Ensuring Disaster Recovery and Resilience for Specialty Crops Act

This bill, titled the "Ensuring Disaster Recovery and Resilience for Specialty Crops Act," aims to create a permanent framework for **emergency assistance** to specialty crop producers. It mandates the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a system for providing **direct assistance** when production is impacted by adverse events, including economic crises or market disruptions. This framework is designed to offer a consistent and reliable support mechanism for a vital segment of the agricultural industry. Payment calculations for this assistance will be based on a producer's sales from a calendar year preceding the adverse event, or an average of sales over consecutive years, multiplied by a **payment factor** determined by the Secretary. When calculating payments, the Secretary must specifically consider the **higher value** and **greater input costs** of specialty crops, as well as the diverse legal structures used by their producers. The bill also sets **payment limitations**, generally aligning with existing agricultural payment caps, but provides an exception for producers who derive at least 75% of their income from farming, allowing for a higher, Secretary-determined maximum payment of no less than $500,000.