Closing date for non-insurable crops looms

Contributed

Kerr-Bandera County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Joel Gourley reminds producers that they have until Tuesday, Sept. 4, to purchase coverage through the Noninsurable Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP).

NAP provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory or prevented planting occur due to normal disasters.

"Purchasing a crop insurance policy is an easy way for producers to mitigate risk," said Gourley. "The past few years have shown that natural disasters can severely impact an otherwise successful operation."

To meet eligibility requirements for NAP, crops must be non-insurable, commercially-produced agricultural commodity crops for which the catastrophic risk protection level of crop insurance is not available. If the Risk Management Agency (RMA) offers coverage for a crop in the county, then NAP coverage is not available for that crop.

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 Sept. 4 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.

For more information on sales closing dates and NAP, contact the Kerr-Bandera County FSA office at 830-896-4911, Ext 2.