With the government shutdown now over, the 336 Sunflower County farmers can get back to applying for government relief. The United States Department of Agriculture reopened 2,000 county Farm Service Agency offices last Thursday. The federal government agency will release billions of dollars in disaster relief for those recovering from natural disasters across the country. FSA offices will start accepting SDRP Stage 2 applications on November 24. Producers have until April 30, 2026, to apply for both Stage 1 and Stage 2 assistance. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins led a press conference on Monday morning announcing the news.
“President Trump continues to put farmers first and provide relief to American farmers reeling from the devastating natural disasters that struck across the United States in 2023 and 2024. The continued financial success of our farming and ranching operations is a national security priority,” Rollins said. “USDA is doing whatever it takes to make good on President Trump’s promise to expedite disaster recovery assistance to U.S. farmers and ranchers, ensuring viability, prosperity and longevity for these men and women who dedicate their entire lives to our nation’s food, fiber and fuel production. The majority of payments from the first stage are already in the hands of producers helping them prepare for and invest in the next crop year.”
The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is delivering more than $16 billion in total, congressionally approved SDRP assistance. This is in addition to over $9.3 billion in Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) help to more than 560,000 row crop farmers, and over $705 million in Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) aid to over 220,000 ranchers. Stage 2 of SDRP covers eligible crop, tree, bush, and vine losses not covered under Stage 1, including non-indemnified (shallow loss), uncovered, and quality losses. For details on the Stage 2 program, including fact sheets, please visit fsa.usda.gov/sdrp.
The first stage, announced in July, remains open to producers who received an indemnity under crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for eligible crop losses caused by qualifying 2023 and 2024 natural disaster events. FSA is establishing block grants with Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, and Massachusetts that cover crop losses; therefore, producers with losses on land physically located in these states are not eligible for SDRP program payments.
Since March 2025, USDA has supported U.S. farmers and ranchers with more than $16 billion in supplemental disaster assistance mandated by Congress in the American Relief Act 2025, including $9.3 billion through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, over $1 billion through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program and, to date, more than $5.7 billion in SDRP Stage 1 payments.
Producers who suffered losses of eligible harvested commodities while stored in on-farm structures in 2023 and/or 2024 due to a qualifying natural disaster event may be eligible for assistance through the On-Farm Stored Commodity Loss Program, which provides for up to $5 million to impacted producers.
The enrollment period to apply for milk and on-farm stored commodity losses is November 24, 2025, through January 23, 2026. Information and fact sheets for both programs are available online at fsa.usda.gov/mlp for milk loss and usda.gov/ofsclp for on-farm stored commodity losses.
