Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that agricultural producers affected by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019 can apply for assistance through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+).
The announcement was made at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) annual meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate said, “It was an honor to be present when Secretary Perdue made this announcement. We appreciate this much needed disaster relief program focused on farmers impacted by natural disasters. These past two years, farmers and rural communities have experienced tremendous losses.”
Alabama counties that received qualifying disaster declarations and designations for damage that occurred in 2018 only include: Barbour, Calhoun, Clarke, Cullman, Dale, DeKalb, Etowah, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Mobile, Pike, St. Clair, and Washington. Counties eligible for damage suffered in 2019 only include: Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, DeKalb, Franklin, Greene, Jackson, Lamar, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Pike, St. Clair, and Winston.
Counties designated as primary disaster areas from Cindy include: Baldwin, Cherokee, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Hale, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Talladega and Washington.
Commissioner Pate encourages farmers to learn eligibility details, payment limitations, and future insurance coverage requirements of WHIP+. For more information contact your local USDA service center or visit farmers.gov/recover/whip-plus.