Disasters happen, especially in South Louisiana. Farmers NEED to be prepared. Taking some small steps to do proactive disaster preparations can really help reduce impacts and speed recovery not IF a disaster happens- but WHEN. But we all also know that it is easy to put off disaster prep. Farmers are busy. They are tired. And disaster preparation is just NOT a priority often until it is too late. 

As part of the New Orleans FPAC Disaster Working Group and the Louisiana Small-Scale Agriculture Coalition - Market Umbrella, Sprout, FPAC, and BREADA are trying a different approach with disaster preparedness this year! We are turning the classic 10-step hurricane preparedness document into a 6-week series. We hope that by turning “disaster preparedness”into spaced-out and bite-size chunks, it’ll be easier to keep up…. and a $250 raffle prize doesn’t hurt!

Over the course of 6 weeks, we are going to provide you with checklists and templates to help you follow through on your disaster preparedness plans as we head into hurricane season. See below for details on what task(s) we are tackling each week and what resources we have pulled together to support you! We’ve created a document hub where you can access the 6-week checklist, upload your materials to a private folder, for safe-keeping (if you don’t have your own cloud), and read all about the program.

And - we want to make it fun! You’ll earn 1 raffle ticket per task completed. At the end of the series, we’ll have a finale event where we draw prizes including a $250 grand prize! Stay tuned to the partner organizations’ socials for more details each week! Got questions? Email devin@sproutnola.org.

Week 1: Photographing & uploading to the cloud.

June 3-9

1. Photograph all of your infrastructure, equipment, and crops. Store these photos in the cloud where you can access them. Drone shots of your growing operation are a good idea. Get current photos of all vehicles, buildings, fences, farm equipment, tools, and other infrastructure such as irrigation, shade structures, rain catchment systems, cold storage, greenhouses, etc. 

• Photograph:

• vehicles

• buildings

• fences

• farm equipment

• tools

• irrigation

• rain catchment systems

• shade structures

• hoop houses

• greenhouses

• cold storage

• sheds & storage facilities

• wash/pack area

• Back up to cloud, g-drive, or other option where you can access files if without your computer

• If you don’t have your own drive/cloud where you’re storing your docs, feel free to create a farm folder and upload here. 

2. Back up your farm records in the cloud/drive. This includes your tax information, insurance policies, income/expenses balance sheet, QuickBooks files, lease or deed for the property you farm on, vehicle titles, etc. You can also put physical copies of these important documents in a durable storage container that you can take with you in the event of an evacuation. 

• Important documents to upload

• tax information

• insurance policies (home/farm, vehicle, life, animals, crop, etc)

• income/expenses balance sheet

• Quickbooks files

• lease/deed for the farm

• vehicle titles

• animal records (vaccinations, etc)

• You can upload all your photos and documents by creating a farm folder in the LSSAC drive. You are also welcome to use your own drive or cloud. 

• Here are written instructions for uploading to the drive. 

• Here is a video showing how to upload to the drive.

OFFICE HOURS: Wednesday, June 5th

• 12 - 1pm - Click here to join

• 5 - 6pm - Click here to join

Week 2: Secure-your-site Plan

June 10-16

3. Make a plan for securing the farm site. This means making a plan to remove shade and poly covers from greenhouses and hoop house structures, storing small items that may be caught in the wind easily, securing and locking up equipment and tools, servicing backup generators, and storing pesticides/oil/fuels on high up shelves above potential flood waters and in leak-proof containers (organic products included). Fill bulk water containers for use after the storm if needed for watering crops. 

• remove shade & poly covers from greenhouses/hoop houses

• store small items

• secure & lock up equipment and tools

• service backup generators

• store pesticides/fertilizers/amendments/oil/fuels on high up shelves above potential floodwaters and in leak-proof containers

• fill bulk water containers

4. Make a plan for any livestock you have. Have at least a weeks’ worth of feed in leak-proof containers above the historical flood level at all times during storm season. Have a weeks’ worth of water available. Have clean bedding on hand, carriers, and an evacuation plan for livestock and poultry. Keep records such as for vaccinations (horses- negative Coggins test, dogs- rabies, etc.) on hand with your other records and backed up in the cloud. If you evacuate out of state these records are generally mandatory. 

• week worth of feed in leak-proof containers above historical flood level

• week worth of water

• clean bedding and carriers

• evacuation plan for livestock and poultry (WHERE DO THEY GO IN STATE??)

• animal records like vaccinations on hand and backed up to cloud

• Vaccinations

• horses - negative Coggins test

• dogs - rabies

OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday, June 11

• 11am - Click here to join

OFFICE HOURS: Friday, June 14

• 2 - 4pm - Click here to join

• Meeting ID: 242 676 032 679, Passcode: Yi7XR2

Week 3: Evacuation & Supplies Plans

June 17-23

5. Have an evacuation plan and supplies on hand to last a week. Contact friends or relatives away from the coast who are willing to host you in the event of an evacuation. Have at least a weeks’ worth of nonperishable food items and drinking water on hand. Check batteries in flashlights and radios and have a supply of extras. Stock up on tarps, contractor bags, cleaning supplies, and other items that are helpful. Service generators annually. Know which of your neighbors is staying and going and exchange contact information. 

