To better assist agricultural producers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published a new brochure, Disaster Assistance Programs at a Glance. The brochure is a quick reference guide to available Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) assistance programs.
The guide gives a short description of each program and lets growers quickly identify which program and/or programs are available for each natural disaster event. Disasters covered include hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, fires, freezes, hail, drought and more.
A Disaster Assistance Delivery Tool lets growers learn about USDA disaster assistance programs that might be right for them. With the tool, growers answer five questions about the natural disasters that have impacted their operations to find out which USDA programs offer assistance.
Here are examples of assistance programs available from USDA:
- Crop insurance, available from RMA, provides indemnity payments to growers for production and quality losses related to weather hazards.
- Farm loans from FSA are emergency and operating loans to help producers recover from production and physical losses due to natural disasters.
- The Environmental Quality Incentive Program helps growers plan and implement improvements on their land.
To learn how to apply for disaster programs, growers should contact their local USDA Service Center. They can find their local center here.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
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