Protecting Farmers from Natural Disasters Act of 2025
The Protecting Farmers from Natural Disasters Act of 2025 would amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to strengthen watershed protection over the long term. Specifically, it adds an allowance for restoration efforts that may exceed pre-disaster conditions if doing so serves the watershed’s long-term health and protection. The bill designates a new subsection (b) placed after the existing subsection (a) and reclassifies the current subsection (b) as subsection (c). In practical terms, this gives the Secretary of Agriculture (the “Secretary”) broader authority to approve post-disaster restoration actions that go beyond restoring an area to its pre-disaster state, provided those actions are in the long-term interest of watershed health. The bill is sponsored by Representatives Nunn of Iowa and Davis of North Carolina. It was introduced in the House on September 10, 2025, and referred to the Committee on Agriculture. The core intent is to improve resilience to natural disasters by enabling more robust watershed restoration when such steps are judged to be in the best interest of long-term watershed protection.
Key Points
- 1Short title: The bill is titled the “Protecting Farmers from Natural Disasters Act of 2025.”
- 2Amendment structure: It amends Section 403 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 by designating the current subsection (b) as (c) and inserting a new subsection (b) immediately after subsection (a).
- 3Level of restoration: The new subsection (b) allows restoration above pre-disaster conditions, not just restoring to the pre-disaster baseline.
- 4Authority and criterion: The Secretary may approve such above-baseline restoration if it is in the best interest of the long-term health and protection of the watershed.
- 5Legislative status: Introduced in the House on September 10, 2025, sponsored by Rep. Nunn (Iowa) for himself and Rep. Davis (North Carolina), and referred to the Committee on Agriculture.