The Department of Agriculture has begun rolling out funds earmarked for 2023 and 2024 disasters as the signup period for the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program opens. Danny Munch, an economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation, explains who is eligible for the assistance.
“Farmers and ranchers who received a Crop Insurance or non-insured disaster assistance program payment for 2023 and 2024 for a qualifying disaster, which includes drought, floods, freezes, wildfires, might be eligible for stage one of USDA’s new Supplemental Disaster Relief Program,” he said. “They must meet standard USDA income and conservation rules and haven’t already received a 2022 ER payment for the same crop year.”
Munch says the funding for the assistance comes from a Congressional mandate.
“The $16 billion in aid for this program comes from the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2025, which was passed by Congress at the end of last year, and this announcement is only stage one, and the funding will be used across both stage one and stage two, when eventually stage two is announced.”
USDA’s Farm Service Agency will mail pre-filled applications to eligible farmers based on existing crop insurance records.
“Farmers can also contact their local FSA office to get the form,” Munch explained. “They must complete and return the signed form and make sure all that paperwork is filled out and on file. They must also commit to keeping Crop Insurance or NAP Coverage for the next two years. The payment calculation is just going to be upping existing insurance coverage levels by a corresponding factor.”
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