The USDA has opened the $16 billion Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) to assist crop farmers who suffered losses due to natural disasters in 2023 and 2024. The aid is part of a larger $31.78 billion disaster package approved by Congress in December. A total of $21.78 billion was allocated for disaster recovery.

Administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the program will roll out in two stages. Stage one began on July 10. It is for producers with losses already covered under crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). Pre-filled applications, based on RMA and NAP data, were mailed on July 9.

Eligible disasters include drought, hurricanes, floods, wildfires and other extreme weather events. To qualify for drought aid, losses must have occurred in counties with sustained D2 or higher drought intensity.

Payments in Stage One will not exceed 90% of the losses. They will be reduced by a 35% payment factor, meaning only 35% of the calculated loss will be paid initially. A second payment may follow if funds remain.

Producers in four states, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, and Massachusetts, are excluded and will receive aid via separate block grants. The USDA has already distributed over $7.8 billion through other emergency programs and plans further SDRP support later this year.

Read more about the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program here.