(NDAgConnection.com) – Senator John Hoeven Tuesday encouraged eligible agriculture producers in North Dakota to prepare their financial and tax records for phase two of the Emergency Relief Program (ERP), after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released preliminary information for the program. ERP phase two is intended to aid producers who experienced losses due to qualifying natural disasters in 2020 and 2021, but were not included in the program’s first phase. The program is funded through the agriculture disaster assistance that Hoeven secured in September 2021.

Eligible crops include both traditional insurable commodities and specialty crops, with assistance expected to be based on the difference in certain farm revenue between a typical year and the disaster year. Producers should contact their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office for additional information when program signup opens later this year. In addition, producers eligible for ERP phase one may still submit their applications for assistance until Dec. 16 and those receiving corrected pre-filled applications have a 30-day deadline for submission.

“As USDA prepares the final regulations for ERP phase two, we are working to ensure the program is streamlined and straightforward for our farmers,” said Hoeven. “We encourage producers to work with their local FSA offices to determine eligibility and prepare the needed documentation, including previous years’ tax forms and supporting documentation.”

Tuesday’s announcement follows Hoeven’s efforts as the Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee to secure agriculture disaster aid, including for livestock producers. The senator then pressed USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to get the assistance to producers as soon as possible and worked to improve ERP’s implementation. This includes addressing issues stemming from 2020 prevent plant claims and the program’s adjusted gross income (AGI) calculations.