WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin accepting applications today for the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP), which will provide $16 billion to help producers recover from weather-related losses occurring in 2023 and 2024.

The program comes as part of the $33.5 billion in disaster relief funding in the year-end legislation passed in December, according to U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

SDRP stage one is open to producers with eligible crop losses who received assistance either under crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) during 2023 and 2024. Stage one payments are based on the coverage level the producer purchased for the crop. A payment factor of 35% will be applied to all stage one payments. If additional SDRP funds remain, FSA may issue a second payment.

Prefilled applications are being mailed to producers. Eligible disasters include wildfires, floods, winter storms, excessive moisture and qualifying drought, among other events.

SDRP stage two covers eligible shallow or uncovered losses, with signup beginning in early fall.