Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said USDA will release $340.6 million in disaster assistance for farmers, ranchers and rural communities. The funding will be delivered from USDA’s Disaster Assistance Fund to those impacted by recent natural disasters.
Rollins made the announcement during an event at North Dakota State University’s Peltier Complex. It was one of a series of stops she made April 22 in North Dakota and Minnesota.
“One of our key priorities here at the USDA is to realign the entire agency and department around putting farmers and ranchers in our ag community first,” she said during an event just outside Fargo, N.D., with Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. “What that means is moving these funds that are so desperately needed in a time of uncertainty for many of you.”
USDA is allocating more than $5 million to help rebuild North Dakota’s electric infrastructure damaged by severe storms and wildfires. Rollins praised Hoven for his years of advocating for his state on the Senate Agriculture Committee. She also shared that he was the first person to call her after President Donald Trump tapped her to lead USDA and asked when she would be coming to North Dakota.
“You have no better advocate or fighter or warrior for this amazing state than this man sitting to my right,” she said as Hoven looked on.
South to receive hurricane relief
Producers in North Carolina will receive $25 million to help recovery efforts following multiple recent hurricanes, including Fiona, Ian, Idalia and Helene. Tennessee producers will receive about $18 million. The North Carolina and Tennessee funds will support multiple priorities, including:
- $5.8 million in economic development for enterprises and farmers
- $15.6 million to help rural communities rebuild key infrastructure after disasters
- $20 million for safe drinking water, sanitary waste disposal and electric infrastructure restoration
- $2 million for technical assistance to towns seeking aid
Information regarding other states receiving disaster assistance had not been released as of Wednesday morning.
According to an April 22 press release from USDA, the Trump administration is also making several changes that it contends will cut “bureaucratic inefficiencies,” enabling USDA to “put Americans first.” Those changes include:
- deploying aid as quickly as possible
- ensuring funds are more effectively managed
- responding “immediately” to a backlog of requests
- waiving some rules that limit eligibility
In the same press release, USDA officials credited a January executive order for expediting assistance to “communities that were left behind by the Biden administration.”
Agency officials did not respond to questions from Farm Progress regarding specifics on USDA policy changes or which communities were left behind.