The sign-up period for the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program (WHIP) is set to begin on July 16. There is some speculation as to how these payments will flow down to the growers. However, according to Ted Yoho, U.S. Congressman of Florida’s 3rd District, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and his staff at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been working tirelessly to make this a smooth process for growers.
Hear from Yoho:
After the devastating hurricanes and wildfires in 2017, a relief package passed in February 2018 which included $2.36 billion for agriculture. WHIP was designed to roll out these funds appropriately. Furthermore, Florida citrus received an additional $340 million in a block grant. A payment program has yet to be developed for those funds.