The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced producers in areas affected by disasters in nine states can apply for cost-share assistance through a new program that will help with damaged grain storage facilities.
According to a March 9 news release, the Emergency Grain Storage Facility Assistance Program is providing assistance to build new gran storage areas, along with drying and handling needs for counties affected by disasters in Kentucky, Minnesota, South Dakota, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee and North Dakota.
“Weather events in 2021 and 2022 in several states caused catastrophic losses to grain storage facilities on family farms as well as a large, commercial grain elevator, leaving stored grain exposed to the elements and affecting storage and commodity marketing options for many producers,” Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the release. “USDA heard from congressional leaders, including Minority Leader McConnell, who identified a gap in our disaster assistance toolkit and used our Commodity Credit Corporation authority to act more quickly than waiting for specific legislation. This new program will provide cost-share assistance to help producers address their on-farm storage capacity needs that are necessary for marketing grain.”
Initially $20 million in cost-share assistance will be allocated for eligible disasters that led to damage or destruction of commercial grain elevators from Dec. 1, 2021 to Aug. 1, 2022, the release reported.
Part of the assistance is through the Farm Service Agency, which is part of the USDA, according to the release. This is for helping producers affected by the tornadoes that ravaged 11 Kentucky counties in December of 2021. This program was previewed in the fall and is now available with the publication of the notice in the Federal Register.
There are maps available online that show the eligible areas, including a 30-mile radius of the facilities where producers may be eligible, the release reported. The FSA can also determine if assistance is needed in other states with eligible disasters being hurricanes, tornadoes, derechos, floods, winter storms and straight-line winds between within the specified dates.
Eligible facilities must have a useful life of three years or more and include converted storage structures, conventional cribs or bins for grain storage, open buildings with two end walls, asphalt, concrete or gravel floors with grain piles and ag baggers, according to the release.
