Four regional NAP Farm Bill meetings scheduled

From Montana FSA

BOZEMAN — USDA Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Bruce Nelson announces a series of four regional producer meetings scheduled in September to highlight important changes to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014 — the 2014 Farm Bill.

The meetings consist of presentations covering FSA’s NAP program and the new buy-up coverage provisions. NAP provides financial assistance to producers of noninsurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory or prevented planting occurs due to natural disasters. MSU Extension will present an analysis and explanation of the web-based NAP Buy-Up Decision Tool.

Producers are invited to the following public meetings:

• Sept. 8: Dillon, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the USDA Conference Room, 420 Barrett Street, Dillon

• Sept. 9: Billings, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Big Horn Resort, 1801 Majestic Lane, Billings

• Sept. 10: Miles City, 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Sleep Inn, 1006 S. Haynes Ave., Miles City

• Sept. 10: Lewistown, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Yogo Inn, 211 East Main Street, Lewistown.

The 2014 Farm Bill expanded NAP’s basic catastrophic coverage to include buy-up coverage levels similar to buy-up provisions offered by crop insurance. Producers may elect additional coverage levels ranging from 50 to 65 percent of production, in five percent increments, at 100 percent of the average market price.  Producers who elect additional coverage must pay a premium in addition to the service fee.  Crops intended for grazing are not eligible for additional coverage. Beginning, limited resource, and underserved farmers are eligible for a waiver of the service fee and a 50 percent premium reduction.

2016 NAP SALES CLOSING DATES: The NAP sales closing dates for the 2016 crop year are: Sept. 1, for value-loss crops, Sept. 30, for annual fall-seeded crops, perennial forage and grazing, mixed forage crops, rye, speltz, triticale, wheat and garlic, Dec. 1, for honey and March 15, 2016, for all other crops.

For more information about NAP coverage, visit your local FSA office.

For online resources, visit Montana FSA at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/mt, the NAP Page at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/nap, MSU Extension’s Farm Bill website at http://http://www.montana.edu/farmbill and FSA’s national Farm Bill website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/farmbill.

People with disabilities who require accommodations to attend or participate in a meeting should contact Jennifer Cole on 406-587-6786, or Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339, and [email protected] by Sept. 7.