IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

• CSU EXTENSION IN-PERSON ARCPLC MEETING – KIOWA COUNTY COMMUNITY BUILDING - Wednesday, February 28^th @ 2:00 p.m.
• NAP APPLICATION FOR COVERAGE DEADLINE - Spring crop deadline, March 15, 2024 
• 2024 ARCPLC ELECTION and ENROLLMENT - Deadline March 15, 2024.
• CONTINUOUS CRP SIGNUP - Deadline July 31, 2024

Disclaimer:  Information in this UPDATE is pertinent to Kiowa County FSA only. Producers reading this and that do not have FSA interest in Kiowa County are advised to contact their local FSA Office.

THE USDA SERVICE CENTER HAS A DROP BOX AVAILABLE ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE BUILDING.

FSA and CSU to Host ARC/PLC Informational Meetings

The Colorado Farm Service Agency, in conjunction with CSU Extension (Dr. Brent Young and Dr. Steven Koontz), will be conducting producer informational meetings to cover Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) Programs as well as the economic outlook.

The dates, times, and locations of these meetings are:

• February 26, 2024, beginning at 1:00 pm in Holyoke at the Phillips County Fairgrounds:  22505 US Highway 385, Holyoke, CO
• February 28, 2024, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in Burlington at the Farm Credit Building at 549 S. Lincoln St.  
• February 28, 2024, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in Eads at the Kiowa County Community Building; 15103 US Highway 287.
• March 4, 2024, beginning at 1:00 pm in Sterling, CO at the Logan County Extension Service Office: 508 S 10^thAve, Suite #1, Sterling, CO

Is the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program Right for You?

Farmers and ranchers rely on crop insurance to protect themselves from disasters and unforeseen events, but not all crops are insurable through the USDA’s Risk Management Agency. The Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provides producers another option to obtain coverage against disaster for these crops. NAP provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops impacted by natural disasters that result in lower yields, crop losses, or prevents crop planting.

Commercially produced crops and agricultural commodities for which crop insurance is not available are generally eligible for NAP. Eligible crops include those grown specifically for food, fiber, livestock consumption, biofuel or biobased products, or value loss crops such as aquaculture, Christmas trees, ornamental nursery, and others. Contact your local FSA office to see which crops are eligible in your state and county.

Eligible causes of loss include drought, freeze, hail, excessive moisture, excessive wind or hurricanes, earthquake and flood. These events must occur during the NAP policy coverage period, before or during harvest, and the disaster must directly affect the eligible crop. For guidance on causes of loss not listed, contact your local FSA county office.

Interested producers apply for NAP coverage using FSA form CCC-471, “Application for Coverage,” and pay the applicable service fee at the FSA office where their farm records are maintained. These must be filed by the application closing date, which varies by crop. Contact your local FSA office to verify application closing dates and ensure coverage for eligible NAP crops.

At the time of application, each producer acknowledges they have received the NAP Basic Provisions, which describes NAP requirements  for coverage. NAP participants must report crop acreage shortly after planting and provide verifiable or reliable crop production records when required by FSA.

Producers are required to pay service fees which vary depending on the number of crops and number of counties your operation is located in. The NAP service fee is the lesser of $325 per crop or $825 per producer per administrative county, not to exceed a total of $1,950 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties. Premiums also apply when producers elect higher levels of coverage with a maximum premium of $15,750 per person or legal entity.

A producer’s certification on Form CCC-860 Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification may serve as an application for basic NAP coverage for all eligible crops beginning with crop year 2022.  These producers will have all NAP-related service fees for basic coverage waived, in addition to a 50 percent premium reduction if higher levels of coverage are elected.

For more detailed information on NAP, download the NAP Fact Sheet on Farmers.gov website.  To get started with NAP, contact your local USDA service center