Disaster relief available soon for Lincoln County farmers

Beginning November 14, 2011, agricultural producers in Lincoln County can apply for the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program for 2010 crop losses according to Jeff Lust, Farm Service Agency (FSA).

“SURE payments provide financial relief in addition to crop insurance or NAP payments. NAP is the Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program and covers crops for which insurance is not available,” said Lust. “SURE differs from most disaster relief programs in that it guarantees revenue instead of just paying for production losses.”

To receive SURE payments, producers must have suffered crop loss due to a natural disaster. The loss must be at least a 10 percent production loss affecting one crop of economic significance. The loss must have occurred in a county designated as a disaster county by the Secretary of Agriculture, or in an adjacent county wherein Lincoln County has actually been so designated in 2010. Producers outside designated and adjacent counties, with production losses of 50 percent or more of normal production on the farm, may also qualify for SURE.

Producers must have obtained crop insurance or NAP coverage for all crops of economic significance on all farms to be eligible for SURE. Forage crops intended for grazing are not eligible for SURE benefits. The crop insurance or NAP requirement may be waived for beginning farmers, limited-resource or socially-disadvantaged farmers. Persons or legal entities whose average nonfarm income exceeds $500,000 are not eligible for SURE payments.

SURE payments are calculated based on the difference between a program guarantee and the actual farm revenue. “Payments are based on revenue, and therefore signup for the program occurs after the crop losses and revenue are established for the year,” explained Lust.

Information on the disaster programs can be found at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov or producers may contact the Lincoln County FSA office at (509) 725-4501.