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 broaden how restoration projects are treated after disasters. Specifically, it allows the Secretary (likely the Secretary of Agriculture) to approve restoration work that exceeds pre-disaster conditions if doing so is in the long-term health and protection of the watershed. In practical terms, this could enable more ambitious, resilience-building restoration efforts on agricultural lands and surrounding watersheds, beyond simply restoring land to its pre-disaster state. The change is implemented by reconfiguring Section 403 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978: it redesignates existing subsection (b) as (c) and adds a new subsection (b) that establishes the new standard for restoration. The aim is to bolster long-term watershed protection and, by extension, reduce future disaster impacts on farmers and rural communities.
Key Points
- 1Short title: The bill is named the “Protecting Farmers from Natural Disasters Act of 2025.”
- 2Amendment framework: It amends Section 403 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 by redesignating the current subsection (b) as (c) and inserting a new subsection (b) immediately after subsection (a).
- 3New restoration standard: The new subsection authorizes the Secretary to permit restoration that goes above pre-disaster conditions if such restoration serves the long-term health and protection of the watershed.
- 4Discretion and purpose: The Secretary has the authority to approve more robust restoration projects based on long-term watershed health, potentially affecting the scope and outcomes of disaster recovery efforts under the Act.
- 5Policy intent: To strengthen long-term watershed protection and resilience for farmers and associated land, water, and ecosystem resources.