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USDA Offers Disaster Assistance to Agricultural Producers in Texas Impacted by Recent Severe Weather, Tornadoes and Flooding


COLLEGE STATION/TEMPLE, Texas, April 10, 2025 - Agricultural operations in Texas have been significantly affected by recent severe weather, tornadoes and flooding. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial help readily available to assist farmers and animals producers recover from these negative weather occasions. Impacted manufacturers should call their local USDA Service Center to report losses and find out more about program options available to help in their recovery from crop, land, facilities, and animals losses and damages.


USDA Disaster Assistance


Producers who experience livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality might be eligible for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). To participate in LIP, manufacturers will need to provide appropriate documentation of death losses arising from a qualified adverse weather occasion and should submit a notification of loss and program payment application to the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) no behind March 2, 2026, for 2025 fiscal year losses. Livestock producers who experience losses related to twisters should examine with their regional FSA workplace for LIP eligibility criteria.


Meanwhile, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) offers eligible producers with settlement for feed and grazing losses. For ELAP, manufacturers are required to complete a notification of loss and submit a payment application to their regional FSA office no later on than the annual program application due date, March 2, 2026, for 2025 calendar year losses.


Additionally, qualified orchardists and nursery tree growers might be eligible for cost-share support through the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes or vines. TAP matches the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) or crop insurance coverage, which covers the crop however not the plants or trees in all cases. For TAP, a program application should be submitted within 90 days of the disaster event or the date when the loss of the trees, bushes or vines appears.


"Impacted manufacturers should timely report all crop, livestock and farm facilities damages and losses to their regional FSA county office as soon as possible," said Erasmo "Eddie" Trevino, Deputy State Executive Director for FSA in Texas. "As you assess your operation, take time to gather important files you will need to get help, including farm records, herd inventory, invoices and images of damages or losses."


FSA also uses a variety of direct and ensured farm loans, and emergency farm loans, to manufacturers not able to secure commercial funding. Producers in counties with a main or adjoining disaster designation may be eligible for low interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses. Loans can help producers replace important residential or commercial property, purchase inputs like livestock, equipment, feed and seed, cover household living costs or refinance farm-related financial obligations and other needs.


Additionally, FSA offers several loan maintenance alternatives readily available for debtors who are not able to make scheduled payments on their farm loan programs financial obligation to the company because of factors beyond their control.


The Farm Storage Facility Loan Program (FSFL) supplies low-interest financing so manufacturers can build, fix, change or upgrade centers to store commodities. Loan terms vary from 3 to 12 years. Producers who sustained damage to or loss of their equipment or facilities moneyed by the FSFL program need to contact their insurance coverage agent and their regional USDA Service Center. Producers in requirement of on-farm storage should likewise get in touch with USDA.


Risk Management


Producers with NAP coverage should report crop damage to their regional FSA workplace and should submit a Notice of Loss (CCC-576) within 15 days of the loss becoming apparent, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be reported within 72 hours.


Producers with threat defense through Federal Crop Insurance must report crop damage to their crop insurance representative within 72 hours of finding damage and make sure to follow up in writing within 15 days.


"Crop insurance coverage and other USDA risk management options are offered to assist producers handle risk due to the fact that we never ever understand what nature has in store for the future," said Jim Bellmon, Director of USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) Regional Office that covers Texas. "The Approved Insurance Providers, loss adjusters and agents are knowledgeable and well-trained in handling these types of occasions."


Conservation


FSA's Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) can assist landowners and forest stewards with financial and technical support to bring back fencing, damaged farmland or forests, and get rid of debris from feed stocks, water materials and feeding locations.


USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is always readily available to supply technical assistance throughout the healing procedure by helping manufacturers to prepare and carry out conservation practices on farms and working forests affected by natural disasters. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) can assist producers strategy and implement preservation practices on land impacted by natural catastrophes.


"The Natural Resources Conservation Service can be a very valuable partner to help landowners with their healing and resiliency efforts," stated Kristy Oates, NRCS State Conservationist in Texas. "Our personnel will work individually with landowners to make evaluations of the damages and develop methods that focus on efficient recovery of the land."


Assistance for Communities


Additional NRCS programs include the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program, which assists city government sponsors with the cost of resolving watershed impairments or risks such as debris removal and streambank stabilization.


Eligible sponsors include cities, counties, towns or any federally acknowledged Native American tribe or tribal organization. Sponsors need to send an official demand (by mail or e-mail) to the NRCS state conservationist for support within 60 days of the natural disaster event or 60 days from the date when access to the sites appear. To learn more sponsors must please call their regional NRCS workplace.


Additional USDA catastrophe support information can be discovered on farmers.gov, including USDA resources particularly for manufacturers affected by twisters. Those resources include the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance reality sheet and Loan Assistance Tool. Additionally, FarmRaise partnered with FSA to launch an online education center made up of videos, tools and interactive resources, including farm loan information and LIP and ELAP choice tools. For FSA and NRCS programs, producers ought to contact their regional USDA Service Center. For support with a crop insurance coverage claim, producers and landowners ought to contact their crop insurance coverage representative.