SURE PROGRAM OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY, PRODUCERS MAY NOW BEGIN APPLYING
News Date January 05, 2010
Established in the 2008 Farm Bill, the new Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program (SURE) is now available for producers who suffered crop losses during the 2008 crop year. Signups for the SURE program began at Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices on Jan. 4.
To be eligible for these payments, producers must have suffered at least 10 percent production loss on a crop of economic significance, must meet risk management purchase requirements, and have the farming interest located in a county, or in a contiguous county, under a Secretarial Disaster Designation. Individual producers may also be eligible, regardless of a Secretarial Disaster Designation, if a natural disaster diminished actual farm production to less than 50 percent of the normal production. Socially disadvantaged, a beginning farmer or rancher, or a limited resource farmer may be eligible for the program without meeting the risk management purchase requirements.
In determining payment amounts, SURE utilizes a formula of 60 percent of the difference between the SURE ‘farm guarantee’ and total farm revenue. The amount of crop insurance and Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage determines the ‘farm guarantee.’ Total farm revenue is a combination of the actual value of production on the farm, plus insurance indemnities and certain farm program payments.
Please visit the FSA website or your local FSA office for more information regarding the SURE program. (Contact: David Hickey)