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Maine officials outline $60 million federal disaster relief for 2023–24 farm losses and aim to open applications by June 1
Summary
The state says it was awarded $60 million from a federal appropriation to reimburse eligible farm, aquaculture and timber producers for 2023–24 weather losses; the state is finalizing a contractor and methodology and expects an application to open by June 1 with initial partial payments possible.
Craig Leine, bureau director at the Maine Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, presented details on a Maine‑run program to distribute federal relief for weather losses in 2023 and 2024 after Congress set aside funding in a December 2024 appropriation. “Ultimately we were awarded $60 million of the total $220 million pot,” Leine said, and outlined eligible recipients and covered losses.
Leine said the state program will reimburse eligible agriculture, aquaculture and timber producers for crop, timber and livestock losses, on‑farm infrastructure damage and certain access problems that directly prevent production. He emphasized that on‑farm buildings are eligible only when they had, or were intended to have, commodities or livestock in them at the time of the weather event; equipment shops and certain movable equipment were cited as ineligible.
The state is working with USDA and a recently selected contractor to develop loss‑valuation methods that aim to reflect producers’ real losses. Leine said the agency wants a methodology that “returns the greatest value to our farmers and loggers” while guarding against fraud and duplication with federal programs.
Leine described the timeline: the state selection of a contractor is in an appeals window that may close Jan. 22; the state aims to submit a work plan to USDA by March 1; and, if approved, hopes to open applications by June 1. To accommodate farm schedules, the state said it may leave applications open for months and make initial partial payments with a later top‑off once application reviews conclude.
Speakers and FSA staff also discussed overlap with Farm Service Agency programs. Amanda May, chief of farm programs for FSA in Maine, reviewed existing and recently available FSA disaster programs for 2023–24, including milk‑dumping reimbursement, on‑farm stored commodity loss payments, emergency livestock relief, non‑insured crop disaster assistance (catastrophic coverage and buy‑up options), tree assistance and livestock indemnity programs. May advised producers to contact local FSA county offices for sign up and documentation and noted several program deadlines and county‑specific eligibility rules.
On duplication rules, both agencies said an applicant should not be paid twice for the same loss; some FSA payments (for debris cleanup, for example) may not disqualify a producer from separate state payments for other eligible costs, but final rules will determine overlap.
What’s next: producers were asked to provide input on valuation methods and to watch for the state’s formal rules; county FSA offices can advise producers about immediate sign‑ups and existing relief options.
