Agricultural Disaster Indemnity Programs

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is issuing this rule to provide assistance for eligible quality losses under Stage 1 of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) and to implement Stage 2 of SDRP, the On-Farm Stored Commodity Loss Program (OFSCLP), and the Milk Loss Program (MLP), all of which will provide assistance using funding authorized by the American Relief Act, 2025. SDRP provides payments to eligible producers for losses of crops, trees, bushes, and vines due to qualifying disaster events that occurred in calendar year 2023 or 2024. SDRP Stage 1 uses a streamlined process for eligible crop, tree, and vine losses that were previously indemnified under Federal crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), while SDRP Stage 2 covers losses of eligible crops, trees, bushes, and vines for which a producer did not have crop insurance or NAP coverage, as well as losses that were insured or covered by NAP but not severe enough to trigger an indemnity. OFSCLP provides payments to eligible producers who suffered uncompensated losses of harvested commodities stored in on-farm structures as a result of wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, tornadoes, winter storms, freeze, including a polar vortex, smoke exposure, qualifying drought, and related conditions that occurred in calendar year 2023 or 2024. MLP provides payments to eligible dairy operations for milk that was dumped or removed without compensation from the commercial milk market due to wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, tornadoes, winter storms, freeze (including a polar vortex), smoke exposure, excessive moisture, qualifying drought, and related conditions that occurred in calendar year 2023 or 2024. This rule specifies the administrative provisions, eligibility requirements, and payment calculations for these programs. It also announces deadlines and adds quality loss assistance provisions for SDRP Stage 1. This rule also extends the deadl