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Source: USDA, 5/16/22
The U. S
Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that commodity and specialty
crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2020 and 2021 will soon
begin receiving emergency relief payments totaling approximately $6 billion
through the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) new Emergency Relief Program (ERP) to offset
crop yield and value losses. “For over two years, farmers and ranchers across the country have been hard hit by an ongoing pandemic coupled with more frequent and catastrophic natural disasters,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “As the agriculture industry deals with new challenges and stressors, we at USDA look for opportunities to inject financial support back into the rural economy through direct payments to producers who bear the brunt of circumstances beyond their control. These emergency relief payments will help offset the significant crop losses due to major weather events in 2020 and 2021 and help ensure farming operations are viable this crop year, into the next growing season and beyond.” Background
On September 30, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Extending
Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (P.L.
117-43), which includes $10 billion in assistance to agricultural producers
impacted by wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, winter storms, and other eligible
disasters experienced during calendar years 2020 and 2021. FSA recently made
payments to ranchers impacted by drought and wildfire through the first phase
of the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP). ERP is another relief
component of the Act. For impacted producers, existing Federal Crop Insurance or Noninsured Crop
Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) data is the basis for
calculating initial payments. USDA estimates that phase one ERP benefits will
reach more than 220,000 producers who received indemnities for losses covered
by federal crop insurance and more than 4,000 producers who obtained NAP
coverage for 2020 and 2021 crop losses. ERP Eligibility – Phase One
ERP covers losses to crops, trees, bushes, and vines due to a qualifying
natural disaster event in calendar years 2020 and 2021. Eligible crops
include all crops for which crop insurance or NAP coverage was available,
except for crops intended for grazing. Qualifying natural disaster events
include wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, winter storms,
freeze (including a polar vortex), smoke exposure, excessive moisture,
qualifying drought, and related conditions. For more information, click here.
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