Montana FSA: USDA Extends Deadline to Increase Protections for Forage Crop Losses
BOZEMAN, Oct. 29, 2015 – USDA State Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Bruce Nelson announced that the deadline for Montana producers to obtain or modify higher levels of coverage through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) to protect against poor forage crop quality because of drought or other natural disasters where the forage is intended for mechanical harvest has been extended to Nov. 13, 2015.
“For some 2016 forage crops, the application deadline for NAP occurred before information became available to measure losses due to quality that could influence loss payments, so we extended the deadline so that producers have more time to decide what type of modified coverage works best for their operation,” Nelson said.
The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program protects agricultural crops for which crop insurance is not available from losses due to natural disasters, such as drought, freeze, hail, excessive moisture, excessive wind or hurricanes. The program offers basic coverage at 55 percent of the average market price for crop losses exceeding 50 percent of expected production, and higher levels of coverage, up to 65 percent of expected production at 100 percent of the average market price. Higher coverage is not available on grazing crops. However, the extension does not afford producers the opportunity to purchase basic 50/55 NAP coverage.
Producers interested in adjusting their NAP coverage must submit the appropriate paperwork to their local FSA county office before the Nov. 13 deadline. To find your local USDA Service Center go to http://offices.usda.gov. For more details on the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/nap.
The protections provided by this program were made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill, which builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for the taxpayer. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit http://www.usda.gov/farmbill.
Source: Montana FSA
