The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2020 and 2021 will soon begin receiving emergency relief payments totaling approximately $6 billion through the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) new Emergency Relief Program (ERP) to offset crop yield and value losses.
Phase 1 Eligibility
Eligible crops include all crops for which Federal Crop Insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) (usda.gov) coverage was available and a crop insurance indemnity or NAP payment was received, except for crops intended for grazing.
Qualifying natural disaster events include wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, winter storms, freeze (including a polar vortex), smoke exposure, excessive moisture, qualifying drought and related conditions. Please see the following link for the California qualifying drought counties: Emergency Relief Program Drought Eligible Counties in 2021 (usda.gov).
The CWC anticipates the Phase 1 applications to be sent before the end of May 2022. Producers must be on file with FSA to apply. Contact your local FSA office to verify and/or to register and complete the required forms.
FSA will send 2 pre-filled application forms to producers where crop insurance and NAP data are already on file – one for each year (2020 and 2021). Receipt of a pre-filled application is not confirmation that a producer is eligible to receive an ERP Phase 1 payment. Please contact your local FSA office for further assistance and to confirm eligibility.
For more information, please see the USDA press release and the USDA’s ERP fact sheet: USDA to Provide Approximately $6 Billion to Commodity and Specialty Crop Producers Impacted by 2020 and 2021 Natural Disasters and Emergency Relief Program Fact Sheet (usda.gov).
