Producers who have suffered crop losses during the 2010 crop year due to natural, weather-related disasters have until June 1, 2012 to complete all required documents for the SURE program.
To be eligible for SURE payments, a producer is required to have obtained crop insurance on allcrops of economic significance in all counties; or, if crop insurance is not available, to purchase Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage for the crops grown. Losses are measured with consideration to the whole-farm revenue, including crop insurance indemnities and commodity program payments for all acreage farmed.
Call the Napa-Solano FSA Office at 707-678-1931 ext 2 if you have any questions.
Funding Available to Farmers Fighting the European Grapevine Moth
Applications will be accepted through May 4, 2012 | Click here for the complete Press Release
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California is offering assistance to California farmers to combat the European Grapevine Moth (EGVM). NRCS is offering Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools to farmers as an environmentally-safe alternative to treat the pests.
Eligible farmers are those located within 500 meters of a recorded trapping of EGVM. The affected counties include Napa, Nevada, Solano, Sonoma, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz.
Treatment will be based on IPM systems for EGVM developed by the University of California. Treatment scenarios vary depending on the nearby pest incidence and will include use of compatible chemicals. Options are available for farms that are organic or seeking organic certification. Financial assistance can be offered to implement approved practices for up to three years.
The Isomate pheromones for mating disruption will be available by Wednesday of this week for all growers in Napa County who are within 500 meters of a find in 2010 or 2011. These can be ordered from your local dealer who can deliver them to you or they can be picked up at the Wilbur-Ellis store in St. Helena between 8 am to 4 pm Monday-Friday. These will be paid for by USDA, CDFA, and the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner's office. Please click here to download and fill out the form before picking up your product. If you have any extra material, please return to the Agricultural Commissioners office or contact Martin Mochizuki at 707-975-2133.
This extra product will be used for growers who have one acre or less and would otherwise use less than a full package. If you have a parcel of one acre or less contact Martin at 975-2133 or the Agricultural Commissioner's office to pick up your product. The pheromones should be placed at 200 per acre on an area of the trellis that is above the fruit zone and that will be in partial shade during the season.
NRCS offering assistance to producers to combat EGVM
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California is offering assistance to California farmers to combat the European Grapevine Moth (EGVM). In this second year of the program, NRCS is offering Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools to prevent isolated pest finds from becoming a widespread infestation.
Eligible farmers are those located within 500 meters of a recorded trapping of EGVM. The affected counties include Fresno, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma.
Treatment will be based on IPM systems for EGVM developed by the University of California. Treatment scenarios vary depending on the nearby pest incidence and will include pheromone mating disruption and/or use of compatible chemicals. Options are available for farms that are organic or seeking organic certification.
EGVM was first discovered in Napa County in September, 2009. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and California's Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), are the federal and state agencies respectively charged with protecting the Nation and the State from foreign pests such as EGVM. In 2010, APHIS, CDFA and local Agricultural Commissioners implemented intense trapping and monitoring, and USDA and CDFA implemented parallel federal and state quarantines.
NRCS is providing funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Eligible farmers may receive approximately half of the costs of the recommended IPM strategies.
"NRCS will offer contracts that may extend for multiple years to address eligible growers' treatment needs," says Ed Burton, California State Conservationist for NRCS. "Beyond the immediate need of treating for EGVM, growers are also invited to consider the robust Year Round IPM program developed by the University of California" (click here for information). Additional conservation planning for air, water and other natural resources is also available upon request.
Under the 2008 Farm Bill, agricultural producers need to meet eligibility criteria, including income limits, to participate. Applications will be taken at NRCS offices in the affected counties beginning today. Click here to sign-up. Sign-ups will continue until April 22, 2011.
Click here for more information on UC IPM recommendations for EGVM. Click here for additional information on EGVM from APHIS and click here for information from CDFA.
Sign Up Period for Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments for 2009 Losses Has Opened – Deadline is July 29, 2011
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2011 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack reminds eligible producers that the sign-up period for the 2009 crop year Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program has opened. SURE is one of five disaster programs included in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill) that provides assistance to farmers and ranchers who have suffered losses due to natural disasters.
To be eligible for SURE a farm or ranch must have:
At least a 10 percent production loss on a crop of economic significance;
A policy or plan of insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for all economically significant crops;
Been physically located in a county that was declared a primary disaster county or contiguous county by the Agriculture Secretary under a Secretarial Disaster Designation. Without a Secretarial Disaster Designation, individual producers may be eligible if the actual production on the farm is less than 50 percent of the normal production on the farm due to a natural disaster.
Producers considered socially disadvantaged, a beginning farmer or rancher, or a limited resource farmer may be eligible for SURE without a policy or plan of insurance or NAP coverage.
Farmers and ranchers interested in signing up must do so before July 29, 2011.
USDA Announces Implementation of Livestock Disaster Assistance Programs
Producers may apply for benefits under the provisions of the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). These permanent disaster programs, authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, replace previous ad-hoc disaster assistance programs and are funded through the Agricultural Disaster Relief Trust Fund.
LFP provides payments to eligible livestock producers that have suffered livestock grazing losses due to qualifying drought or fire.For drought, the losses must have occurred on land that is native or improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover or a crop planted specifically for grazing.
The drought losses must also have occurred during the normal grazing period for the specific type of grazing land in the county.For fire, LFP provides payments to eligible livestock producers that have suffered grazing losses on rangeland managed by a federal agency if the eligible livestock producer is prohibited by the federal agency from grazing the normal permitted livestock on the managed rangeland due to a qualifying fire.
Eligible livestock under LFP include beef cattle, alpacas, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, poultry, reindeer, sheep and swine.For losses due to drought, qualifying drought ratings are determined using the U.S. Drought Monitor located at http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html.
ELAP provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish that have losses due to disease, adverse weather or other conditions, including blizzards and wildfires. Further detail on eligibility criteria is available at your local FSA office.
Assistance for producers through ELAP is for losses not covered under other Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance programs established by the 2008 Farm Bill. These include LFP, the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE).ELAP is being implemented to help fill the gap and provide assistance under other eligibility conditions determined to be appropriate.
For both LFP and ELAP, livestock or forage losses must have occurred on or after January 1, 2008, and before October 1, 2011.Note that there are assistance application deadlines for each crop year during that multi-year period. There is a total $100,000 limitation per crop year that applies to payments received under ELAP, LFP, LIP or SURE.For the 2008 crop year, the $100,000 limitation is per "person" as defined and determined under payment limitation rules in effect for 2008.
For crop years 2009 through 2011, the $100,000 limitation applies to payments received, both directly and indirectly, by a person or legal entity.Furthermore, individuals or entities are ineligible for payment under ELAP or LFP for 2008 if their average Adjusted Gross Income for 2005, 2006 and 2007 exceeds $2.5 million.For 2009 through 2011,an average adjusted gross nonfarm income limitation of $500,000 applies and is determined using the three taxable years that precede the most immediately preceding complete taxable year (for 2009, the applicable years are 2005, 2006 and 2007).
For more information or to apply for ELAP or LFP and other USDA Farm Service Agency disaster assistance programs, please call your local USDA Service Center or local Farm Service Agency (FSA) at (707) 944-0622 to schedule an appointment with a staff expert.
General information can also be obtained on the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov.
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