• contact friends or relatives away from coast who are willing to host you in event of an evacuation

• alternatively, decide on hotel or rental where you can go, pet-friendly if necessary. 

• week worth of nonperishable food items

• week worth of drinking water

• check batteries in flashlights & radios and have supply of extras

• stock up on:

• tarps and nails 

• contractor bags

• cleaning supplies

• service generator

• know which neighbors are staying and exchange contact information

OFFICE HOURS: Friday, June 21

• 2 - 4pm - Click here to join

• Meeting ID: 294 152 829 62, Passcode: Y7oCNC

Week 4: get your fsa farm number

June 24-30

6. Register for a USDA Farm Number. This number gives you access to disaster recovery programs and other resources post-storm. It’s easy and you only need to do this once. A “farm” is anyone producing more than $1000 in farm products per year. To apply for a farm number, reach out to the Orleans FSA office at 504-799-3780 (2520 Bayou Road, New Orleans, LA 70119). You need to bring your state issued ID, deed/title/lease for your growing space, social security number, and be ready for a 30 minute interview. New updates to disaster programs should be making it easier for specialty crop producers to access aid. Read more: https://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/USDA-service-centers 

• Farm Number Events

• Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at River Road Farm, 10am-1pm

• 1725 Highway 18, Vacherie, LA 70090

• Thursday, June 27, 2024 at Crescent City Farmers Market, 2-5pm, New Orleans, LA

• 500 Norman C Francis Parkway, New Orleans, LA 70119

• Saturday, June 29, 2024 at Covington Farmers Market, 8am-12pm, Covington, LA

• 609 N Columbia St, Covington, LA 70433

• Saturday, June 29, 2024 at Red Stick Farmers Market, 8am-12pm, Baton Rouge, LA

• 501 N 5th St, Baton Rouge, LA 70802

7. Network with other farmers. Stress levels elevate during stormsand checking in with one another periodically can really help. Exchange contact information with growers in your area and make a point to reach out to one another. This is also a great way to exchange tips about recovery efforts on the farm, exchange local news, and build community. Join local farmer/grower organizations such as the GNOGA listserv. (gnoga@googlegroups.com) for networking purposes and local news about aid and storm recovery efforts. 

• Find a farm buddy, someone geographically close to you who you can check in with before and after the storm.

Week 5: crop records

July 1-7

8. Keep good crop records. You can use a simple spreadsheet or an app, but during storm season know exactly what you have growing, including transplants for fall production or resale. Know how many/acreage/square feet/row feet for each crop. Keep records of your recent sales receipts and prices that you get for your items as well. This helps in calculating loss and reimbursement through several programs. Estimates are fine but know what you have in your care at all times. Store this in the cloud. 

• templates 

• backup to cloud/drive- either your own folder in the LSSAC cloud storage drive, or your own cloud storage!

Week 6: Bookkeeping Class & Finale Event

July 8-14

9. Have some savings built up. Having a small nest egg in the bank during storm season is extremely important and helpful. Most aid programs are slow to pay out and you will likely need supplies right away to clean up, and some funds to travel on in the event of an evacuation order. Keep $1000 minimum set aside for this emergency.* 

• Bookkeeping Class taught by Annie Moore of River Queen Greens! Sign up today.

• Tuesday, July 9th from 4 to 6pm
  Norman Mayer Library
  3001 Gentilly Blvd, 70122

*We don’t know the circumstances of anyone’s lives, but we do know that it is tough to be a small farmer in the U.S. these days. Couple that with compounding natural disasters over the past few years in South Louisiana, and it may be even more difficult for agricultural producers to have savings at this time. We understand, and LSSAC partners will do their best to help producers to find opportunities to meet needs and, to the degree possible, get ahead. And always remember that you have a community invested in the continued success of your agricultural operation. 

10. Breathe. It’s important to remember why we grow things. Take a moment to reflect on the positive things about being a producer and your connection to the planet and role within the community. Be kind to yourself, allow for all the emotions, and try to not lose perspective in the chaos. Growers producing on a local scale are often able to pivot and recover quicker than many larger operations, and are in a unique position to feed the community in the wake of a disaster. Be sure to discard any spoiled or flooded produce (pathogen risk), but if you are in a position to donate items after a storm, please do. Markets and food contracts may be suspended for a while post-disaster so if you are having trouble finding an outlet for unspoiled produce, please get in touch with your local LSSAC member. Be sure to take care of your needs, including making time for restful periods. 

And..

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11. Raffle! Those that participated in the Disaster Series are eligible to participate in the final raffle. For every step you completed, please submit this form by Friday, July 12th. You receive one raffle entry for every step you complete.

• We will draw winners on Friday, July 12th.

• Prizes include $250 cash, $150 cash, and various products from local farmers markets. 

• Winners will be notified via their preferred contact as indicated on their raffle entry form.

• RAFFLE ENTRY FORM