Second SDRP payment and deadline extension strengthen farm recovery support
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced enhanced disaster assistance for American farmers impacted by severe weather and natural disasters during the 2023 and 2024 calendar years. The update includes a second Supplemental Disaster Relief Program payment and an extended application deadline to improve farmer access to support.
Under the revised program, USDA increased the payment factor from 35% to 70%. Farmers with approved applications will receive an additional payment equal to 35% of their original calculated amount. All future payments under the program will also be used for higher factors.
“President Trump is the most pro-farmer President of our lifetime, and through his leadership, the Administration is supporting farmers through unprecedented international market access, lowered taxes, and improvements to the farm safety net with the Working Families Tax Cuts,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins.
“By extending the program deadline and making available this additional payment, we are continuing to put farmers first during this difficult farm economy,” said Rollins.
“To help secure the economic viability of disaster-impacted farmers, we’re taking deliberate steps to provide stronger, more meaningful financial support for our nation’s agricultural producers,” said Rollins.
The application deadline for both Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the program has been extended from April 30 to August 12, 2026. This change allows farmers and Farm Service Agency offices more time to review applications and make corrections that may affect payments.
Stage 1 supports farmers who have already received payments through crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program for qualifying natural disasters.
Stage 2 provides support for uncovered losses, including shallow and quality-related damages affecting crops, trees, bushes, and vines.
Eligible losses must be caused by natural disasters such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, wildfires, excessive heat, winter storms, or similar events occurring in 2023 or 2024. Drought losses qualify when counties meet federal drought intensity standards.
Some states are excluded due to separate block grant programs already covering crop losses.
Overall, USDA has delivered tens of billions of dollars in disaster and economic assistance through multiple programs in recent years. These efforts aim to help farmers recover, protect resources, and continue food production despite ongoing challenges from extreme weather and market pressures.
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