Nov 5, 2024USDA: Help on way for Florida producers affected by Hurricane Milton
Eligible Florida agricultural producers affected by Hurricane Milton will begin receiving more than $143 million in crop insurance indemnities in the next month, according to the USDA.
The payments are for those who have federal crop insurance coverage through the Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index (HIP-WI) endorsement and the Tropical Storm (TS) option.
Producers with those coverages will see payments from their Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) in the next 30 days, according to a news release.
“Florida farmers, livestock producers and forest landowners have been hit hard by hurricanes this year, and we’re continuing our efforts to help producers recover following hurricanes like Milton,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the release.
In total, more than $776 million in payments have been issued under HIP-WI in 2024. With the latest payments, Florida producers will have received about $340 million since HIP-WI became available in 2020.
Producers do not need to file a claim to receive an indemnity payment under HIP-WI. If a county is triggered, the AIP will issue an indemnity payment in the coming weeks. Triggered counties were identified by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) in Product Management Bulletin 24-069 and will also be available in the county’s actuarial documents.
Eligible producers will receive a HIP-WI indemnity payment in addition to any applicable indemnity payments through their underlying crop insurance policy.
Additional support
Producers with crop insurance coverage beyond HIP-WI will see indemnity payments in the coming weeks. Growers with federal crop insurance are advised to contact their crop insurance agent as soon as crop or livestock losses are apparent.
RMA authorized emergency procedures to help producers with hurricane-related losses and is working with crop insurance companies to streamline the adjustment of losses and issuance of indemnity payments.
RMA’s emergency procedure flexibilities apply to all counties in Florida, according to the release.
In addition to crop insurance, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offer disaster assistance, farm loan and conservation programs. These programs offer help with land and private forest rehabilitation, fence loss and debris removal.
FSA is providing flexibilities for its programs, including extended signup opportunities and waivers. An extended signup period for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) runs through June 1, 2025.
FSA offers 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.
FSA also offers loan servicing options, including the Disaster Set-Aside Program, for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan programs debt to the agency because of reasons beyond their control.
NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to producers through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help with immediate needs and long-term support to help recover from natural disasters and conserve water resources. Additionally, the agency’s Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program helps landowners and project sponsors following a natural disaster.
Growers are urged to contact their FSA county offices or crop insurance agents to report all crop, livestock and farm infrastructure damages and losses.
More information is available at farmers.gov/hurricane.
