Supplemental Disaster Block Grants

The Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency is awarding non-competitive Block Grants to six eligible states to compensate agricultural producers for crop, livestock, timber, and infrastructure losses sustained during hurricanes in 2023 and 2024 under Assistance Listing 10.972. Award terms and conditions are negotiated directly with each state; no grant opportunities are currently open to direct applicants, as producers apply to and receive payments through their state administering agency.

This program is structured as a pass-through mechanism. The USDA Farm Service Agency executes block grants with individual states; each state then accepts applications from eligible producers within its borders and issues direct compensation payments. Eligible producers must have suffered losses in one of six specified hurricane-affected states and must document revenue, quality, or production losses in crops, milk, on-farm stored commodities, prevented plantings, adulterated wine grapes, trees, bushes, vines, timber, citrus, pecans, or poultry and related infrastructure as a direct consequence of the 2023 or 2024 hurricane events. Each state award carries a period of performance of up to five years. Certain administrative costs to the state are allowable in addition to direct producer compensation; the precise eligible use of funds will be specified in each state's award terms and conditions.

The source does not identify recent grant awards to states, specific dollar allocations per state, typical award magnitudes, or projected award dates. It does not provide information on the number of grants awarded to date, the cadence of awards, or the total federal dollars obligated to the program. The program's authorizing statute mandates block grants to exactly six states, meaning the universe of potential recipients is fixed and highly limited. Recipients must maintain financial and program records for three years after completion of fund distribution or until final resolution of any audit findings or litigation, whichever is later.

If your organization is a state government with hurricane losses in 2023 or 2024, direct pursuit depends on whether your state is among the six designated recipients and whether state-level negotiations with USDA Farm Service Agency are still open. Direct producer applicants must pursue compensation through their state administering agency rather than applying directly to USDA.