OVERVIEW: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides financial assistance to qualifying orchardists to replace eligible trees, bushes, and vines damaged by natural disasters. Eligible trees, bushes, and vines are those from which an annual crop is produced for commercial purposes. Plantain and banana plants are also eligible. Trees used for pulp, timber, Christmas trees, and nursery tree stock are ineligible. In order to receive funds, applicants must qualify under the following criteria:
- Suffer qualifying tree, bush, or vine losses of 15% or greater from a disaster for the individual stand, adjusted for normal mortality
- Have owned the eligible trees, bushes, and vines when the natural disaster occurred; however, eligible orchardists are not required to own the land on which eligible trees, bushes, and vines are planted
- Be in compliance with highly erodible land conservation and wetland conservation provisions
- Replace eligible trees, bushes, and vines within 12 months from the date the application is approved.
TIMETABLE: Producers should check with local county FSA offices following a disaster.
APPLICATION PROCESS: Applicants must provide their local FSA county committee (talk to your local county FSA offices) with obvious visual evidence of the loss or other evidence acceptable to FSA. This might include receipts for the plans, or products used to maintain them.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please see the program’s home page.
TAGS: Agriculture