USDA approves D-SNAP relief for Florida and Georgia

Oct 22, 2024
By Farms.com

Disaster food aid extended to hurricane-hit regions of Florida, Georgia

The USDA has approved Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) benefits for residents in Florida and Georgia affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. This food assistance will help approximately 407,733 households across 24 counties in Florida recover from the disaster.

D-SNAP is designed to offer temporary food support to families who may not qualify for regular SNAP benefits but are struggling with disaster-related costs. The program provides immediate relief, helping families access groceries while they work to recover and rebuild.

In addition to Florida, the USDA has now extended D-SNAP eligibility to five more counties in Georgia, including Dodge, McIntosh, Taliaferro, Thomas, and Warren. This expansion brings the total number of eligible counties to 112 across Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

The D-SNAP program will be rolled out in phases, with specific application periods for each county. Florida residents can apply by phone or in person depending on their location, while USDA continues to coordinate efforts to assist all those affected.

Beyond food assistance, USDA has approved additional support measures for hurricane victims. This includes waivers allowing SNAP participants to purchase hot meals and operational adjustments to nutrition programs like the National School Lunch Program.

USDA’s recovery efforts also extend to agricultural producers, with expedited crop insurance payments and plans to buy $25 million worth of fresh citrus from domestic growers to distribute to food banks. These comprehensive measures demonstrate USDA’s commitment to aiding disaster recovery across impacted areas.

For more information, residents can contact Florida or Georgia’s local assistance programs or visit USDA’s Disaster Resource Center.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.