Federal Disaster Assistance for Agricultural Producers

 United States Department of Agriculture program summary - prepared by FDACS

Crop Insurance – Program is administered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), which underwrites crop insurance policies for hundreds of crops and livestock in the United States .

Criteria: Crop insurance policies vary based on commodity and region. 

How to apply for assistance: As crop insurance policies are sold and serviced by private insurance companies, you should contact the local insurance agent who sold the policy to begin the disaster application process. 

Contact:  Local insurance agent or RMA’s Regional Office in Valdosta , Georgia at (229) 219-2200, Fax (229) 244-6103 (Southeast Regional Director – Michael Moore). 

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) - provides financial assistance to producers of noninsurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occurs due to natural disasters.  Eligible producers must have applied for coverage of noninsurable crops using Form CCC-471, "Application for Coverage," and paid the applicable service fees at their local FSA office.  NAP covers the amount of loss greater than 50 percent of the expected production, based on the approved yield and reported acreage.

Criteria: The natural disaster must occur before or during harvest, directly affect the eligible crop and have reduced the expected unit production of the crop by more than 50 percent or prevented the producer from planting more than 35 percent of your intended crop acreage.

How to apply for assistance: Producer must notify local FSA office and complete an application for payment (available from FSA office) within 15 calendar days of the natural disaster occurrence; the final planting date, if your planting was prevented by a natural disaster; the date damage to the crop or loss of production becomes apparent to you or the normal harvest date.

Contact:  Local FSA office or State FSA office at (352) 379-4500, Fax (352) 379-4580 (Kevin Kelley – Florida FSA State Director).    

 Emergency Loan Assistance – Provides low interest loans to producers who own or operate land located in a county declared by the President as a disaster area or designated by the Secretary of Agriculture as a disaster area.  Loans are intended to assist in the recovery of production and physical losses due to drought, flooding, other natural disasters, or quarantine.  Producers can borrow up to 100 percent of actual production or physical losses, to a maximum amount of $500,000.  The current annual interest rate for emergency loans is 3.75 percent

 Criteria:  County must have received a Presidential or USDA disaster declaration and producer must have suffered at least a 30-percent loss in crop production or a physical loss to livestock, livestock products, real estate, or chattel property.  Other criteria such as credit history and appropriate collateral may also apply. 

How to apply for assistance: Applications for emergency loans must be received within 8 months of the county’s disaster or quarantine designation date.  Apply at local FSA office. 

Contact: Local FSA office or State FSA office at (352) 379-4500, Fax (352) 379-4580 (Kevin Kelley – Florida FSA State Director).   

Emergency Conservation Program - provides emergency funding and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters.  Rehabilitation measures include debris removal and restoring fences and conservation structures.  Other conservation measures may be authorized by county FSA committees, with approval from state FSA committees and FSA’s national office.  Program participants receive cost-share assistance of up to 75 percent of the cost to implement approved emergency conservation practices.  Funding for ECP is subject to congressional appropriation.  

Criteria:  County FSA committees determine land eligibility based on on-site inspections of damage, taking into account the type and extent of damage.

How to apply for assistance and contact: Contact your local FSA office.  Producers may also contact the state FSA office at (352) 379-4500, Fax (352) 379-4580 (Kevin Kelley – Florida FSA State Director).

Tree Assistance Program (TAP) - provides financial assistance to qualifying producers to replace eligible trees, bushes, and vines damaged by natural disasters.  Qualifying producers are reimbursed 75 percent of the actual costs to replant the number of eligible trees, bushes, and vines or the calculated amount using the established rates, whichever is less.  TAP program participants are limited to $75,000 per “person” in TAP payments for the 2004 through 2007 crop years. In addition, each person is limited to 500 qualifying acres for all TAP payments.  Funding for program is subject to availability. 

Criteria:  Eligible trees, bushes, and vines are those from which an annual crop is produced for commercial purposes.  Trees used for pulp, timber, Christmas trees, and nursery tree stock are ineligible.  Trees, bushes, and vines may be replanted on a field that is not the field where the losses originally occurred. Also, replanted trees, bushes, and vines may be different than those damaged as long as they have the same general end use, as determined by FSA.  To qualify, there must be a loss of 15 percent or greater from a disaster for the individual stand, adjusted for normal mortality.   

How to apply for assistance and contact: Contact your local FSA office.  Producers may also contact the state FSA office at (352) 379-4500, Fax (352) 379-4580 (Kevin Kelley – Florida FSA State Director).

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