Legislation would create a permanent program for ag disaster relief

U.S. lawmakers are proposing to create a permanent structure at USDA to provide relief to growers who lose crops because of natural disasters.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, both D-Calif., and Reps. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., and Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., announced the introduction of the bill, called the Agricultural Emergency Relief Act.

While Congress routinely provides relief for farmers affected by natural disasters, the lack of a permanent program has resulted in multiple administrative changes, which can cause unnecessary delays in implementation and confusion for farmers, the release said.

“Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters and farmers across the country are bearing the brunt of these events,” Feinstein said in a news release. “Unfortunately, there is not a permanent relief program for farmers who lose crops during a disaster, creating unnecessary delays and confusion whenever Congress approves relief. Our bill fixes that. It would create a permanent structure for the program and improve the process for all farmers, including those that grow specialty crops.”

Padilla said in the release that farming communities have felt the devastating impacts of climate change.

“Our growers need and deserve relief quickly — there must be a long-term solution to ensure they can get back on their feet in the face of natural disasters,” Padilla said in the release. “By permanently authorizing the Emergency Relief Program, this bill would bolster the safety net for the people that produce our food and improve farmers’ resiliency against the climate crisis.”

According to the bill’s sponsors, the Agricultural Emergency Relief Act would:

• Create a permanent structure for the USDA’s Emergency Relief Program. The program was originally established through language in the fiscal year 2022 emergency supplemental appropriations bill and received additional appropriations in the fiscal year 2023 omnibus but has not been formally authorized.
• Include as eligible disasters: droughts, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, derechos, excessive heat, excessive moisture, winter storms and freeze events, including polar vortexes.
• Require farmers who apply for relief payments to purchase crop insurance for two years after receiving a payment.
• Allow payment calculations to be based on indemnities reported to USDA or on losses in revenue to better accommodate specialty crop growers.
• Allow Congress to continue to appropriate supplemental disaster funds in response to the level of damage incurred in a specific year or event.