Disaster Program Signup Open Through Sept. 30
News Date August 31, 2010
The Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE) had paid out more than $1.2 billion as of August 17. SURE will keep taking applications for 2008 losses through September 30th. States receiving the most money were Iowa at $211 million, followed by North Dakota with nearly $164 million and Texas with $133 million. To qualify for SURE, a farm usually must be in or bordering on a county designated as an agricultural disaster area.
There is current debate on whether SURE works for some farmers, particularly in the South, since the program protects loss of yield rather than loss of profit. Some farmers, mainly in the South and particularly those growing cotton and rice, say the premiums for crop insurance are too high for the benefits they receive. As it happens, the areas affected by the worst weather were areas in which farmers do not have crop insurance. There is a current proposal being negotiated between the White House and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) to provide ad hoc disaster assistance to those farmers that do not qualify under the SURE program due to lack of crop insurance. (Contact: Brad McKinney)