USDA TO BEGIN PAYMENTS FOR PRODUCERS IMPACTED BY NATURAL DISASTERS IN 2018, 2019

  

Starting today (Tuesday), more than $1 billion in payments will be released over the next several weeks for agricultural producers who suffered losses to natural disasters in 2018 and 2019.

The payments will be made available to producers with approved applications for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program and producers who have already received payments through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+).

Producers weathered some significant natural disasters in 2018 and 2019, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) provided support for crop value and production losses through QLA and crop quantity losses through WHIP+.

FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux said QLA and the second round of WHIP+ will “provide much-needed assistance to help producers offset significant financial loss.”

All producers receiving QLA Program and WHIP+ payments are required to purchase federal crop insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage for the next two available crop years at the 60 percent coverage level or higher.  If eligible, QLA participants may meet the insurance purchase requirement by purchasing Whole-Farm Revenue Protection coverage offered through USDA’s Risk Management Agency.

For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent.  For programs of the FSA and National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), they should contact their local USDA Service Center.