Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will start accepting applications for the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) on July 10. This program aims to provide $16 billion to aid producers in recovering from weather-related losses experienced in 2023 and 2024. The funding is part of a larger $33.5 billion disaster relief package secured by Hoeven in legislation passed last December.

The first stage of SDRP is available to producers with eligible crop losses who received assistance through crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) during the specified years. Prefilled applications are being sent out today and can be submitted at county Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices starting tomorrow. This follows Senator Hoeven's efforts to encourage Agriculture Secretary Rollins to implement a streamlined application process.

Payments for stage one are determined by the coverage level purchased by producers, with a payment factor of 35% applied. If funds remain after initial payments, FSA may issue additional payments. Eligible disasters include wildfires, floods, winter storms, excessive moisture, and qualifying droughts.

Stage two of SDRP will address shallow or uncovered losses, with signup beginning in early fall. More information is available on the FSA website.

"Our farmers faced severe hardship from disasters over the past two years," said Hoeven. "This weather-related disaster assistance that we worked to fund and advance will be a welcome relief."

This announcement adds to previous market-based and livestock assistance efforts led by Hoeven, which have provided North Dakota producers with significant financial support under programs like ECAP and ELRP.