"Powerful Derechos Batter Midwest Farmers as USDA Expands Disaster Relief"

Listeners, in the past seven days, the most impactful windstorm events in the United States have revolved around derecho activity in the Midwest, with continual fallout observed from destructive winds recorded in Iowa, Illinois, and surrounding states during mid-November. According to DTN’s Ag Weather Forum, these derecho events are characterized by long-lived, widespread windstorms tied to rapidly moving thunderstorm lines that have brought significant agricultural and infrastructure disruption, particularly at the tail end of the 2025 harvest season. Many farmers across northern Illinois and eastern Iowa faced sustained winds of 70 to 95 miles per hour, damaging corn still in the field, flattening outbuildings, and ripping through power lines.

The newly measured impacts have added complexity to ongoing disaster relief efforts. The USDA's Farm Service Agency has responded by launching Stage 2 of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program, detailed in the agency’s November 2025 fact sheet, to help producers who experienced lost revenue or reduced quality because of the recent derechos. These government programs now not only cover previously insured crop losses, but also include provisions for “uncovered or shallow losses”—circumstances where insurance didn’t apply and producers suffered direct crop or property damage from the excessive winds that swept the region.

On-the-ground reports have highlighted that communities from eastern Iowa through parts of Illinois woke up to widespread tree damage, thousands of homes without power, and barns shredded by straight-line winds. Emergency response teams set up modular shelters and distributed potable water to stabilize local operations, as described by infrastructure planners on Houston Tents & Events’ blog. Utility crews from neighboring states converged to restore electric service, a process that for some rural residents remains incomplete days after the event.

For agriculture, the newly published Northern Illinois University study, cited by DTN, demonstrates that the most recent derecho not only destroyed infrastructure, but also caused immediate and often lasting declines in crop ratings on county and state levels. In critical Midwest corn and soybean counties, the Crop Condition Index—in which a rating of 5 marks “excellent” crop condition and 1 means “very poor”—dropped by as much as 0.33 points after the derecho, a substantial shift. While some prior years have seen rare benefits in certain areas when a derecho adds much-needed rainfall early in the season, the November event hit just as crops neared final maturity, when recovery from wind damage is limited and yield losses become permanent.

For those affected, the USDA’s expanded relief program provides a streamlined process for submitting claims, including for producers who were uninsured or who had only partial coverage. Application forms are now available electronically, and there are special payment limits based on farm income, helping target support where it’s most urgently needed. Producers will need to provide documentation for crop, tree, bush, or vine losses and should contact their local FSA office to verify what information is required.

Listeners are encouraged to prepare for severe weather by developing shelter plans, maintaining multiple ways to receive alerts—like smartphone apps and NOAA weather radios—and keeping devices charged as storms approach. As always, early and informed action can make a vital difference when facing events like derechos that strike quickly and leave extensive damage in their wake.

Thanks for tuning in. Be sure to come back next week for more. This has been a Quiet Please production, and for me check out Quiet Please Dot A I.

Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3Qs

For more check out http://www.quietplease.ai

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI