Under the details released by Rollins, the terms of disaster and economic payments have changed from the original bill that was passed under the Biden administration
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins released a timeline for launching disaster assistance to producers.
The disaster and economic payments for losses in 2023 and 2024 come from the Biden administration as part of the American Relief Act of 2025 and provide $10 billion in ad-hoc economic assistance and an additional $21 billion in disaster aid for farmers and ranchers who suffered losses in both 2023 and/or 2024. Losses from droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, tornados, winter storms, freeze events, and excessive moisture are eligible. The package includes $2 billion specifically carved out for livestock producers.
The bill passed in December 2024 required USDA to issue checks within 90 days after the bill became law. But the Trump administration cancelled and froze the funding assistance to producers as part of its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with a mission of restructuring agencies, reducing regulations, and cutting wasteful spending.
Congressmen from both parties immediately began to hear from constituents who expressed anger over the delay of disaster and economic payments that Biden’s Congress had passed in December 2024.
Under the details released by Rollins, the terms of payments have changed from the original bill that was passed under the Biden administration. Specifically, assistance from the Trump package will go to states in the form of block grants. Under this plan, not all farmers and ranchers will enroll directly through USDA for their aid payments. Block grant authority has been requested or given to as many as 16 states to distribute aid to producers. It becomes the responsibility of state governments to channel funding assistance to producers.
Those states include Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Currently, USDA is negotiating final agreements with those states on aid distribution. For states with a final contract agreement reached by May 28, then the contract with the state would be completed by June 13. For states that reach a final agreement by June 13, then the agreement would be completed by June 30.
Livestock producers will be able to sign up at the end of May for losses tied to drought and wildfire. Crop producers who suffered income losses in 2023 or 2024 due to natural disasters are expected to be able to enroll for payments in July if they had crop insurance. However, enrollment will begin in September for farmers who lacked crop insurance or suffered shallow losses.
For livestock producers, USDA released a projected timeline for the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) for Drought and Wildfire in 2023 and 2024. On May 30, livestock producers should be able to sign up for the program.
May 16: The rule for the ELRP will be sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
May 23: Details of the program will be posted in the Federal Register.
May 29: Payment processing will begin.
May 30: Farm Service Agency county offices will sign and certify payments to producers.
For livestock producers who suffered losses due to flooding, the projected signup date will be Aug. 18. USDA stated the program for flooding losses “requires more time due to needed software changes.”
For crop producers, the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program will address revenue losses for weather events in 2023 and 2024.
For crop farmers with “indemnified losses,” the target date for enrollment is July 7 after the rule is submitted to the White House for approval.
For crop farmers with uncovered “shallow losses” or farmers who did not have crop insurance, as well as “quality losses” that take more time to collect data, USDA pushed back the timeframe for them to enroll to Sep. 15.
