News
»Bennett-Shannon Farm Service Agency News
Posted Local at Oct 06, 2010
By Mike Goetzinger, County Executive Director
Crop Disaster Program
In the last Farm Bill a standing crop disaster program was made a part of the passed farm bill. It is known as the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program or simply SURE. This program works a little differently from past Disaster Programs in that:
#1 ALL crops on ALL farms are looked at. This means that a loss on one crop could be offset by other crops on a farm or the same crop on other farms.
#2 All crops on all farms need to have either multi-peril Federal Crop Insurance coverage on insurable crops or the Non-insured crop disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage through FSA on non-insurable crops. Pasture is not considered as crop under this program.
Also a component of SURE deals with crop quality losses in addition to the traditional and more familiar yield or crop production losses aspect of the program. Quality losses on crops need to be substantiated. This means that representative samples need to be sent in and test results obtained to prove quality loss. That means that you should not wait to perform the needed tests, as it is hard to do once the crop is fed up or sold!
We are waiting a start date for accepting SURE applications on the 2009 crop. Hopefully soon…be watching the media for when this is announced.
Also on a Crop Disaster note, you may have heard about the new ad hoc Crop Disaster Program applicable to ’09 crop losses. This program is above and beyond the SURE Crop Disaster Program and deals with only cotton, sweet potato and soybeans in 1000 counties in 26 states. Neither Bennett or Shannon counties are included in these affected counties.
Important Dates
Today-Report changes to your farming operation (this includes landowner changes/deaths, bankruptcy, etc.) and/or bank info changes if you have direct deposit.
10/11 – USDA Ag Service Center closed in observance of Columbus Day
11/11 – USDA Ag Service Center closed in observance of Veterans Day
11/25 – USDA Ag Service Center closed for Thanksgiving holiday
On-Going – Report your livestock losses to FSA timely, if you are participating in the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)
On Going – Every 2nd Thursday at Pine Ridge and 4th Thursday of the month at Kyle (by appointment) is USDA Sub-Office Day on the Pine Ridge Reservation. FSA office personnel are located at the USDA Trailer (NW of south BIA parking lot) in Pine Ridge and upstairs in the Lakota Fund building in Kyle.
Contact the Martin USDA Ag Service Center agencies (Farm Service Agency, Natural Resource Conservation Service or Rural Conservation and Development) if you would like to meet with one of these USDA agency representative on these dates at these locations.