This bill creates a permanent federal disaster assistance program specifically for specialty crop farmers, amending existing farm law to ensure they receive aid when hit by adverse events like bad weather, economic crises, or market disruptions. The program calculates payments based on a farmer's previous sales of specialty crops multiplied by a payment factor determined by the Secretary of Agriculture to cover losses from the disaster event. The legislation recognizes that specialty crops like fruits and vegetables require higher input costs and have greater value than commodity crops, and it accommodates different types of farm business structures. Payments are subject to limits, with most farmers capped at the standard federal payment limit, though farmers who derive at least 75 percent of their income from farming operations can receive up to a higher amount set by the Secretary but not less than $500,000 per crop year. The bill applies existing eligibility rules and payment limitations from current farm program law to ensure consistency and prevent fraud.
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