The bill provides just over $3 billion to farmers whose crops and livestock were destroyed by storms and flooding. Most of the farmer disaster aid will be administered through the Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program (WHIP) – used in response to 2017 hurricane losses.
However, the bill includes some important enhancements to WHIP and although murky, the language includes assistance for prevented planted acres.
Farmers and ranchers would get $558 million for conservation programs to rehabilitate damaged farmlands, while $480 million would go towards forest restoration efforts. Rural communities would receive $150 million for facilities offering health care, education and other services, and Puerto Rico would get $600 million in nutrition benefits.
The legislation also allows producers making more than $900,000 per year to receive trade aid payments from USDA if 75 percent of their income comes from farming, ranching or forestry.