Congress established a standing disaster program in the 2008 farm bill— the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program. Under this program, Congress funded a $ billion permanent trust fund and directed the Secretary of Agriculture to make crop disaster assistance payments to eligible farmers who suffer crop losses on or before September 30, 2011. USDA—through FSA—began making disaster payments under this program in early 2010 for crop losses incurred in 2008. To qualify for a disaster assistance payment under this program, a farmer must have purchased either federal crop insurance coverage or be covered under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program for.
