Expedited Congressionally mandated disaster assistance for farmers announced

(WAND) - Farmers who suffered eligible crop losses due to natural disasters in 2023 and 2024 can now apply for $16 billion in assistance through the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP).

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins made the announcement Wednesday.

USDA's Farm Service Agency is delivering assistance in two stages. The first stage is open to producers with eligible crop losses that get assistance under crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program during 2023 and 2024.

Stage One sign up will start in person at FSA county offices on July 10. Prefilled applications are being mailed to producers July 9.

SDRP Stage Two signups for eligible shallow or uncovered losses will start in early fall.

Secretary Rollins said, "American farmers are no stranger to natural disasters that cause losses that leave no region or crop unscathed. Under President Trump's leadership, USDA has worked around the clock to deliver this relief directly to our farmers. "We are taking swift action to ensure farmers will have the resources they need to continue to produce the safest, most reliable, and most abundant food supply in the word."

The announcement follows Secretary Rollins' plan to deliver the total amount of Congressionally appropriated $30 billion in disaster assistance to farmers and ranchers in 2025.

USDA has issued more than $7.8 billion in Emergency Commodity Assistance Program payments to more than half a million eligible farmers. It has also provided over $1 billion in emergency relief through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program to producers who suffered grazing losses due to drought or wildfires in 2023 and 2024.

USDA disaster help can be found here.