Bruce Nelson, state executive director for USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Montana, urges Montana honey producers who want to purchase 2013 coverage through the Noninsurable Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) to do so before the sales closing date of Dec. 3, 2012.
NAP provides financial assistance to producers of noninsurable crops when low yields/grazing loss, loss of inventory or prevented planting occur due to normal disasters.
Honey is the only 2013 Montana NAP crop with a Dec. 3, 2012 sales closing date.
All other NAP crops (except honey and value loss crops) have a NAP application sales closing date of March 15, 2013.
“Purchasing a crop insurance policy is an easy way for producers to practice risk management,” Nelson said. “The 2012 crop year has proved that natural disasters can directly affect the profitability and recovery of agricultural operations.”
In order to meet eligibility requirements for NAP, crops must be noninsurable, commercially-produced agricultural commodity crops for which the catastrophic risk protection level of crop insurance is not available. If the CAT level of insurance is available for a particular crop, type, and intended use in the county, then in all cases NAP cannot be offered within that county for any practice of that crop (irrigated, non-irrigated, summer fallow, and continuous crop). For a complete list of eligible NAP crops by county, contact your FSA county office. In the event of a natural disaster, NAP covers the amount of loss greater than 50 percent of the expected production based on the approved yield and reported acreage.
Eligible producers can apply for coverage using form CCC-471, “Application for Coverage”. Producers must file the application and service fee by the Dec. 3rd deadline (for Honey). The service fee is the lesser of $250 per crop or $750 per producer per administrative county, not to exceed a total of $1,875 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties.
For more information on sales closing dates and NAP, contact your FSA county office.
2013 Acreage Reporting Deadlines
for Honey and Other Crops
Montana honey producers are also reminded of an upcoming acreage reporting date for the 2013 honey crop which is part of the four new acreage reporting dates of a national initiative to align acreage reporting dates between FSA and Risk Management Agency (RMA).
Producers must file acreage reports to their FSA office on or before the following deadlines to be considered timely-filed:
• Jan. 2, 2013: (or 30 days after placement of colonies) Honey covered under NAP
• Jan. 15, 2013: Cherries, Established Stand Alfalfa Seed, Fall Alfalfa Seed
• July 15, 2013: Spring Alfalfa Seed, Barley, Canola, Corn, Dry Beans, Dry Peas, Flax, Forage Seeding, Mustard, Spring Oats, Potatoes, Safflower, Sugar Beets, Sunflowers, Spring Wheat, CRP, and all other crops
These are also the same dates for these crops to be reported to crop insurance agents when carrying federal crop insurance.
For more information, visit the state FSA Website at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/mt. To sign up for Montana FSA state and county newsletters, updates and press releases through the GovDelivery electronic news service, visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/subscribe or contact your local county FSA office for subscription assistance.
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