SOUTHWEST FLORIDA — Just like the owners of homes... the owners of farms across Southwest Florida and the state can get help cleaning up after the recent hurricanes, thanks to a federal support network designed to help protect our nation's food supplies.
FOX 4's Hendry County Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski covers some of Southwest Florida's "farm country" in that county, where he's done several stories, including how farms are upgrading their systems to meet FDA food-tracking requirements.
As for hurricane recovery, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) were eager to share the help available to farmers right now: click below to hear from them directly.
Agriculture is Florida’s second-largest economic driver behind tourism, making disaster relief crucial to keeping producers afloat after catastrophic storms. The FSA’s Executive Director, Deborah Tannenbaum, and NRCS State Conservationist, Juan Hernandez, said the support begins after producers report their hurricane damage.
“From there, we have a number of different programs that are available to our producers, and also a lot of flexibilities that are being offered because of the extremes of this disaster and the widespread footprint,” Tannenbaum explained.
Tannenbaum said damage to pivot arch sprinklers was one of the biggest impacts, so assistance will cover replacements. Other support includes debris clean-up, livestock and grazing coverage, un-insured crop loss aid, and a tree program to replant orchards.
“These programs are vital to the recovery and success of our producers, and I want to reassure our producers that we will be for them every step of the way,” said Tannenbaum.
To start getting aid, Tannenbaum recommends producers document damage with photos and receipts, then visit www.farmers.gov to view program options.
