Office of Communications | press@usda.gov
(Washington, D.C., July 21, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today in Florida met with agricultural leaders and producers and announced additional U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) assistance to help producers recover from Hurricanes Idalia, Debby, Helene and Milton. Secretary Rollins signed a block grant agreement with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) that provides recovery assistance for Floridian farmers.
In this agreement, FDACS is receiving $675.9M in funding to administer a program that will cover infrastructure, citrus, and timber losses in addition to direct market losses. This funding is part of the $30 billion disaster assistance relief effort authorized by the American Relief Act, 2025. USDA is working with 14 different states, including Florida, to develop and implement block grants to address the unique disaster recovery needs for each state.
“America’s farmers and ranchers across the Southeast and in Florida have been hit hard and suffered significant economic losses during the last two hurricane seasons. USDA has worked closely with the State of Florida to ensure those impacted have the relief they need,” said Secretary Rollins. “The Trump Administration has our farmers’ backs and will ensure they have the resources they need to continue to produce the safest, most reliable, and most abundant food supply in the world.”
“I want to thank President Trump, Secretary Brooke Rollins, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for recognizing the need for critical financial relief for our farmers, ranchers, and growers. Florida’s producers have endured back-to-back devastating hurricane seasons, and this funding is a major victory that will help them rebuild, recover, and continue feeding our state and nation. Food production is not just an economic issue, it’s a matter of national security — and we appreciate the President’s consistent support for our farmers,” said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
USDA, Governor Ron DeSantis’ office in Florida, and FDACS have finalized a grant agreement that will cover qualifying losses not addressed by other USDA disaster programs. Producers should look for additional program information available through the FDACS.
Additional USDA Supplemental Disaster Assistance
USDA remains committed to implementing the remaining disaster assistance provided by the American Relief Act, 2025 (The Act). On Jul 10, Secretary Rollins launched Stage 1 of the two-stage Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) to assist producers who incurred losses of revenue, quality, or production of crops due to weather related events in 2023 and 2024. To date, more than $1 billion in Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) assistance has been delivered to livestock producers impacted by drought and wildfire in 2023 and 2024. USDA has also provided $7.8 billion so far in direct payments through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) to help agricultural producers mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices. Visit the 2023/2024 Supplemental Disaster Assistance public landing page to track the status of USDA disaster assistance. The page is updated regularly and accessible through fsa.usda.gov.