WORCESTER, Mass. – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) announced in August that over $42 million in federal disaster relief he secured in December 2024, is finally heading to Massachusetts farmers.

The money comes from a $220 million New England disaster block grant program written by McGovern and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), enacted into law by President Biden in late 2024. Designed specifically to support small and mid-sized producers—particularly those in states like Massachusetts who are often shut out of traditional U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs—the program compensates farmers for crop losses and storm-related damage to on-farm infrastructure sustained during severe weather events in 2023 and 2024.

McGovern and DeLauro, top Democrats on the Rules and Appropriations Committees, repeatedly pushed top USDA officials in letters, phone calls, and meetings to comply with the law and release the funds—ultimately forcing the Trump Administration to do so. Massachusetts recently executed its contract with USDA, and this week is announcing a process for impacted farmers to apply for funding to support their continued farming operations.

Massachusetts is home to nearly 7,100 farms—roughly 2,000 of which lie in Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin Counties, areas devastated by 2023 flooding of the Connecticut River and battered by multiple severe weather events. Many small farms in the region are ineligible for crop insurance or find USDA aid programs too cumbersome to access, putting them at higher risk of closure following natural disasters.

Information  on who is eligible and how to apply are on this MA state website: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/natural-disaster-recovery-ii-program-for-agriculture-ndrii-2023-2024 .