Freeze Disaster Assistance Recovery Grant program

Freeze Disaster Assistance Recovery Grant program is sponsored by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. This program provides financial assistance to fruit growers in Pennsylvania who experienced significant crop losses due to a late-April freeze. The funding helps farmers offset production costs when harvests are severely reduced.

**(Harrisburg, Pa. , May 15, 2026)** – Agricultural operations in Pennsylvania have been significantly impacted by recent freeze. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover from these adverse weather events.

“USDA has a suite of programs to support farmers and ranchers as they recover from disasters,” said Farm Production and Conservation Under Secretary Richard Fordyce. “I encourage impacted producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.

” **USDA Disaster Assistance** Producers who experience livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality or sell injured livestock at a reduced price may be eligible for theLivestock Indemnity Program (LIP).

To participate in LIP, producers will have toprovide acceptable documentation of death losses or evidence of reduced sales due to an injury or condition resulting from an eligible cause of loss, including an adverse weather event, and must submit a notice of loss to the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) no later than March 1, 2027, for 2026 calendar year losses.

Meanwhile, theEmergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) p rovides assistance to honeybee and farm-raised fish producers for eligible death losses. For eligible livestock, assistance for feed loss may be available through ELAP.

For ELAP, producers are required to complete a notice of loss and application for payment to their local FSA office no later than March 1, 2027, for 2026 calendar year losses. Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers may be eligible for cost-share assistance through theTree Assistance Program(TAP) to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes or vines.

TAP complements theNoninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program or crop insurance coverage, which covers the crop but not the plants or trees in all cases. For TAP, a program application must be filed within 90 days of the disaster event or the date when the loss of the trees, bushes or vines is apparent.

“Once you are able to evaluate the impact on your operation, be sure to contact yourlocal FSA county office to timely report all crop, livestock and farm infrastructure damages and losses,” said Richard Ebert, State Executive Director for FSA in Pennsylvania. “To expedite FSA disaster assistance, you may need to provide documents, such as farm records, herd inventory, receipts and pictures of damages or losses.

” FSA also offers a variety of direct and guaranteedfarm loans, including operating and emergency farm loans, to producers unable to secure commercial financing. Producers in counties with a primary or contiguous disaster designation may be eligible for low interestemergency loansto help them recover from production and physical losses.

Loans can help producers replace essential property, purchase inputs like livestock, equipment, feed and seed, cover family living expenses or refinance farm-related debts and other needs. Additionally, FSA offers several loan servicing options available for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan programs debt to the agency because of reasons beyond their control.

Producers with NAP coverage should report crop damage to their local FSA office and must file aNotice of Loss (CCC-576) within 15 days of the loss becoming apparent, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be reported within 72 hours.

NAP covers losses from natural disasters on crops for which no permanent federal crop insurance program is available, including fruits, vegetables, forage and grazing crops, floriculture, ornamental nursery, aquaculture, turf grass and more.

Producers with risk protection throughFederal Crop Insuranceshould report crop damage to their crop insurance agent within 72 hours of discovering damage and be sure to follow up in writing within 15 days.

“Crop insurance and other USDA risk management options are offered to help producers manage risk because we never know what nature has in store for the future,” said Kevin Wooten, Director of USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) Regional Office that covers Pennsylvania. “Disasters can be trying for producers, and they should stay in close contact with their crop insurance agent.

Producers can be assured that the Approved Insurance Providers, loss adjusters and agents are experienced and well-trained in handling these types of events. ” FSA’sEmergency Conservation Program(ECP)andEmergency Forest Restoration Program(EFRP)can assist landowners and nonindustrial private forest stewards with financial assistance to restore damaged farmland and conservation structures or forests.

Additional USDA disaster assistance information can be found onfarmers. gov, including USDA resources specifically for producers impacted by winter weather. Those resources include theDisaster Assistance Discovery Tool,Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet,Loan Assistance Tool, andNatural Disasters and Crop Insurance fact sheet.

Additionally, FarmRaise offers anFSA educational hub with LIP and ELAP decision tools as well as farm loan resource videos. For FSA programs, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact theircrop insurance agent.