USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director, Dan Steinkruger, urges producers who want to purchase 2014 protection through the Noninsurable Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) to do so before the sales closing date of March 17, 2014. The sales closing date is actually Saturday, March 15, 2014, but producers have until Monday, March 17, 2014, to purchase coverage this year.

NAP provides financial assistance to producers of noninsurable crops when low yields/grazing loss, loss of inventory or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters including drought, freeze, hail, excessive moisture, or excessive wind.

Alfalfa, grass, and spring seeded crops and forages including but not limited to barley, oats, and vegetables have a sales closing date of March 15, 2014.

“Drought has been active in Nebraska since 2012 so farmers and ranchers should evaluate this program as a risk management tool,” said Steinkruger. He added, “The 2014 Farm Bill made improvements to the Noninsurable Crop Disaster Assistance Program but those changes do not take effect until 2015.”

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.

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.

Producers must file the application and pay a service fee by the March 17, 2014 deadline. 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.

Limited resource farmers may request a waiver of the service fee at the time the application for coverage is filed. Producers must recertify their limited resource status for each year that a waiver is requested.

For more information about NAP, please contact your local County FSA Office or visit www.fsa.usda.gov/ne.