Producers should be aware that March 15 is the application closing date for certain crops under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.

NAP is a program designed to reduce financial losses that occur when natural disasters cause a loss of production of eligible crops. Crops eligible for NAP benefits are limited to those not insurable in the county and are produced for food or fiber.

March 15 is the final date to pay the applicable service fee and obtain NAP coverage for crops such as sunflowers, forage type sorghums and double cropped grain sorghums and soybeans. A variety of vegetables and melon fruits are also eligible for NAP coverage.

The administrative service fee is $100 per crop per county not to exceed $300 per producer per county and a $900 maximum fee for multi-county producers.

Interested producers must pay the fee and file an application for coverage by the established application closing deadline.

This coverage entitles eligible producers to a payment of 55 percent of an average market price for the commodity if a natural disaster caused a 50 percent production loss or greater of the crop.

In the event that a producer does suffer a loss on their particular crop, a form CCC-576, Notice of Loss must be filed with Farm Service Agency within 15 calendar days after the disaster occurrence, or the date the loss becomes apparent to the producer.

Producers are limited to $100,000 in benefits per person per crop year, they must certify crop acres by applicable deadlines, maintain production evidence for 3 years, not exceed the $2 million gross revenue provisions, and must comply with conservation compliance provisions in order to be eligible.

Interested producers should contact their county FSA at the USDA Service Center prior to the March 15 application closing date to obtain NAP coverage.

—Braden Stueve, Marion County FSA office trainee

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