USDA Highlights Danger Help Accessible to Florida Producers Impacted by Storm Ian

Polk County, Florida, March 10, 2023 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack the day past visited a citrus grove in Polk County, Florida to observe the affect of Storm Ian and meet with producers impacted by the storm. Correct by the debate over with, the Secretary highlighted efforts by the usDepartment of Agriculture (USDA) to assist Florida producers rebuild their operations and elevate their backside lines as they get better from the devastating affect of hurricanes.

“We know the arrangement devastating storms might maybe per chance also be to the operations of farmers and ranchers,” acknowledged Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “USDA is committed to helping producers impacted by excessive climate get better and can employ the total tools now we must always be obvious producers can rebuild and continue to total what they reside absolute most life like by feeding our nation and the world.”

USDA’s Danger Restoration Efforts in Florida

USDA is working by almost 2,500 requests for assistance following Storm Ian. The Division has held over 16 outreach events particularly for Storm Ian catastrophe assistance applications to assist producers and organizations.

The U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) has offered assistance to producers by the Misfortune Administration Agency (RMA) and Natural Handy resource Conservation Carrier. The Farm Carrier Agency (FSA) has licensed policy exceptions for three key catastrophe assistance applications to assist Florida agricultural operations that were vastly impacted by Storm Ian in 2022. These applications consist of the Emergency Help for Farm animals, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), Farm animals Indemnity Program (LIP) and Tree Help Program (TAP).

Slash Insurance

Florida producers received over $190 million in Federal reduce insurance coverage payments as a results of Storm Ian with $134 million arriving within weeks as a result of the hurricane policy, which automatically triggers a price if a county qualifies per data from the National Storm Heart on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. RMA manages the Federal Slash Insurance Corporation (FCIC) to supply modern reduce insurance coverage merchandise, just like the hurricane policy, to The USA’s farmers and ranchers.

Citrus producers contain received nearly $79 million in indemnities for damage from Storm Ian. Claims are persevering with to be resolved as citrus harvest is aloof ongoing. Final production numbers are essential to finalize claims.

Emergency Watershed Program

EWP provides technical and financial assistance to assist local communities serve coming near near threats to life and property precipitated by floods, fires, windstorms and other pure mess ups that impair a watershed. Following Storm Ian, almost 300 sites were acknowledged for EWP assistance and preliminary estimates exceed $50 million.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program Emergency Help

EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural and woodland producers to toughen or offer protection to pure useful resource prerequisites whereas moreover bettering agricultural operations. NRCS can provide payments, by conservation program contracts, for EQIP conservation practices to assist agricultural landowners and producers take care of catastrophe connected useful resource concerns on their land.

To expedite Storm Ian catastrophe recovery, NRCS offered early starting up up waivers in EQIP emergency declaration counties, to enable commencement of key conservation practices ahead of conservation program contract approval. Thru EQIP for Storm Ian, NRCS has already current over $10 million for bigger than 400 applications.

Emergency Help for Farm animals, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program

ELAP provides assistance to householders of cattle, and producers of honeybees and farm-raised fish for feed and loss of life losses as a result of an eligible pure catastrophe event. For ELAP, FSA will aloof settle for gradual-file acreage certifications for honeybees and aquaculture for 2022 and not utilizing a rate and no field inspection required.

Aquaculture and honeybee producers might want to supply the local FSA county committee with proof that the fish, bees or hives existed ahead of the qualifying pure catastrophe event, collectively with proof of feed have interaction, have interaction of inventory, etc.

Farm animals Indemnity Program

The honour of loss submitting date for LIP has been extended by March 30, 2023, and the deadline for applications for price extended by May per chance well presumably also 1, 2023. LIP provides benefits to cattle householders and contract growers who skills cattle deaths in arrangement over fashioned mortality precipitated by specific negative climate, illness or animal assaults.

Tree Help Program

TAP provides financial designate-half assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or, where appropriate, rehabilitate eligible timber, bushes, and vines lost by pure mess ups.

For Florida citrus producers, the deadline to file a Gaze of Loss with FSA has been extended from 60 calendar days as a lot as a further two-years on the timeframe to total practices for citrus losses. A predict for a observe extension might maybe per chance maybe aloof be made in writing (might maybe per chance also be submitted by capacity of electronic mail) earlier than observe completion date.

More Info

On farmers.gov, the Danger Help Discovery Tool, Danger Help-at-a-Detect reality sheet (PDF, 1.4 MB) and Farm Loan Discovery Tool can assist producers and landowners resolve program or loan alternate choices. For assistance with a reduce insurance coverage claim, producers and landowners might maybe per chance maybe aloof contact their reduce insurance coverage agent. For FSA and NRCS applications, they would per chance maybe maybe aloof contact their local USDA Carrier Heart.

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