Growers hit by hurricanes, flooding or other natural disasters in 2018 or 2019 can apply for federal assistance starting Sept. 11.
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said that agricultural producers affected by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019, including Hurricane Dorian, can apply for assistance through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus. Sign up for the U.S. Department of Agriculture program will begin Sept. 11, according to a news release.
“U.S. agriculture has been dealt a hefty blow over the last several years, and 2019 is no exception,” USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey said in the release. “The scope of this year’s prevented planting alone is devastating, and although these disaster program benefits will not make producers whole, we hope the assistance will ease some of the financial strain farmers, ranchers and their families are experiencing.”
More than $3 billion is available through the disaster relief package passed by Congress and signed by President Trump in early June.
The disaster assistance program will be available for eligible producers who have suffered eligible losses of certain crops, trees, bushes or vines in counties with a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration or a Secretarial Disaster Designation.
A list of counties that received qualifying disaster declarations and designations is available online.
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