Rhode Island farmers are eligible for nearly $15 million in disaster relief assistance.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is making the $14,944,632.43 to "farmers and agricultural producers affected by weather events in 2023 and 2024," the department said in a media release.
The department's Rhode Island Disaster Relief Program will distribute the funds from the the U.S. Department of Agriculture "under the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2025, to help cover agricultural losses that were not covered by other USDA disaster programs," the release said.
"That Act included $220 million specifically allocated to New England, Hawaii and Alaska for eligible losses including market loss, future economic loss, poultry loss, timber, farm infrastructure, and other agricultural damage," according to the release.
The application process is expected to open the first week of October.
"Our farmers work hard, but one thing they can't control is the weather," Sen. Jack Reed said in the release.
"This federal funding will help family farms and food producers that were devastated by extreme weather and experienced significant losses through no fault of their own," Reed said.
"Farmers play an important role in Rhode Island's economy, and climate-driven extreme weather events are increasingly causing problems for their harvests," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said in the release.
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