He didn’t know it at the time, but when Rancher David Lott helped his grandfather navigate the application process to receive disaster relief funds after Hurricane Charley in 2004, the seed was planted for a new business. Years later, David and his wife, Kimberly, were expanding their multigenerational cattle operation and were themselves eligible to apply for USDA loans to buy land. They faced similar challenges as David’s grandfather and in that moment of need a business was discovered.
“We could see there was money available, but few access it because it requires a lot of hoop jumping. Between the variety of programs, qualifications, documentation and threat of audit, many growers leave the funds they are entitled to on the table.” Kimberly says.
When Hurricane Irma hit in 2017, Kimberly helped the family who owned the company she worked for navigate the application process through USDA and ultimately get the disaster program money to help them recover. This led her to pick up other clients and deeply understand the process of accessing the USDA programs.
“We had it in our hearts that too many producers out there needed help navigating these programs. “So, I left my job and we opened Crop Disaster Recovery on January 18, 2021,” Kimberly says.
Crop Disaster Recovery, LLC is a Grant Acquisition Firm that specializes in helping agricultural producers obtain disaster recovery and improvement grants from Federal and State governments. Founders Kimberly and David Lott are Florida ranchers who have worked with these programs for over a decade.
The couple hung out their consulting shingle when they saw many farmers and ranchers struggle with the application process and the variety of programs, qualifications, documentation and threat of audit. Due to the complexity of the system and various government agencies involved, the Lotts say many producers leave the funds they are entitled to on the table.
Crop Disaster Recovery has grown to include former USDA administrators, specialists, and an ag economist to provide holistic support and full representation of clients when working with USDA. Team members understand the policies that govern the programs and know how to get producers the payments they deserve.
