U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) has expressed her support for the new U.S. Department of Agriculture program, which will distribute $16 billion in aid to farmers and ranchers affected by natural disasters. This initiative is aimed at assisting those who have suffered losses in recent years.
Hyde-Smith, a member of both the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee and Senate Agriculture Committee, urged Mississippi producers to apply if they experienced weather-related damages in 2023 and 2024. The Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) was announced by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Wednesday.
“I anticipate that a good number of producers in Mississippi will qualify for assistance because our state experienced multiple natural disasters in 2023 and 2024. They should actively look to determine whether they’re eligible for help,” Hyde-Smith said. “We fought hard to provide the USDA with these funds and I’m pleased the administration has worked diligently to get disaster relief out the door to the farmers and ranchers who need the aid to maintain their operations.”
The USDA, along with FEMA, confirmed that Mississippi faced several types of natural disasters during this period, including freezes, tornadoes, severe storms, flooding, high winds, and drought.
In December last year, Hyde-Smith collaborated with Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.) on a supplemental appropriations package designed to mitigate economic impacts on agriculture due to these natural events. This led to an agreement allocating $10 billion for an Emergency Commodity Assistance Program alongside $20 billion designated for launching SDRP.
For further details regarding SDRP eligibility and application procedures, interested parties are encouraged to seek additional information.
