Emergency Relief Program- ERP Phase 1 and Phase 2

Instructions for FSA-521:
EMERGENCY RELIEF PROGRAM (ERP) PHASE 2 APPLICATION
ERP Phase 2 is a revenue-based program that provides assistance for eligible crop revenue losses due to
qualifying disaster events and related conditions occurring in calendar years 2020 and 2021. This form
will be used by applicants to apply for ERP Phase 2 benefits. In general, payments are based on the
difference in allowable gross revenue between a benchmark year and the disaster year. Table 1 on the
reverse of this form provides guidance for determining allowable gross revenue sources
One application is to be filed in the Recording County Office for the entire operation nationwide, no
matter if losses were sustained in one or both disaster years. https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app
Customers who have established electronic access credentials with USDA may electronically
transmit this form to the USDA servicing office, provided that (1) the customer submitting the form
is the only person required to sign the transaction, or (2) the customer has an approved Power of
Attorney (Form FSA-211) on file with USDA to sign for other customers for the program and type
of transaction represented by this form.
Features for transmitting the form electronically are available to those customers with access
credentials only. If you would like to establish online access credentials with USDA, follow the
instructions provided at the USDA eForms web site.
https://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/eForms/welcomeAction.do?Home .
Producers must complete the following items: 4; 5-10 (if applicable); 16-21(if applicable); and 27 A
through 27 C.
FSA will complete fields noted as “Agency Use Only”.
Items 1-3 for Agency Use Only
Item No. /
Fld Name
1

Instruction
Application Number will be assigned by the automated system.

Application
Number
(Agency Use Only)

2

Information obtained from FSA records.

Recording State
Name/Code
(Agency Use Only)

3
Recording
County
Name/Code

Information obtained from FSA records.

Item No. /
Fld Name
(Agency Use Only)

Instruction
Note: Signed application must be returned to the recording county office
listed.

Part A – Producer Agreement
Instruction

Item No. /
Fld Name
Producer
Agreement
(Informational
Purposes)

Eligible producers agree that revenue losses suffered were due to expenses
associated with losses of eligible crops, due in whole or in part, to a
qualifying disaster event that occurred in the 2020 or 2021 calendar year.
In addition to compliance with regulatory requirements in 7 CFR Part 760,
Subpart S, producers also agree to provide all information required or
requested by FSA for program participation in ERP Phase 2 and to
complete the FSA-522 Crop Insurance and/or NAP Coverage Agreement.

Part B – Producer Information
Item No. /
Fld Name
4
Producer Name,
Address, and
Phone Number

Instruction
Enter the following producer information:
•

Name

•

Address, including the ZIP code

•

Phone number, including the area code

Part C – 2020 Disaster Year Revenue Certification
Complete items 5-10 in Part C if eligible revenue losses due to a qualifying disaster event or
related condition occurred in calendar year 2020.
Note: If the qualifying disaster event occurred in calendar year 2021 only, continue to Part D.

Item No. /
Fld Name
5
% of Expected
Revenue from

Instruction
Enter the percentage of allowable gross revenue for the 2020 disaster year
that was derived from specialty and /high value crops, if applicable.
Items 5 and 6 must equal 100 percent.

Specialty and
High Value
Crops

Note: Specialty crop means fruits, tree nuts, vegetables, culinary herbs and
spices, medicinal plants, and nursery, floriculture, and horticulture crops. A
list of common specialty crops identified by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing
Service may be found at
https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp/specialty-crop .
High value crops include direct market crops, organic crops, and crops grown
for a specific market in which specialized products can be sold resulting in an
increased value compared to the typical market for the crops, such as
soybeans intended for tofu production.

6
% of Expected
Revenue from
Other Crops

7
Benchmark Year

Enter the percentage of allowable gross revenue for the 2020 disaster year
that was derived other crops (not specialty or high value crops).
Items 5 and 6 must equal 100 percent.
Note: Other crops include cotton, peanuts, rice, feedstock, or any crop grown
with an intended use and marketed as grain, silage or forage, or not identified
as a specialty crop in Phase 1.

Check (✓) either 2018, 2019, or adjusted for the benchmark year intended to
represent a typical year of revenue for the operation.
“Adjusted” must be selected if your operation size decreased in a disaster
year, as compared to the benchmark year.
Example: Producer A consistently planted approximately 1,000 acres of
cotton from 2010 through 2019. However, in 2020, Producer A sold 600
acres decreasing the operation size to 400 acres.
“Adjusted” may be selected if you began farming in 2020 or 2021, did not
have a full year of benchmark allowable gross revenue, or expanded your
operation in a disaster year, compared to the benchmark year.

