WASHINGTON — USDA now has a web-based 2008 crop program payment calculator to help producers calculate the financial benefits they may receive under the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program.
The calculator was designed by USDA’s Farm Service Agency to give producers a tool to help them better understand and participate in this new crop disaster program.
Information
The calculator collects information about farming operations, including planted acreage, actual production, insurance coverage data and other federal disaster payments.
This relevant information is used to calculate an estimated payment for crop losses. The calculator provides an estimated 2008 program payment to help producers better understand what they may qualify for under the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program, but it does not constitute an application for the program.
Online
The calculator is available at www.fsa.usda.gov/sure. For more information or to apply for Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments, producers should visit their local Farm Service Agency county office.
The Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program provides crop disaster assistance payments to eligible producers on farms that have incurred crop production or crop quality losses. The program takes into consideration crop losses on all crops grown by a producer nationwide.
The program provides assistance in an amount equal to 60 percent of the difference between the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program farm guarantee and total farm revenue.
The farm guarantee is based on the amount of crop insurance and Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage on the farm.
Total farm revenue takes into account the actual value of production on the farm as well as insurance indemnities and certain farm program payments.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program, producers must have suffered at least a 10 percent production loss on a crop of economic significance.
In addition, producers must meet the risk management purchase requirement by either obtaining a policy or plan of insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage, for all economically significant crops.
For 2008 crops, producers had the opportunity to obtain a waiver of the risk management purchase requirement through a buy-in provision.
Producers considered socially disadvantaged, a beginning farmer or rancher, or a limited resource farmer may be eligible for the program without a policy or plan of insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage.
