The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced this week that it will issue over $235 million in payments to agricultural producers affected by natural disasters. This includes $143 million for Florida crop insurance indemnities due to Hurricane Milton and approximately $92 million for livestock producers across the nation who faced increased feed costs resulting from forage losses during the 2022 drought and wildfire.
These payments are part of USDA's broader efforts to support recovery following Hurricane Milton. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated, "Florida farmers, livestock producers and forest landowners have been hit hard by hurricanes this year, and we’re continuing our efforts to help producers recover following hurricanes like Milton." He added, "We’ve used a number of flexibilities following hurricanes Debby and Helene, and we’re extending those to producers impacted by Hurricane Milton and future named storms."
Farmers with Federal crop insurance through the Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index (HIP-WI) endorsement will receive payments from their Approved Insurance Providers within 30 days. These payments aim to aid recovery for farmers and rural communities.
Since HIP-WI became available in 2020, over $776 million has been issued under the program. Florida producers have received about $340 million in total.
Producers eligible for HIP-WI do not need to file claims; if a county is triggered, indemnity payments will be automatically issued by the AIP. Triggered counties were identified by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA).
Beyond HIP-WI coverage, additional crop insurance support is available. The RMA has authorized emergency procedures for accelerated processing of claims related to hurricane damages in Florida.
Apart from crop insurance assistance, USDA offers various disaster assistance programs through its Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). These include farm loans, conservation programs, land rehabilitation support, debris removal, animal mortality disposal services among others.
Following Hurricane Helene, USDA announced additional flexibilities in disaster assistance programs aimed at streamlining recovery processes. The FSA has extended signup periods for certain programs until June 1, 2025.
The Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP), funded through the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act signed by President Biden, provides financial aid to livestock producers affected by various disasters including wildfires and droughts in 2022. Approximately $92 million will be distributed as part of ELRP's second round of payments.
For more information on available resources or how to report damages and losses, producers can contact their local FSA office or visit farmers.gov/hurricane.
