By Marlee Jackson
(334) 613-4219

Eligible farmers will soon receive a second Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) payment to alleviate natural disaster losses from 2023 and 2024, according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.

Farmers will automatically be awarded an additional 35% of their calculated SDRP payment, doubling the program’s overall payment factor to 70%.

“We are continuing to put farmers first during this difficult farm economy,” Rollins said. “To help secure the economic viability of disaster-impacted farmers, we’re taking deliberate steps to provide stronger, more meaningful financial support for our nation’s agricultural producers.”

Stage 1 remains available to producers who received an indemnity under crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for eligible crop losses.

Stage 2 covers eligible crop, tree, bush and vine losses not covered under Stage 1 provisions, including non-indemnified (shallow loss), uncovered and quality losses.

Eligible losses must be the result of natural disasters from 2023 or 2024. These include wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, tornadoes, winter storms, freeze (including a polar vortex), smoke exposure, excessive moisture, qualifying drought and related conditions.

To qualify for drought-related losses, the loss must have occurred in a county rated by the U.S. Drought Monitor as having severe drought (D2) for eight consecutive weeks, extreme drought (D3) or higher.

The application deadline has been extended to Aug. 12.