$16 Billion in Natural Disaster Relief Now Available to Affected Farmers
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced that agricultural producers 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).
To expedite the implementation of SDRP, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is delivering assistance in two stages. This first stage is open to producers with eligible crop losses that received assistance under crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program during 2023 and 2024.
SDRP Stage One sign-up will start in person at FSA county offices on July 10, 2025, with prefilled applications mailed to producers on July 9, 2025.
SDRP Stage Two signups for eligible shallow or uncovered losses will begin in early fall.
Eligibility
Eligible losses must be the result of natural disasters occurring in calendar years 2023 and/or 2024. These disasters include wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, tornadoes, winter storms, freezes (including a polar vortex), smoke exposure, excessive moisture, qualifying drought, and related conditions.
To qualify for drought-related losses, the loss must have occurred in a county rated by the U.S. Drought Monitor as having a D2 (severe drought) for eight consecutive weeks, D3 (extreme drought), or a greater intensity level during the applicable calendar year.
Producers in Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, and Massachusetts will not be eligible for SDRP program payments. Instead, these states chose to cover eligible crop, tree, bush, and vine losses through separate block grants. These block grants are funded through the $220 million provided for this purpose to eligible states in the American Relief Act.
How to Apply
To apply for SDRP, producers must submit the FSA-526, SDRP Stage One Application, in addition to having other forms on file with FSA.
For additional details on the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program, eligibility, and how to apply for relief, please read the full release found on the Farm Service Agency section of the USDA website.
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