Farm Service Agency County Executive Director David Q. Vidrine reminds farmers and producers in Beauregard and Vernon parishes that, for the 2012 crop year, Feb. 28 is the final date to apply for Noninsured Crop Disaster assistance (NAP) coverage on grass for grazing and hay, and summer seeded vegetables such as peas, watermelons, tomatoes and okra. The NAP program provides protection from catastrophic natural disasters up to 50 percent of an established yield and 55 percent of an established price. Applications fees are paid in each parish that a producer has an interested in a crop at a cost of $250 per crop not to exceed $750 per producer and $1,875 per producer for all parishes. there are no provisions for late-filed applications and closing dates vary by crop and are scheduled throughout the year. Producers should discuss the current year planning intentions with the local FSA office to ensure application deadlines are not missed. Producers of commercially grown produce and fruits are encouraged to contact the local FSA office to learn more about the NAP program. General NAP coverage will not begin until the later of the following dates — either 30 calendar days after the completion of the application for coverage, or the date the crop is planted not to exceed the final planting date. in previous years, producers applying for benefits under the Supplemental Revenue assistance Payment Program (SURE), Tree assistance Program (TAP) or the Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm Raised Fish Program (ELAP) were required to participate in the NAP. however, these programs ended with 2011 crop year. all interested producers should contact the local FSA office for eligibility and application details before the application closing dates.
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