What’s New About Phase 2? Information About Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase 2

Topic:

USDA has opened enrollment for a disaster program to help agricultural producers offset the impacts of natural disasters in 2020 and 2021. Eligible crops include both traditional insurable commodities and specialty crops that are produced in the United States as part of a farming operation and are intended to be commercially marketed. USDA will accept signups for this program, known as the Emergency Relief Program Phase 2 – or “ERP Phase 2,” – until June 2, 2023. ERP Phase 2 is a separate program from ERP Phase 1 and includes rules that are significantly different from other disaster programs. This webinar will focus on the ERP Phase 2 rules, which are especially notable for the extent to which underserved farmers who are often left out of disaster programs are eligible for assistance.

Time and Date:

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Noon – 1 p.m. (EDT)

11 a.m. – Noon (CDT)

Participation:

View a Recording of the Webinar Here

Presenters:

Stephen Carpenter is Deputy Director and Senior Staff Attorney at Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Inc. (FLAG). FLAG is a nonprofit law firm that works on behalf of family farmers. At FLAG, Stephen’s work has centered on discrimination in agricultural lending, debtor-creditor issues, COVID-19 relief, disaster assistance, federal farm programs, sustainable agriculture and direct marketing, and the problems of farmers contracting for livestock production. Stephen has conducted frequent FLAG trainings for farmers, advocates, and attorneys and has spoken to farmers and their advocates in more than forty states. He has authored and edited several FLAG materials and publications and has written a number of law review articles. Stephen is a graduate of Drury College in Springfield, Missouri, and of Stanford Law School. He came to FLAG in 1993.

Lindsay Kuehn joined the Farmers’ Legal Action Group in the summer of 2017 as a staff attorney. Though a native of Minneapolis, Lindsay received her B.A. from Northwestern University, in Evanston, IL, and then moved to Arkansas where she temporarily set aside her city roots for rural soil. During her time in Arkansas, Lindsay worked for Heifer International, a development organization striving to end hunger through providing livestock and agricultural training, while also helping to manage a small livestock farm dedicated to raising animals in a sustainable, healthy environment. Lindsay then attended the University of Arkansas, where she obtained her law degree, while also earning a Master’s in Public Service from the Clinton School of Public Service. Lindsay clerked for a Hennepin County District Court Judge before joining FLAG and is now also working as a part-time attorney for the Ramsey County Public Defender’s Office.

Research & Materials:

Farmers’ Guide to the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase 2

» Farmers Guide to ERP Phase 2: Extended Deadline Edition – May 31, 2023 (flaginc.org)