The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking comments on a proposed rule that would allow farmers and ranchers affected by natural disasters to receive assistance faster. The rule — which will be published in the Federal Register on Nov. 14 — will streamline the disaster designation process by decreasing the current six-step process to two steps. This will allow producers affected by drought, hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters to quickly obtain emergency funding. Comments must be submitted Jan. 13, 2012. Learn more.
