In the wake of the 2017 hurricanes, the United States Department of Agriculture
is providing emergency assistance to dairy operators in the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico. USDA is preparing for signup to begin Oct. 21.
"We're dispatching additional USDA staff to the island, but we also
continue to ramp up material assistance as well," said Agriculture
Secretary Sonny Perdue. "Dairy producers need help immediately, and the
Trump Administration is providing it."
Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico's agriculture sector,
including dairy operations. Secretary Perdue said the Commodity Credit
Corporation (CCC) is providing up to $12 million dollars to enable operators of
Puerto Rico's 253 licensed dairy operations to purchase feed for cattle. The
special initiative, applicable only to Puerto Rico, is called the Dairy
Assistance Program for Puerto Rico (DAP-PR). The program will be administered
by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), which has offices and staff on the island.
"Dairy operations face additional losses unless they have feed for their
remaining cattle," said Perdue. "This funding will enable them to get
the help they need until the situation in Puerto Rico stabilizes."
Under the provisions of today's announcement, dairy operators can apply to FSA
to receive vouchers to purchase an estimated one-month supply of feed. The
amount of the voucher is calculated based on 100 percent of estimated feed
costs per cow for 30 days. There are an estimated 94,000 dairy cows on the
island.
The CCC Charter Act includes authority for the corporation to make available
materials and facilities required in connection with the production and
marketing of agricultural commodities (except tobacco). The DAP-PR is a
one-time initiative, designed to quickly provide disaster relief to assist in
the production and marketing of dairy in Puerto Rico.
FSA will issue vouchers to licensed dairy applicants who may exchange the
vouchers for feed at local dealers. If funding remains available at the end of
the application period, FSA may provide assistance for additional feed or fuel
purchases to further support these dairy operations. All applications must be
received no later than Dec. 1, 2017.