10/06/2022
Good Morning Stars,
Reaching out to make sure everyone is safe after Hurricane Ian. Many have lost so much and the anxiety following the storm is so heavy.
4-H is a family. We help each other and service our community, always. Below is a link to the NRCS assistance program, as well as an email copied from the USDA with contact information. If you have property damage and need help with fencing, landing clearing or other land/livestock/agriculture related items. please reach out to them.
Keeping you all in our thoughts and prayers. We have some loss too, and have some struggles to overcome, but we will rally and come back Florida Strong!
USDA Call Center Available to Assist Agricultural Producers with Hurricane Ian Recovery
Florida agricultural operations have been significantly impacted by Hurricane Ian and related weather events. For those producers located in counties where the USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) local infrastructure has been impacted, the agency has established state-specific toll-free information lines where producers in need can receive immediate information regarding available FSA assistance. If your local FSA office is closed, you can contact the FSA Call Center at 1-877-508-8364. The line is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
FSA offers a variety of programs to help farmers, ranchers, communities, and businesses that have been hard-hit by natural disaster events. FSA disaster assistance program benefits: loans (including microloan and emergency loans for access to capital) and assistance for conservation measures, forestry restoration, assistance for livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish, tree assistance and non-insured crops.
On farmers.gov, the Hurricane resources webpage, Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool can help producers and landowners determine program or loan options. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent. For FSA and NRCS programs, they should contact their local USDA Service Center.
NRCS has disaster assistance for ranchers impacted by Hurricane Ian. I have attached the information to this email for your reference and it includes those practices that will be covered, through cost sharing, under the “Emergency EQIP Program”….it does include perimeter and interior fencing as well as clearing. You must provide pictures of your property damage and I encourage you to get those ASAP. You will have to get setup through your Farm Service Agency (FSA) office, if you are not already, in order to utilize this assistance program and their information is below.
