FSA Able to Help Deal with Damages from Wildfires

The Farm Service Agency says they are ready to help any producers who have suffered losses due to the wildfires and they offer many programs to cover a wide variety of situations.

Acting Director for Washington State Rod Hamilton said there is one common thread to all the programs.

“The key message here is that if folks think they suffered a qualifying loss, the sooner they contact their local FSA office, the better their chances for qualifying for benefits.”

Some of the programs include: Non-insured Assistance Program or NAP which offers help to crops not typically covered by crop insurance; the Emergency Conservation Program that helps restore conservation structures like fences; Three livestock programs that help loss of federally managed land, or help cover losses to burned pastures on private lands, and losses of livestock.

One of the reasons FSA pushes producers to report their losses as quick as possible according to Hamilton is some of the restrictions.

“A lot of these programs do have a deadline to file a claim or at least notify FSA of the loss which is often times within 15 days of them becoming aware of the loss.”

If you’re on file with FSA, you will want to make sure to bring in documentation of the loss, but if you’ve never been a part of an FSA program, you will want to reach out to FSA and get the information on what you’ll need to bring.

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