Source: MEATINGPLACE, 9/14/18

With Hurricane Florence expected to lash the Carolinas over the next several days, the USDA said it is ready to provide assistance to farmers and ranchers affected by the storm. Staff in the regional, state and county offices are prepared to help, and its Operations Center will function around the clock, the agency said in a news release.

“Our farmers and ranchers take financial risks every year to help feed and clothe the U.S. and the world, and a hurricane makes their situations even more perilous,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said. “At USDA, it’s our job to be there for them when they need help. All of our relevant agencies are ready to assist when natural disasters strike.”

As part of its role in response to hurricanes and recovery efforts, USDA said it is also staffing regional and national FEMA response centers to support efforts on the East Coast.

USDA recently launched a disaster assistance discovery tool through its new website farmers.gov that walks producers through five questions to help them identify personalized results of which USDA disaster assistance programs can help them recover after a natural disaster.

The agency also partnered with FEMA and other disaster-focused organizations and created a disaster resource database. 

Food safety and assistance
With possibility of power outages, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Services is pointing people to a hurricane food safety guide for tips on how to keep food safe. Owners of meat and poultry producing businesses with questions or concerns should call FSIS Small Plant Help Desk by phone at 877-374-7435, by email at infosource@fsis.usda.gov, or online here. 

Meanwhile, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is coordinating with state, local and voluntary organizations to provide food for shelters and other mass feeding sites. Resources for disaster feeding partners and available FNS disaster nutrition assistance can be found on the FNS Disaster Assistance website.  https://www.fns.usda.gov/disaster/disaster-assistance

Crop and livestock loss
The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers many safety-net programs to help producers recover from eligible losses, including the Livestock Indemnity Program the Emergency Assistance For Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program.

The FSA Emergency Conservation Program provides funding and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters. Producers located in counties that receive a primary or contiguous disaster designation are eligible for low-interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses.