March 2023 Storms Business Assistance Grant Program

Administered by Tulare County, the March 2023 Storms Business Assistance Grant Program is now accepting applications from for-profit businesses, including farms, ranches, and dairies, who did not qualify for assistance.

California Disaster Assistance Webinar

Was your California farming operation impacted by a natural disaster? Or do you live in a California agricultural community that was impacted?

If so, view the California Disaster Assistance Webinar to learn more about available programs and resources. Access the webinar directly HERE.

Q&A with USDA and California Department of Food and Ag about Disaster Assistance in California - This session builds on the California disaster assistance webinar hosted on April 11th by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) that covered programs that can help farmers and agricultural communities impacted by current disasters. In this session, producers submitted questions that were answered by USDA staff. Access the Q&A Session directly HERE.

Tulare County Crop/Livestock Damage Estimates

With the recent and ongoing flooding, rains, and severe weather conditions, the Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner's Office is requesting information from the ag industry partners regarding the estimated economic loss of crops/livestock/etc. due to these flood events.

Farmers, growers, dairymen, ranchers, and all agriculture producers are encouraged to report their crop/livestock damage estimates to the Ag Commissioner’s Office by completing the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TulareCountyAgDisasterSurvey. If needed, this survey can be completed multiple times due to space limitations.

Property Tax Relief

Winter storms have caused significant damage and, in some cases, devastating losses. By filing a claim for reassessment with the Tulare County Assessor’s Office within 12 months of the date the property was damaged, owners of properties that have sustained a minimum of $10,000 in damage may be eligible for a refund of taxes already paid and lower annual tax bills until the property is repaired or rebuilt.

Once the repairs are completed, the property assessment will be restored to its previous value (in addition to annual adjustments, if applicable) so long as the property is rebuilt in a similar manner.

Tax relief is available for all types of properties including homes, commercial and industrial buildings, agricultural properties, manufactured homes, and business and personal property. Damage to vehicles, home furnishings, and personal effects are not eligible for this type of relief because they are not locally
assessed.

An Application for Reassessment of Property Damaged or Destroyed by Misfortune or Calamity will be mailed upon request by calling the Tulare County Assessor’s Office at (559) 636-5100. An application can also be downloaded by clicking here.

USDA Immediate Disaster Assistance Programs for Farmers Impacted by Flooding

USDA Farm Service Agency & NRCS Office - Tulare County
(559) 734-8732
Office Location: 3530 W Orchard Ct. in Visalia, CA 93277

 

USDA Farm Service Agency

Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers disaster assistance and low-interest loan programs to assist farmers and ranchers in recovery efforts following recent heavy rains and flooding. Available programs that may help growers include:

Farm Loans

Emergency Loan Program provides loans to help producers recover from production and physical losses due to drought, flooding, other natural disasters, or quarantine by animal quarantine laws or imposed by the Secretary under the Plant Protection Act.

Disaster Set-Aside Program provides producers who have existing direct loans with FSA who are unable to make the scheduled payments to move up to one full year’s payment to the end of the loan.  Assistance is available in counties, or contiguous counties, who have been designated as emergencies by the President, Secretary or FSA Administrator.

Farmland Damage

Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) helps farmers and ranchers repair damage to farmlands caused by natural disasters.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) – provides agricultural producers with financial resources and one-on-one help to plan and implement improvements on the land including financial assistance to repair and prevent the excessive soil erosion caused or impacted by natural disasters.

Crop Losses

Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) pays covered producers of covered noninsurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters (includes native grass for grazing). Eligible producers must have purchased NAP coverage for the current crop year.

Tree Assistance Program (TAP) provides financial assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes, and vines damaged by natural disasters.

Livestock Assistance
 

Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who have suffered grazing losses due to drought or fire on land that is native or improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover or that is planted specifically for grazing. Learn more about LFP.

Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) provides benefits to livestock producers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather or by attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government. Learn more about LIP.

Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP) provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish for losses due to disease (including cattle tick fever), adverse weather, or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires, not covered by LFP and LIP. Learn more about ELAP.

Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) – provides livestock producers, who have approved applications through the 2021 Livestock Forage Disaster Program for forage losses due to severe drought or wildfire, emergency relief payments to compensate for increases in supplemental feed costs. No producer applications required.


To establish or retain FSA program eligibility, you must report prevented planting and failed acres (crops and grasses). Prevented planting acreage must be reported on form FSA-576, Notice of Loss, no later than 15 calendar days after the final planting date as established by FSA and Risk Management Agency (RMA).

We also want to stress the importance of recordkeeping following damage created by natural disasters.  Always take photos or videos of any losses or damage. Other common documentation options include: 

·     Purchase records

·     Production records

·     Bank or other loan documents

·     Third-party verification such as agronomist, PCA, etc.

For more information on these programs visit fsa.usda.gov/disaster or contact your local USDA Service Center.

 

USDA Natural Resouces Conservation Service

(NRCS) has technical and some financial assistance programs available to help farmers and livestock producers recover. Impacted producers should contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure and livestock losses and damages. Available programs include:

Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program, which assists local government sponsors with the cost of addressing watershed impairments or hazards such as debris removal and streambank stabilization.  The EWP Program is a recovery effort aimed at relieving imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms and other natural disasters. All projects must have an eligible project sponsor. NRCS may bear up to 75% of the eligible construction cost of emergency measures (90% within county-wide limited-resource areas as identified by the U.S. Census data). The remaining costs must come from local sources and can be in the form of cash or in-kind services. Learn more about EWP.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers and non-industrial forest managers. We are ready to help.  Applications for EQIP? financial assistance are accepted throughout the year. Specific deadlines are set for ranking and funding opportunities within each state.  The best way to learn if EQIP is a good fit for you is by contacting your local NRCS office. 

News Announcements:

USDA Offers Disaster Assistance to California Farmers and Livestock Producers Impacted by Floods

California agricultural operations have been significantly impacted by the recent floods throughout the state. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover. Impacted producers should contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure and livestock losses and damages.

Flood impacts are expected to last for months in some counties as additional precipitation is expected in the upcoming weeks. Producers should keep in contact with their local USDA service center as they assess the impacts to their operations. For more information, visit: USDA Disaster Assistance to California Farmers and Livestock Producers Impacted by Floods

USDA Announces Additional Assistance for Distressed Farmers Facing Financial Risk?

USDA announced that beginning in April it will provide approximately $123 million in additional, automatic financial assistance for qualifying farm loan program borrowers who are facing financial risk, as part of the $3.1 billion to help distressed farm loan borrowers that was provided through Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). For more information, visit: USDA Additional Assistance for Distressed Farmers Facing Financial Risk