Signups for the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program, or WHIP, will begin on Wednesday.  The USDA said the assistance is designed to help producers recover from natural disasters in 2018 and 2019.  FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce, says Congress set aside funds in June of this year to help American farmers in their recovery efforts.

 

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“This is just a touch over $3 billion that Congress has put towards these recorvery efforts, and we’re going to begin with the WHIP-Plus program.  The WHIP-Plus program will be very similar to the WHIP program of last year.”

 

The disaster legislation will include funds on prevent plant recovery.  Fordyce said those plans will be released soon with additional details.

 

So, who is eligible for WHIP-plus.  Fordyce said it’s open to producers in a country that either has a presidential disaster deceleration, or a secretarial disaster declaration in the primary county.

 

“However, producers that are not in counties presidential or secretarial declarations can also supply supporting documentation to prove they were harmed and they did have losses, based on the storms covered under this program, they too will be eligible.”

 

The relief package will include new programs to cover losses for milk dumped or removed from the commercial market, as well as losses of eligible farm stored commodities due to eligible disaster events.  Disaster losses must be a result of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, typhoons, volcanic activity, snowstorms, or wildfires.

 

For questions, contact your local FSA office in Washington or Oregon.

 

 

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