USDA Offers Disaster Assistance to Farmers and Livestock Producers in Florida Impacted by Hurricane Idalia

Dan Agri-Business, Conservation, Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program, Environment, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Florida, Funding, USDA-NRCS

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Growers throughout the Southeast are assessing potential damage caused by Hurricane Idalia, which rolled through northern and western Florida and southern Georgia in late August.
Photo courtesy Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Florida agricultural operations that have been impacted by Hurricane Idalia and related weather events are being reminded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) there is both technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover. Impacted producers should contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure and livestock losses and damages.

Producers who experience livestock deaths may be eligible for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). To participate in LIP, producers will be required to provide verifiable documentation of death losses resulting from an eligible adverse weather event and must submit a notice of loss to their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is apparent.

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Meanwhile, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) compensates eligible producers for hive loss, stored feed and grazing losses. For ELAP, producers will need to file a notice of loss within 30 days and honeybee losses within 15 days.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) can play a vital role in assisting producers recovering from a natural disaster like a hurricane or flood. Through EQIP, NRCS provides financial assistance to repair and prevent the excessive soil erosion caused or impacted by natural disasters.

Plus, NRCS administers the?Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program, which?assists?local government sponsors with the cost of addressing watershed impairments or hazards such as debris removal and streambank stabilization.?

For more information about NRCS and FSA programs, contact your local USDA Service Center.