Brent Whitlock, County Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Louisa County, reminds livestock and hay producers that the 2012 Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) sign up is under way. NAP was designed to reduce financial losses that occur when natural disasters cause a catastrophic loss of production or prevented planting of an eligible crop by providing coverage equivalent to catastrophic (CAT) insurance. Statute limits NAP to each commercial crop or agricultural commodity, except livestock, for which CAT is not available. This sign up period includes the following crops, hay, pasture, and vegetables.

In order to be eligible for other disaster assistance programs, like SURE, producers are required to timely purchase, at a minimum, CAT coverage for all insurable crops and/or NAP coverage for all non-insurable crops on their entire farm. The 2012 NAP coverage is $250 per crop, but not more than $750 per producer per county, or not more than $1,875 per producer for all counties. The application deadline for 2012 coverage on non-insurable crops (hay, pasture, and vegetables) is Wednesday, Feb. 15.  After the 2010 drought, producers should consider NAP as a tool for minimizing hay, vegetable and grazing losses. Along with NAP coverage on your pasture acreage, you will be eligible for the Livestock Forage Program and SURE on hay and vegetables if the crops are covered by a NAP policy if a natural disaster occurs and affects the crop.

To be eligible for 2012 NAP benefits, you required to submit an application for coverage and the coverage fee for hay, pasture and vegetables by the Feb. 15 deadline to the FSA Office. Submit production records for the four previous years for hay and vegetables to establish an actual production yield for the crop. Report the hay, pasture or vegetable acreage by the acreage reporting deadline for the crop. If a natural disaster occurs, file a notice of loss for the crop suffering a loss within 15 days of the natural disaster event and provide current year production records as soon as harvesting of the crop is completed. The County Committee will determine crop loss after current year production records are provided by the participant.

For more information, contact the Louisa/Albemarle/Fluvanna/Goochland/Nelson counties FSA County Office at (540) 967-0091, ext. 2 before the deadline.