The USDA is giving farmers more time and flexibility to apply for the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program.

The Farm Service Agency has extended the deadline for both Stage One and Stage Two applications to September 30th.

The program provides more than 16 billion dollars in assistance to farmers who suffered revenue, production or quality losses from qualifying natural disasters in 2023 and 2024.

USDA is also making changes for farmers with quality-related losses. Producers can now use verifiable third-party documentation, including grading records and nutrient tests, to demonstrate losses.

There’s also more flexibility for crops that were intended for fresh markets but were ultimately sold for processing, or crops that could not be sold through a recognized market.

Farmers with missing production data for certain Stage One quality-loss applications are still encouraged to apply by the September 30th deadline. USDA says producers will have additional time to review and sign applications once the missing information becomes available.