Crop Disaster Program signup for 2003 or 2004 losses now under way

Nevada Daily Mail

Producers who suffered at least a 35 percent loss in production on 2003 or 2004 crops, due to adverse weather conditions, are eligible for disaster payments. Eligible crops are all insurable crops in the county: wheat, corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, double crop soybeans, barley, oats, and popcorn. Non-insurable crops are also eligible: pecans (native and improved), fescue seed, grass hay, sunflowers, clover, alfalfa, lespedeza for seed, vegetable and fruit crops for commercial sale, etc. Production from grass hay, fescue seed, clover seed, and lespedeza seed will be combined for determining loss.

The yield for determining payment for insured crops will be the higher of your insurance APH yield or 65 percent of county average crop yield. Vernon County average bushel per acre yields for both 2003 and 2004 CDP are: wheat 43.0, corn 101.0, grain sorghum 77.0, soybeans 24.0, double crop soybeans 17.0

Other yields are available upon request. Basically, if your crop yielded below the following: 65 percent of the county average yield, in bushels per acre, you may be eligible for payment: wheat 28.0, corn 66.0, milo 50.0, soybeans 15.6, double crop soybeans 11, native pecans 92 pounds, improved pecans 161 pounds, fescue seed 134 pounds. Adjustments for quality also apply.

Quality losses in excess of 20 percent are also eligible for payment. Producers earn payment on the difference in their actual production and the higher of 65 percent of the county average yield or APH yield, times the 65 or 60 percent of the base price. Insured crops pay at 65 percent of the base price and non-insured crops at 60 percent of the base price.

The 2003 crop base prices per bushel are: wheat $3.15, corn $2.20, milo $2.10, soybeans $5.30, native pecans $0.66 per pound, improved pecans $1.02 per pound, fescue seed $0.29 per pound, and grass hay $62.33 per ton. Others are available as needed.

When requesting payment on multiple crops on the same acreage, the farm must have a history of double cropping in the previous year or two of the last four years prior to the year you are requesting disaster assistance. If you do not have the history then you would just need to choose which crop you want payment on.

For producers who had crop insurance, filing an application should not take long, because the insured crop's production is available on the FSA computer, so the producer must simply choose the year for which the disaster payment is desired and sign some documents. If losses are similar just choose both years and the computer will select the highest payment.

Those who did not have insurance in 2003 or 2004 will need to bring in production evidence. Production evidence should be provided separately by unit. For insured crops, separate units are already defined in your policy. For noninsured, a unit is all acreage of a crop in a county that a producer has 100 percent crop share in (cash-rented farms are combined with owned). A crop shared with a different landlord can be a separate unit. Co-mingled production not measured or weighed prior to combining will be prorated between units. Co-mingled production between years will all be counted toward the disaster year.

Production still stored on the farm may be certified or you can request measurement service per applicable fee.

Acceptable production records include: sales receipts and settlement sheets including date sold, bushels, and buyer. If production was fed, you need to provide records of disposition. When acceptable records of production are not available, assigned production will be applied by the COC. If grain sold was low quality or sample grade, then an adjustment factor will be applied.

For more information on the disaster program contact the Farm Service Agency Office at 102 W. Allison in Nevada or call (417) 667-8137.

Other FSA Reminders: The final date to sign-up in the DCP regular farm program is June 1. The final acreage reporting date for wheat is June 30 and for spring crops is July 31.