By National Association Wheat Growers,
The Administration announced that it would be making a $6 billion disaster relief payment through the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) new Emergency Relief Program for crop years 2020-2021 available to farmers to offset crop yield and value losses. FSA will be sending out pre-filled applications to producers soon with information about eligibility requirements and payment calculations.
“The announcement earlier from USDA is a welcome relief to wheat growers across the country who experienced unprecedented drought and other extreme weather events in 2020 and 2021,” said NAWG President Nicole Berg. “Last year in my home state of Washington, wheat production was nearly half what it was in 2020 due drought, low soil moisture, and extreme heat– with temperatures reaching as high as 120 degrees. Unfortunately, this was a familiar story across many wheat producing states and regions in 2021, and this assistance will play a critical role in providing relief to wheat growers.”
The $6 billion is part of a larger package of $10 billion that was included in the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act, that was signed by President Biden on September 30, 2021. The payments will go to farmers that experienced disasters during crop years 2020 and 2021, such as droughts in much of wheat country, hurricanes, winter storms, and other eligible disasters. Funds will come in two tranches. The second tranche will fill gaps and cover producers that didn’t participate in or receive payments through the first round.
NAWG looks forward to working with the Administration and USDA to ensure aid gets delivered to impacted farmers in a timely manner. For more information about required documentation and payment calculations, click here.
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