The federal government has announced that agricultural producers affected by last year’s hurricanes and wildfires may now apply for financial assistance.
A press release said that the signup for the financial assistance program, called the 2017 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program (2017 WHIP), has been open since July 16, 2018 and will continue until November 16, 2018.
“Hurricanes and wildfires caused billions of dollars in losses to America’s farmers last year. Our objective is to get relief funds into the hands of eligible producers as quickly as possible,” said US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “We are making immediate, initial payments of up to 50% of the calculated assistance so producers can pay their bills.”
The release also noted that additional 2017 WHIP payments will be issued later in the year, if there are any remaining funds by that time.
WHIP was authorized by Congress earlier this year under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.
Although WHIP is only designed to offer financial assistance for production losses, quality may also be taken under consideration under the insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) policy. Through the policy, the applicant’s adjusted production will be used in calculating payment.
Eligible crops under the program include those for which federal crop insurance or NAP coverage is available; crops intended for grazing are excluded. Additionally, eligibility will be determined for each producer based on the size of the loss and the level of insurance coverage elected by the producer. Producers that elect for higher coverage levels will be given suitably higher WHIP factors.