8

Enter the allowable gross revenue for the benchmark year selected in item 7.

Benchmark
Revenue

Note: Table 1 on the reverse of the application provides guidance for
determining allowable gross revenue sources.
An optional FSA-521 A worksheet is available to aid in the calculation of an
“adjusted” Benchmark Revenue and may be found at insert link here.

9
Representative
Revenue Year

Select the tax year from which the revenue best represents the disaster effects
of the 2020 calendar year.

Cannot choose same representative revenue year in Part C and Part D

10
Disaster Year
Revenue

Enter the Disaster Year Revenue, which is the allowable gross revenue for the
year selected in item 9.

Items 11- 15 for Agency Use Only
11
COC Adjusted
% of Expected
Revenue from
Specialty and
High Value
Crops
(Agency Use Only)

12
COC Adjusted
% of Expected
Revenue from
Other Crops
(Agency Use Only)

13
COC Adjusted
Benchmark
Revenue
(Agency Use Only)

14
COC Adjusted
Disaster Year
Revenue
(Agency Use Only)

15
COC Approved
or Disapproved
(Agency Use Only)

Part D – 2021 Disaster Year Revenue Certification
Complete items 16-21 in Part D if eligible revenue losses due to a qualifying disaster event or
related condition occurred in calendar year 2020.
Note: If the qualifying disaster event occurred in calendar year 2020 only, continue to Part E.

Item No. /
Fld Name
16
% of Expected
Revenue from
Specialty and
High Value
Crops

Instruction
Enter the percentage of allowable gross revenue for the 2021 disaster year
that was derived from specialty and /high value crops, if applicable.
Items 16 and 17 must equal 100 percent.
Note: Specialty crop means fruits, tree nuts, vegetables, culinary herbs and
spices, medicinal plants, and nursery, floriculture, and horticulture crops. A
list of common specialty crops identified by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing
Service may be found at
https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp/specialty-crop .
High value crops include direct market crops, organic crops, and crops grown
for a specific market in which specialized products can be sold resulting in an
increased value compared to the typical market for the crops, such as
soybeans intended for tofu production.

17
% of Expected
Revenue from
Other Crops

18
Benchmark Year

Enter the percentage of allowable gross revenue for the 2021 disaster year
that was derived other crops (not specialty or high value crops).
Items 16 and 17 must equal 100 percent.
Note: Other crops include cotton, peanuts, rice, feedstock, or any crop grown
with an intended use and marketed as grain, silage or forage, or not identified
as a specialty crop in Phase 1.

Check (✓) either 2018, 2019, or adjusted for the benchmark year intended to
represent a typical year of revenue for the operation.
“Adjusted” must be selected if your operation size decreased in a disaster
year, as compared to the benchmark year.

Example: Producer A consistently planted approximately 1,000 acres of
cotton from 2010 through 2019. However, in 2020, Producer A sold 600
acres decreasing the operation size to 400 acres.
“Adjusted” may be selected if you began farming in 2020 or 2021, did not
have a full year of benchmark allowable gross revenue, or expanded your
operation in a disaster year, compared to the benchmark year.
19
Benchmark
Revenue
20
Representative
Revenue Year

Enter the allowable gross revenue for the benchmark year selected in item
18.
An optional FSA-521 A worksheet is available to aid in the calculation of an
“adjusted” Benchmark Revenue and may be found at insert link here.
Select the tax year from which the revenue best represents the disaster effects
of the 2021 calendar year.

Must be consecutive if applying in Part C and Part D

21
Disaster Year
Revenue

Enter the Disaster Year Revenue, which is the allowable gross revenue for the
year selected in item 20.

Items 22- 26 for Agency Use Only
22
COC Adjusted
% of Expected
Revenue from
Specialty and
High Value
Crops
(Agency Use Only)

23
COC Adjusted
% of Expected
Revenue from
Other Crops
(Agency Use Only)

24

COC Adjusted
Benchmark
Revenue
(Agency Use Only)

25
COC Adjusted
Disaster Year
Revenue
(Agency Use Only)

26
COC Approved
or Disapproved
(Agency Use Only)

Part E – Producer Certification Items 27 A - 27 C

27 A
Signature
27 B
Title/Relationship
of the Individual
Signing in the
Representative
Capacity
27 C
Date
(MM-DD-YYYY)

Part F – County Committee (COC) Determination Items 28 A – 28 B
28 A
COC or Designee
Signature

COC or their representative will sign.

28 B
Date
(MM-DD-YYYY)