparent. Due to the catastrophic damage that Hurricane Milton caused as well as the continuing impacts in the southeast from hurricanes Debby and Helene, RMA authorized emergency procedures to help producers with hurricane-related losses. RMA is working with crop insurance companies to streamline and accelerate the adjustment of losses and issuance of indemnity payments to crop insurance policyholders in impacted areas. RMA’s emergency procedure flexibilities apply to all counties in Florida. Disaster Assistance and Flexibilities In addition to crop insurance, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offer a wide array of disaster assistance, farm loan and conservation programs. These programs can help producers recover in a number of ways, including land and private forest rehabilitation, fence loss, debris removal, animal mortality disposal and other challenges. As previously announced following Hurricane Helene, USDA has added flexibilities to a number of disaster assistance programs to help streamline and expedite the recovery process for producers impacted by recent hurricanes. FSA is providing flexibilities for its programs, including extended signup opportunities and use of waivers and emergency procedures to expedite program delivery. The flexibilities include an extended signup period for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP), which is now open and runs through June 1, 2025. FSA offers a variety of direct and guaranteed farm loans, including operating and emergency farm loans, to producers unable to secure commercial financing. Producers in counties with a primary or contiguous disaster designation may be eligible for low-interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses. Loans can help producers replace essential property, purchase inputs, livestock, equipment, feed and seed, cover family living expenses or refinance farm-related debts and other farm needs. FSA also offers several loan servicing options, including the Disaster Set-Aside Program, for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan programs debt to the agency because of reasons beyond their control. NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to producers through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help with immediate needs and long-term support to help recover from natural disasters and conserve water resources. The program can assist with restoring livestock infrastructure, emergency animal mortality disposal, and immediate soil erosion protection. Because of the need to dispose of poultry and livestock quickly, NRCS is offering an early-start waiver to producers once they file an initial application. Additionally, NRCS offers help to communities through its Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program that provides assistance to landowners and project sponsors following a natural disaster. Contact your local FSA county office or your crop insurance agent to report all crop, livestock and farm infrastructure damages and losses. Producers can also contact the FSA call center at 877-508-8364. Visit farmers.gov/hurricane for a full list of available flexibilities, frequently asked questions, webinars and other resources. Additional USDA disaster assistance information can be found on farmers.gov, including the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, Loan Assistance Tool, and Natural Disasters and Crop Insurance fact sheet. Additionally, FarmRaise offers an FSA educational hub with Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP) decision tools as well as farm loan resource videos.

USDA Offers Resources, Adds Flexibilities to Disaster Assistance Programs

Washington, DC 20250 
FPAC.BC.Press@usda.gov

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2024 – In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated communities, homes, farms and businesses across parts of the Southeast, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has deployed staff to assist with response and recovery efforts. USDA is also putting in place contingency plans and program flexibilities to ensure farmers, and foresters and communities are able to get the support they need. USDA is sharing information today to help impacted people learn about resources that may be available to them.

On Thursday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux traveled to Florida and Georgia with President Biden to assess damage and meet with farmers and residents in the wake of the storm. In remarks, Secretary Vilsack highlighted that USDA is taking measures like extending program signup opportunities and using waivers and emergency procedures to expedite recovery efforts on America’s working lands. The department has also deployed 190 staff, including many from the U.S. Forest Service, to assist with response efforts, including removal of debris from roads.

“At USDA, our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families and farmers who have been impacted by this storm,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Our job is to try to keep farms viable and operational, to help rural communities remain resilient, and at the end of the day to get as much help as quickly as possible to as many people as possible.”

Here are steps USDA wants farmers to know about to ensure they can access the tools and resources that USDA offers:

How to Contact USDA

USDA has offices in virtually every county. However, some remain obstructed or without power due to the storm. Other USDA offices in affected states are stepping up to help triage and take producers’ calls. The Farm Service Agency Call Center, available at 877-508-8364, can help direct producers to available staff. More program information is also farmers.gov. 

Leaders with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Risk Management Agency (RMA) will hold a virtual briefing on Monday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. EDT for agricultural producers and stakeholders to share information on disaster assistance programs for agricultural operations. Visit farmers.gov/hurricane for details on how to join.

Through the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, USDA also partners with several organizations to offer mental health resources. Anyone in need of extra support in light of stressful circumstances is encouraged to contact the Southern Ag Exchange Network Farmer Support Hotline at 888-381-7243, which is available 24/7.

Expediting Crop Insurance Payments 

USDA estimates there are more than 38,000 crop insurance policies, covering more than 4.8 million acres, in place in the affected areas. USDA has instructed crop insurance companies to expedite loss adjustments that are necessary to make payments, and we expect payments to be made within 30 days.  If you have Federal crop insurance, contact your crop insurance agent as soon as crop or livestock losses are apparent.

Documenting and Reporting Losses 

USDA reminds producers to document damages and losses, including gathering farm records, herd inventory, receipts and pictures of damages or losses. USDA advises livestock producers to document livestock numbers by taking time and date-stamped video or pictures of injury or loss, to the extent possible. USDA asks producers to report crop, livestock and farm infrastructure losses to FSA at your local USDA Service Center. Producers can call the FSA Hotline for assistance if their local Service Center is currently closed.

Flexibilities for Disaster Assistance Programs

In addition to RMA’s Federal crop insurance flexibilities, FSA has added flexibilities to several programs. A full list of FSA disaster assistance programs is available on the Hurricane webpage on farmers.gov.

To help expedite assistance through the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP), FSA has taken the following measures:

• Extended ECP and EFRP signup that begins Oct. 15, 2024, and runs through June 1, 2025, in states affected by Hurricane Helene.
• Executed Emergency Response (ER-850) authorization of emergency National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) circumstances to expedite FSA approval of practices involving surface debris removal, fence restoration and non-ground disturbing activities.
• Waiver of onsite inspection requirement for non-engineering practices for ECP and EFRP.
• Waiver of requirement for producers to obtain prior approval to conduct surface debris removal, fence repair and hazard tree removal to support critical disaster recovery efforts.  Producers should contact FSA for any questions on allowable activities.

Additionally, the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) provides benefits to livestock owners and contract growers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by eligible loss conditions including eligible adverse weather. FSA has issued guidance to FSA County Committees and local staff to exercise maximum flexibility in determining acceptable loss documentation and to ensure LIP applications are acted on timely.

Through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), FSA provides assistance to owners of livestock, and producers of honeybees and farm-raised fish for feed and death losses due to an eligible natural disaster event. FSA is providing assistance to help cover above normal costs to transport livestock to feed and/or transport feed/forage to livestock in hurricane-impacted states, and assistance to help cover above normal costs to haul water to livestock in hurricane-impacted states.

The Tree Assistance Program (TAP) provides financial cost-share assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or, where applicable, rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes and vines lost by natural disasters. FSA has extended assistance to trees, bushes and vines that have not died but are no longer capable of production (not economically viable). This assistance program complements the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) or federal crop insurance coverage, which covers the crop but not the plants or trees in all cases.

Under NAP, FSA has waived the 72-hour notification requirement on hand harvested crops, extended deadline to file a Notice of Loss, and provided flexibility for FSA staff to perform loss adjustment activities and/or waive field inspections in cases where the cause of loss can be verified through other means.

For producers with Marketing Assistance Loans (MAL), FSA is providing additional time for producers to deliver commodities to a buyer to repay MALs with sale proceeds and postponing MAL foreclosure letters applicable to losses or damages due to hurricanes for up to 90 calendar days.

A full list of FSA disaster assistance programs is available on the Hurricane webpage on farmers.gov.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) also offers recovery options for producers through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and for communities through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP). Learn more on the NRCS Disaster Recovery webpage.

Nutrition Assistance 

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, at states’ request, has already issued flexibilities and waivers at the for its many nutrition programs in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, in order to help emergency meal providers reach more people quickly. USDA is ready to issue additional flexibilities upon request. More information on those recovery and assistance efforts can be found on the FNS Disaster Assistance webpage.

More Information

Additional USDA disaster assistance information can be found on farmers.gov, including the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, Loan Assistance Tool, and Natural Disasters and Crop Insurance fact sheet. Additionally, FarmRaise offers an FSA educational hub with LIP and ELAP decision tools as well as farm loan resource videos.

USDA Rural Development is already communicating with local governments about how their resources can help assist with the long-term recovery of impacted rural communities. Additionally, Rural Development is looking at flexibilities within existing programs for communities impacted to address housing assistance for tenants and homeowners, water infrastructure needs, support to rural businesses, and existing participants of our Electric and Community Facilities programs.  Additional information for impacted rural communities and current Rural Development customers can be found on the Rural Development Disaster Assistance site.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.