The American Relief Act of 2025, signed into law on Dec. 21, 2024, authorized over $30 billion in disaster recovery assistance for U.S. agricultural producers impacted by adverse weather in 2023 and 2024. The aid includes multiple programs with staggered rollout timelines:
Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP):
- Sign-up runs March 19 – Aug. 15, 2025. Over $7.35 billion has already been distributed for 2024 losses in planted and prevented planted acres.
Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) for Drought and Wildfire: The Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) for Drought and Wildfire will provide assistance for losses due to drought and wildfires in 2023 and 2024.
Important Dates
- May 16, 2025: The target date to send final rule to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
- May 30, 2025: The target date for FSA county offices to sign and certify
Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) for Flooding: The Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) for Flooding will provide assistance for losses due to flooding. USDA has never stood up an assistance program for livestock due to flooding, this requires more time due to needed software changes.
Important Dates
- July 23, 2025: The target date to send final rule to OMB
- Aug. 12, 2025: The target date for OMB clearance
- Aug, 18, 2025: The target date for sign-up to begin
Supplemental Disaster Relief Program will provide assistance to producers for necessary expenses due to losses of revenue, quality or production of crops due to weather related events in 2023 and 2024.
Important Dates
For producers with indemnified losses:
- June 9, 2025: The target date to submit final rule to OMB
- June 27, 2025: The target date for OMB clearance
- July 7, 2025: The target date for sign-up to begin
For uncovered losses (shallow losses) including producers without crop insurance and quality losses, USDA needs more time to collect the data:
- Aug. 19, 2025: The target date to submit final rule to OMB
- Sept. 9, 2025: The target date for OMB clearance
- Sept. 15, 2025: The target date for sign-up to begin
General Block Grant Authority. USDA is using general block grant authority to pay on losses due to adverse weather events for 2023 and 2024. General block grants will not duplicate assistance for which USDA covers a similar loss.
USDA has received general block grant requests from:
- California
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Virginia
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Tennessee
Timing: USDA is currently engaging with the above states to negotiate their final agreement. OMB does not have to approve them. These are agreements between the states and USDA.
For those states that have a final negotiated agreement by May 28, 2025, the fully executed agreement would be complete by June 13, 2025
For those states that have a final negotiated agreement by June 13, 2025, the fully executed agreement would be complete by June 30, 2025.
Block Grant Programs: Provides compensation for necessary expenses related to crop, timber and livestock losses, including on-farm infrastructure as a consequence of any adverse weather event in 2023 and 2024. Small block grants will not duplicate assistance for which USDA covers a similar loss.
Small block grants were specifically earmarked by Congress to cover:
- Alaska
- Connecticut
- Hawaii
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
Timing. FSA is actively engaged with all eight states eligible working to refine these agreements. OMB does not have to approve them. These are agreements between the states and USDA.
For those states that have a final negotiated agreement by May 28, 2025, the fully executed agreement would be complete by June 13, 2025.
For those states that have a final negotiated agreement by June 13, 2025, the fully executed agreement would be complete by June 30, 2025.
These programs are administered by USDA and FSA, with staggered deadlines for rule submission, OMB clearance (where required), and sign-up initiation. The effort marks one of the largest post-disaster agriculture relief efforts in U.S. history.
