U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack from Florida and colleagues recently reintroduced the bipartisan Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act. The act is aimed at removing barriers to agriculture disaster assistance for producers. The bill would provide farmers, ranchers and other agriculture producers with improved access to federal disaster assistance following natural disasters.
Reps. Jimmy Panetta and Zoe Lofgren, both of California, and Austin Scott, of Georgia, co-led the legislation. A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate by Sens. Alex Padilla of California and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
The Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act would address outdated adjusted gross income (AGI) limitations that prevent many full-time farmers from accessing U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster programs. These limitations have not kept pace with inflation. Specialty crop producers, particularly those affected by disasters like flooding in California, have faced significant barriers to receiving aid.
“The AGI limitations set years ago have denied access for producers who truly need it, and the exemption for farms making 75% of their income from farming and farming-related practices is much-needed to bolster resilience,” Cammack said.
Specifically, the act would exempt the AGI limitation for farms that get 75% of their income from farming or related farming practices. This includes agritourism, direct-to-consumer marketing of agricultural products, sale of agricultural equipment owned by person or entity, and other agriculture-related activities as determined by the secretary of agriculture.
The exemption would apply to these disaster programs:
- Tree Assistance Program
- Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
- Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program
- Livestock Forage Disaster Program
- Livestock Indemnity Program
The Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act is endorsed by the Almond Alliance, American Honey Producers Association, Blue Diamond, California Aquaculture Association, California Farm Bureau, California Strawberry Commission, East Coast Shellfish Growers Association, Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, International Fresh Produce Association, National Aquaculture Association, North Carolina Farm Bureau, Northwest Aquaculture Alliance, Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance and Western Growers.
The act was originally introduced in 2023; learn more here.
Source: U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack
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