USDA said over $3 billion is available through the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) to assist row crop and specialty crop growers in offsetting losses caused by natural disasters in 2022. Starting on Tuesday, producers can apply for ERP benefits, regardless of whether they received a pre-filled form from USDA or not. USDA anticipates that more than 210,000 producers will be eligible for ERP benefits based on indemnities they received through crop insurance or related USDA crop programs that lack insurance coverage. Two application tracks are available for ERP benefits: one based on crop insurance data and the other on revenue declines resulting from 2022 catastrophes. Click here for more details.
To date, a record $19.3 billion in crop insurance indemnities has been paid for 2022 crops, marking the highest amount ever recorded, according to data from the Risk Management Agency.
Comments: Unfortunately, ERP for 2022 has gone off the rails from what Congress intended when it provided the assistance. The maximum first payment, the factor that serves as a backdoor pay limit that conflicts with the prescribed pay limit in statute and the drain of resources on the failed Phase 2 approach all undermine the effort to effectively assist farmers.
