USDA Farm Service Agency Drought Assistance Programs USDA

USDA Farm Service Agency Drought Assistance Programs

USDA Secretarial Disaster Designations • The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to designate counties as disaster areas to make emergency loans (EM) available to producers suffering losses • FSA disaster assistance programs use disaster designations as an eligibility trigger • Requested of the Secretary of Agriculture by a Governor, with assistance from FSA • An expedited process was developed in 2012, so that counties can be fast tracked through the process and designations are nearly automatic once a county hits D 3 (on the US Drought Monitor) or has been at D 2 for 8 consecutive weeks

USDA Secretarial Disaster Designations Current Drought Disaster Designations: • Primary Counties: • • Rockingham (D 3) Strafford (D 3) Merrimack (D 3) Hillsborough (D 3) • Contiguous Counties: • • • Cheshire (D 2) Sullivan (D 1) Grafton (D 0) Carroll (D 1) Belknap (D 2)

The U. S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC-UNL.

The USDA Farm Service Agency uses the Drought Monitor’s drought categories and designations to determine disaster program eligibility.

IMPACT OF DROUGHT • Reduced Crop Production / Crop Loss • Lack of Water – Crop Irrigation – Livestock Watering – Surface Water (farm ponds, irrigation ponds, intermittent streams, seeps) – Groundwater (shallow wells, deep wells) – Decreased quality of water (iron and manganese fouling pumping systems) • Financial Impacts – No crops to harvest and sell – Money has been expended on seed, fertilizer, labor with no return on these investments – Additional expenses looming (need to purchase feed for livestock )

DISASTER ASSISTANCE FSA can provide financial assistance when crops or livestock are affected by natural disaster.

FSA Disaster Programs Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) Emergency Assistance for Livestock (ELAP) Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) Tree Assistance Program (TAP) Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) • Emergency Loan Program (EM) • • •

Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) • Provide emergency water for confined livestock operations • Permit grazing of pasture or forage by livestock • Supply emergency water for existing irrigation systems serving orchards and vineyards

ECP Eligible Counties • Qualifications to Implement ECP for Drought – D 3 Designation (fast track), or – 4 months of 40% loss of normal precipitation • Current ECP Counties – Merrimack – Hillsborough – Rockingham – Strafford – Cheshire

Emergency Assistance for Livestock (ELAP) • Provides water hauling provisions for livestock • D 3 Designation • Merrimack, Hillsborough, Rockingham, and Strafford

Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) • Compensation for grazing losses for livestock on land that is pasture. • D 3 Designation or D 2 for 8 consecutive weeks – Merrimack – Hillsborough – Rockingham – Strafford – Cheshire

Tree Assistance Program (TAP) Provides financial assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes and vines lost by natural disasters

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) • Provides financial assistance for noninsurable crop losses due to drought and other natural disasters • Must sign up to participate before the beginning of the crop year • Deadlines for 2016 have all passed • Sign up for 2017 coverage now or before the crop deadline

Emergency Loan Program (EM) • Provides loans to help producers recover from production and physical losses due to drought and other natural disasters • Available to primary and contiguous counties designated through a Secretarial Disaster Designation.

DISASTER PROGRAMS • Provides cost-share assistance to help cover expenses – ECP – Drought Measures to provide water • Provide direct payment to farmer – – ELAP (Water Hauling) LFP (Grazing Losses) NAP (Crop Insurance) TAP (Tree, Shrub and Vine Losses) • Loans – EM

Thank you Bruce Cilley, State Executive Director Bruce. Cilley@nh. usda. gov Marilyn Milne, Program Specialist Marilyn. Milne@nh. usda. gov Phone: 603 -224 -7941