According to American Farm Bureau Federation Economist Daniel Munch, USDA is increasing disaster assistance for farmers still recovering from the severe weather events of 2023 and 2024, raising Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) payments from 35% to 70% and triggering a second round of payments. The change will accelerate delivery of the $16.09 billion in authorized aid and help reduce a portion of uncovered losses from recent disasters. However, while this support is still working its way to producers, some more than two years after losses occurred, new disaster impacts are already building across the country, highlighting the gap between when losses happen and when assistance arrives.
Read the entire report on the American Farm Bureau Federation website, https://www.fb.org/market-intel/sdrp-payments-expand-for-2023-2024-losses-while-new-disasters-emerge.
Key Takeaways
- USDA has delivered $6.7 billion in SDRP payments for 2023–2024 disaster losses, providing needed relief, though nearly 60% of authorized funding remains to be distributed.
- USDA’s decision to increase the SDRP payment factor from 35% to 70%, along with extending the application deadline to Aug. 12, will provide additional support to growers still recovering from disasters.
- Disaster assistance timelines vary, with farmers in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Hawaii still awaiting payments as block grant programs are still being finalized.
- While this assistance is a welcome step, a new round of losses is already emerging without dedicated support, including an estimated $5.7 billion in uncovered crop losses in 2025 and early 2026 impacts such as a Florida freeze exceeding $3.1 billion, alongside expanding drought conditions.
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