Hello again!
As I sit and go through my notes of column topics, my focus is becoming narrower. The lack of a new farm bill, or at least an extension of the old farm bill, has limited the availability of some FSA programs.
One example is the Conservation Reserve Program. While existing contracts are being funded, FSA is not accepting new enrollments. With other programs, however, FSA is proceeding with “business as usual.
One of the “business as usual” programs is the Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program. The NAP program provides disaster loss protection for crops that do not have crop insurance coverage in the county.
Deadline
November 20 is an important deadline for producers who want to obtain NAP coverage on perennial crops for the 2013 crop year. Most perennial and orchard crops, including apples, asparagus, blueberries, caneberries, cherries, chestnuts, forage (hay and pasture), grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries, honey and maple sap must have a completed application by this deadline to be covered in the upcoming year.
Crops including forage sorghum, oats, potatoes, soybeans (in counties where xrop insurance is not available), sunflowers, and all spring-planted specialty crops grown for food have a purchase deadline of March 13.
Fees
FSA will keep the same fee schedule it had in 2012. Each crop will have a $250 administrative fee, with a limit of $750 per county. For producers with NAP crops reported in different FSA offices, a separate fee will need paid in each if you wish to insure all crops. There is also an $1875 total producer limit in fees.
NAP coverage follows very closely with the Federal Crop Insurance process. Applicants report past year production to establish an Actual Production History. This APH is used to determine the expected production and production guarantee for the upcoming year.
NAP coverage provides coverage of 50 percent of the unit’s APH at 55 percent of an average market price for the specific commodity established by the FSA state committee. Producers with NAP coverage in 2012 are reminded to file timely notices of loss.
Claims
Losses are to be filed on Form CCC-576 in the local FSA office within 15 days of crop damage from natural disaster or 15 days from when the loss becomes apparent. FSA will then assign an adjuster so the loss can be appraised and production counted before the crop is put to another use, abandoned or destroyed.
Contact your local FSA office for more information about obtaining coverage for your NAP crops for 2013, or to file a notice of loss for 2012.
That’s all for now!
FSA Andy
