Ask FSA Andy about the non-insured crop disaster assistance program

Good day, friends!

I hope the rains were kind to you, and that you’ve been able to take advantage of the current run of dry air and sun to get hay in. With the anything-but-normal spring and summer we have had, I thought this might be a good time to remind anyone who has non-insured crop disaster assistance program, or NAP, about how and when to report a loss.

Report quickly

The sooner the better when it comes to reporting. If you are filing a prevented planting for NAP, you have the earlier of 15 days of the disaster or the final planting date. If you are experiencing a crop loss, you have the earlier of 15 days from the date of the loss or 15 days after the normal harvest date to contact your local Farm Service Agency office.

If the NAP coverage is on hand-harvested crops, you have 72 hours to report your loss. You can do this by phone, stopping in the office, email or by fax. Once the process gets started, it moves rather quickly.

We know you have lots going on this time of year, and do the best we can to get a loss adjuster to your farm as soon as possible, if that is needed.

You choose

As the producer, it is your choice as to abandon, replant, destroy or harvest the damaged crop. If you choose not to harvest the crop, you must leave it intact until it has been appraised or released by a loss adjuster. If you harvest the crop, you will need to maintain and provide evidence of your crop production. Some examples of this are commercial receipts, settlement sheets, warehouse ledger sheets, pick records, diaries or weight scale slips. The loss adjuster’s appraisal will also work for this.

It is to your benefit to keep the best records possible. If you have any questions about what will be acceptable, contact your local FSA office. We expect we will have some losses reported this year, so please contact your local FSA office as soon as you think you have a loss, so we can begin assisting you. We are here to help and look forward to seeing you all.

That’s all for now,
FSA Andy