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Farmers may qualify for flood disaster assistance

Some lesser-known provisions in the current Farm Bill could help farmers impacted by flood losses.  Wisconsin Congressman Ron Kind says these programs are already in place.  Kind tells Brownfield, “One is the Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, NAP for short.  It will cover crop damage due to natural disasters like flooding if you didn’t have any crop insurance on it.  Another is the Livestock Indemnity Program for the loss of livestock due to a natural disaster like flooding.”

Heavy rains and flooding are affecting farms and communities in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.  Kind says these provisions can help farmers wherever they are.  “These are national.  It’s a part of our Farm Bill.  It’s what we work on every five years for these type of programs and they’re there to deal with unexpected emergencies like this.”

Kind says the current Farm Bill also includes some coverage for loss of trees on farms.  He says farmers should contact their local Farm Service Agency or their Congressman’s office for sign-up information.

Kind says Wisconsin’s Governor Scott Walker has also declared disasters after flooding around the state in July, August, and September. He says information is still being gathered to determine if public and private property losses will qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance.