Buy-In Waiver Extension Approved for Disaster Assistance Programs

Brush Prairie, March 31, 2009 – Agricultural producers who did not obtain crop insurance or Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage for 2008 can pay a buy-in fee through May 18, 2009 to become eligible for 2008 disaster assistance programs authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 according to Taylor Murray, Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania, and Wahkiakum Counties.

"Producers have an additional opportunity to become eligible for several programs if they suffered 2008 agricultural losses due to natural disaster," said Murray.

Producers who have not already taken the necessary steps to become eligible for the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP), and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) are required to complete the following steps by May 18, 2009:

• Pay a $100 “buy-in” fee per crop. The maximum fee is $300 per county, per producer, not to exceed $900 for multi-county producers.

• In the case of each insurable crop, excluding grazing land, agree to obtain a policy or plan of insurance for the next insurance year for which crop insurance is available; coverage level should equal 70 percent or more of the yield at 100 percent of the price.

• In the case of each non-insurable crop, agree to file the required paperwork and pay the applicable administrative NAP coverage fee by the applicable state application closing date for the next available year.

Producers who buy in will not be eligible for actual crop insurance or NAP benefits for the 2008 crop. The buy-in option enables producers to meet the eligibility requirement for the new disaster assistance programs. The SURE program payments differ based on the level of crop insurance or NAP coverage purchased. The buy-in results in the eligibility for a SURE payment based on 70 percent of the crop yield.

Producers who meet the definition of "Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource," or "Beginning Farmer or Rancher," are not required to pay the buy-in fee.