ST. PAUL, Minn., May 31, 2022 –Agricultural operations in Minnesota have been significantly impacted by a severe weather event that included straight-line winds, causing wide-spread, extensive destruction across the state. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover from these adverse weather events. 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.

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USDA Offers Disaster Assistance to Minnesota Farmers Impacted by the Recent Severe Storms and Related Weather Events

ST. PAUL, Minn., May 31, 2022 –Agricultural operations in Minnesota have been significantly impacted by a severe weather event that included straight-line winds, causing wide-spread, extensive destruction across the state. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover from these adverse weather events. 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.

“The recent severe weather event that heavily impacted Minnesota caused widespread damage to infrastructure and agriculture operations and greatly impeded the 2022 crop year progress,” said Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC). “Adverse weather events can leave agricultural producers in a tough spot, so we want to make it known that USDA has a wide-ranging portfolio of disaster assistance programs and continually revisits existing policies to determine where program flexibilities can be made to further assist producers overcome the adversity brought on by these storm events.”

Risk Management

Producers who have risk protection through Federal Crop Insurance should report damage to their crop insurance agent. If they have crop insurance, producers should report crop damage to their agent within 72 hours of damage discovery and follow up in writing within 15 days.

This storm as well as ongoing cold, wet weather in the Minnesota has delayed many agricultural producers’ plans to plant or replant. RMA reminds producers to speak early and often with their crop insurance agents.

“It’s been a cold, wet spring for many farmers in the Midwest, and we’ve heard about challenges getting into the fields to plant or replant,” said Pamela Stahlke, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) St. Paul Regional Office Director. “We recommend you stay in touch with your crop insurance agents, so you know all the options available. The Federal Crop Insurance Program has several options built in to address these situations. We will continue to monitor the condition and communicate with our stakeholders, crop insurance industry partners, Farm Service Agency (FSA) colleagues, and State Agriculture Departments to ensure producers have all the information they need to make decisions throughout the planting season.”

Producers unable to plant by the final planting date due to an insurable cause of loss may receive a prevented planting payment or receive a reduced insurance guarantee if they choose to plant within the late planting period. Additionally, producers may choose to plant a different crop with a later final planting date while still receiving a partial prevented planting payment. To learn more, read the May 27, 2022 news release or visit the prevented planting and replanting webpages.

Producers considering non-conventional planting practices, such as broadcasting and then incorporating the seed, should contact their agent to see if an Unrated Practice or Type (TP) written agreement is required to insure the practice. The deadline to request a TP written agreement for crops with a March 15 Sales Closing Date is July 15. Learn more in the May 23, 2022, news release.

Livestock, Crop and Farmland Disaster Recovery

Producers who experience livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality may be eligible for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). To participate in LIP, producers will have to provide verifiable documentation of death losses resulting from an eligible adverse weather event including lightening, high and straight-line winds and must submit a notice of loss to their local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is apparent.

The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides eligible producers with compensation for losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events or loss conditions as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.  For ELAP, producers will need to file a notice of loss within 30 days and honeybee losses within 15 days.

The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops to protect against natural disasters that result in lower yields or crop losses, or prevents crop planting.  For NAP covered crops, a Notice of Loss (CCC-576) must be filed within 15 days of the loss becoming apparent, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be reported within 72 hours.

The Tree Assistance Program (TAP) provides financial cost-share assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or, where applicable, rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes, and vines lost by natural disasters. A qualifying mortality loss in excess of 15% (in excess of normal mortality) must be sustained to trigger assistance.

“It’s important to be aware of the various programs that may help your operation recover from these severe weather occurrences and then contact your local FSA office to timely report all crop, livestock, and farm infrastructure damages and losses.” said Whitney Place, State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Minnesota. “Required documentation such as farm records, herd inventory, receipts and pictures of damages or losses will help support and accelerate FSA disaster assistance.”

Farm Credit

FSA also offers a variety of direct and guaranteed farm loans, including operating and emergency farm loans, to producers unable to secure commercial financing. Producers in counties with a primary or contiguous disaster designation may be eligible for low-interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses. Loans can help producers replace essential property, purchase inputs like livestock, equipment, feed, and seed, cover family living expenses or refinance farm-related debts and other needs. Additionally, FSA has a variety of loan servicing options available for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan debt to FSA because of reasons beyond their control. 

The Farm Storage Facility Loan Program (FSFL) provides low-interest financing so producers can build or upgrade facilities to store commodities.  Loan terms vary from three to 12 years. Producers who incurred damage to or loss of their equipment or infrastructure funded by the FSFL program, should contact their insurance agent and their local USDA Service Center. Producers in need of on-farm storage should also contact USDA.

Conservation

The Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) can assist landowners and forest stewards with financial and technical assistance for replacing or restoring fences, conservation structures, and field windbreaks, as well as removing debris from farmland. FSA provides cost-share payments of up to 75% of the cost to implement approved restoration practices, and up to 90% for producers who certify as limited resource, socially disadvantaged or beginning farmers or ranchers. ECP sign-up periods will be announced by county, but producers can submit applications before signup begins.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is always available to provide technical assistance in the recovery process by assisting producers to plan and implement conservation practices on private agricultural lands impacted by natural disasters. The NRCS has a suite of programs that can assist eligible producers to repair and prevent the excessive soil erosion as well as other resource concerns caused or impacted by natural disasters. These practices include activities like grade stabilization structures, critical area planting and cover crops.   

“NRCS programs are available to help Minnesota landowners recover from adverse weather events,” said Troy Daniell, NRCS State Conservationist in Minnesota. “NRCS employees will help landowners develop methods that focus on effective conservation options.”

NRCS-funded conservation practices protect land from erosion, support disaster recovery and repair and can help mitigate loss from future natural disasters. Assistance may also be available for emergency animal mortality disposal from natural disasters and other causes. Producers can visit their local NRCSS office to learn more about recent natural disaster impacts and potential recovery tactics associated.

NRCS in Minnesota is offering a special Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) sign-up in response to flooding and excessive runoff for landowners in the Red River Valley. The first signup will end June 17 and the second signup will end July 15. Landowners interested in applying for EQIP funding should contact their local NRCS office.

More Information

Additional USDA disaster assistance information can be found on farmers.gov, including the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet and Farm Loan Discovery Tool. For FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service programs, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent.  

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