Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

NAP Time

The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) was set up by congressional action to ensure that producers of crops not yet insurable will have protection against crop losses. Benefits are similar to those under previous ad hoc disaster programs. Authority to operate the old crop disaster programs was repealed.

Under the new program, payments are not made until a specified area has suffered a loss greater than 35% of the expected area yield and an individual producer has more than a 50% loss in yield.

Crops affected are generally those speciality crops, such as floriculture, ornamental nursery, turf grass sod, forage and some fruits and vegetables.

No benefits will be available unless timely acreage reports have been filed with the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Producers need to accurately and timely report acreage and shares of all crops potentially eligible for NAP (the normal final reporting date is July 15th each year); certify crop production history and report current year production, which must be done by acreage reporting date in the next crop year. A measurement service fee shall be charged for late-filed acreage reports used for NAP purposes.

Any person with a share in the eligible crop must provide a notice of damage or loss (form FSA-574) within 15 calendar days after the disaster occurrence or date damage to the specific crop acreage is apparent to the producer. FSA-574 is not an application for payment; it is the producer's formal notification of loss or damage and an explanation of what has been or will be done with the specific crop acreage. Reports filed late will be assessed fees of $25 per farm and 25c per acre where applicable.

Also, to be eligible for NAP payments, producers must certify conservation compliance, complete 'person' determination forms (payments to any one producer under NAP cannot exceed $100,000 for any given crop year), meet the $2 million gross revenue limitation for each person in an operation and request NAP payments by the acreage reporting date of the year following the year of disaster.

Contact the Hempstead/Nevada County FSA office located at 2510 N. Hervey, in Hope, or phone (870) 777-8800, extension 2.