(Washington, D.C., January 23, 2026) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture is encouraging farmers, ranchers, families, and small businesses in the path of Winter Storm Fern to prepare for severe winter weather and be aware of available USDA assistance. USDA staff in regional, state, and county offices are ready to help communities respond and recover.
USDA’s Disaster Resource Center and Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool offer easy access to information on programs that support recovery from natural disasters. USDA also encourages residents and producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to determine which programs may meet their needs.
Food safety guidance:
Winter storms often cause power outages that can compromise stored food. USDA recommends the following steps to keep food safe:
- A refrigerator will keep food below 40°F for up to 4 hours during an outage. A full freezer stays cold about 48 hours (24 hours if half full). Keep doors closed as much as possible.
- Do not place perishable food out in the snow. Outside temperatures can vary and food can be exposed to unsanitary conditions and animals.
- Freeze containers of water ahead of the storm or make ice in containers left outside to freeze; place them around food to help maintain cold temperatures.
- Freeze refrigerated items you may not need immediately—such as leftovers, milk, and fresh meat or poultry—to extend their safe storage time.
- Consider purchasing 50 pounds of dry or block ice if a long outage is expected; this can keep an 18-cubic-foot freezer cold for two days.
- Group foods together in the freezer to help them stay cold longer.
- Keep several days’ worth of ready-to-eat foods that do not require cooking or cooling.
For food safety questions, call the Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 (Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. ET), or email MPHotline@usda.gov. Meat and poultry businesses may contact the FSIS Small Plant Help Desk online 24/7, call 1-877-FSIS-HELP (1-877-374-7435) or email InfoSource@usda.gov.
Protecting pets and livestock:
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) urges everyone in the potential path of Winter Storm Fern to prepare now:
- Ensure animals have shelter, dry bedding, and access to unfrozen water.
- If moving livestock across state lines, contact the receiving state’s State Veterinarian’s Office. APHIS Veterinary Services state offices can also assist.
- Follow instructions from emergency officials.
Risk management and disaster assistance for agricultural operations:
USDA offers several programs to help producers recover from winter storm impacts.
Producers with Federal Crop Insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage should report losses to their crop insurance agent or local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office within 72 hours of discovering damage and follow up in writing within 15 days.
Other key programs from USDA include:
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) also provides financial and technical assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and can support local governments through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.
FSA also offers financial support to farmers and ranchers impacted by natural disasters, including:
- Direct and guaranteed farm loans, including operating and emergency farm loans, to producers unable to secure commercial financing.
- Low interest emergency loans for producers in designated disaster areas to help recover from production and physical losses.
- Loan servicing options for borrowers unable to make scheduled payments due to circumstances beyond their control.
Loans help producers replace property, livestock, equipment, feed and seed, cover living expenses, refinance farm-related debts and more.
Producers can also use tools on farmers.gov, including the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool and Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, to identify applicable recovery programs. For crop insurance claims, contact your insurance agent. For FSA or NRCS programs, reach out to your local USDA Service Center.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is also ready to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and is standing by for requests for emergency nutrition assistance from states and local authorities.
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