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> Contact: Steven E. Brown
>
> Steven.brown@in.usda.gov
>
> **BUY-IN WAIVER FOR SUPPLEMENTAL AGRICULTURAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE
> PROGRAMS UNDERWAY IN NEW FARM BILL**
>
> INDIANAPOLIS, IN, July 15, 2008 - Kenny Culp, Executive Director for
> USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Indiana announced today that the
> Agency will allow producers who would otherwise be ineligible for the
> new disaster assistance programs to become eligible by paying a fee as
> required by the 2008 Farm Bill.
>
> The 2008 Farm Bill requires producers who wish to participate in the
> new disaster programs to have crop insurance or non-insured crop
> disaster assistance (NAP) coverage for the land for which assistance
> is being requested, and for all farms in all counties in which they
> have an interest. Since the 2008 Farm Bill was enacted after the
> application periods had closed for those programs, producers who did
> not have such coverage could not comply with this requirement in order
> to be eligible for the new disaster programs. However, the Farm Bill
> authorizes a waiver that allows producers to pay a fee, called a
> \"buy-in\" fee, to be eligible for this new disaster assistance.
>
> \"I urge every producer whose crops, including grazing lands, are not
> fully covered by crop insurance or NAP to take advantage of this
> one-time opportunity,\" Culp said. \"The buy-in fee is due no later
> than Sept. 16, 2008, 90 days after the date of enactment, as required
> by the Farm Bill. If you miss this opportunity you will not be
> eligible for disaster assistance. I also want to remind producers that
> the payment of the applicable buy-in fee does not afford the producer
> crop insurance or NAP coverage; it only affords eligibility for the
> 2008 disaster programs."
>
> The crop insurance and NAP coverage requirements will be waived in
> 2008 for producers who did not obtain crop insurance or NAP coverage
> by the applicable sales closing date, if the producer files an
> application for waiver and pays a buy-in fee in an amount equal to the
> 2008 applicable NAP coverage or catastrophic risk protection plan fee
> for the crop or grazing lands.
>
> \- more -
>
> Producers who meet the definition of "Socially Disadvantaged, Limited
> Resource,\" or
>
> \"Beginning Farmer or Rancher,\" do not have to meet the Risk
> Management Purchase Requirement, and, therefore, are not required to
> pay the buy-in fee.
>
> The buy-in fee for 2008 eligibility only for either the catastrophic
> risk protection insurance (CAT) or NAP is \$100 per crop, but not more
> than \$300 per producer per administrative county, or \$900 total per
> producer for all counties less any previously paid fees for CAT and/or
> NAP. Producers can contact their local administrative FSA County
> Office to file the application for waiver and pay the applicable fees.
>
> The applicable buy-in form must be completed and applicable fees paid
> by Sept. 16, 2008. Payment of the applicable fees will allow the
> producer to be eligible for benefits for losses under Supplemental
> Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) Program, Livestock Forage Disaster
> Program (LFP), Tree Assistance Program (TAP), and Emergency Assistance
> Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP).
>
> The Farm Bill authorizes funds to be used to make payments to farmers
> and ranchers incurring eligible crop production/quality losses under
> the SURE Program, grazing losses under LFP, livestock death losses
> under LIP, and losses suffered by producers of livestock, honeybees,
> and farm-raised fish under ELAP. The 2008 Act also authorizes TAP.
>
> To be eligible for SURE, TAP, and ELAP, producers must meet the Risk
> Management Purchase Requirement by purchasing at least the CAT level
> of crop insurance for all insurable crops and/or NAP coverage for
> non-insurable crops. To be eligible for LFP, producers must meet the
> Risk Management Purchase Requirement by purchasing or obtaining for
> the grazing land incurring the losses where assistance is being
> requested, a policy or plan of insurance under the Federal Crop
> Insurance Act, including pilot programs such as the Pasture,
> Rangeland, Forage Program (PRF) or NAP coverage by filing the required
> paperwork and paying the administrative fee by the applicable State
> filing deadline. The Risk Management Purchase Requirement does not
> apply to LIP.
>
> The SURE program will be available to eligible producers on farms in
> disaster counties, designated by the Secretary, including contiguous
> counties that have incurred crop production losses and/or crop quality
> losses during the crop year. It also will be available to any farm
> where, during the calendar year, the total loss of production on the
> farm, because of weather, is greater than 50 percent of the normal
> production of the farm.
>
> The LFP program will be available to eligible livestock producers who
> suffered grazing losses for eligible livestock, because of drought on
> land that is either native or improved pastureland with permanent
> vegetative cover or planted to a crop specifically for providing
> grazing. The LFP program will also be available to eligible livestock
> producers who suffered
>
> -more-
>
> grazing losses for eligible livestock, because of fire on rangeland
> managed by a Federal agency, if the eligible livestock producer is
> prohibited from grazing the normal permitted livestock on the managed
> rangeland.
>
> The LIP program will be available to eligible livestock producers on
> farms that have incurred livestock death losses in excess of normal
> mortality, because of adverse weather, as determined by the Secretary
> during the calendar year, including losses because of hurricanes,
> floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat and extreme cold.
>
> The TAP program provides assistance to orchardists and eligible
> nursery tree growers who produce nursery, ornamental, fruit, nut or
> Christmas trees for commercial sale that lost trees, bushes, or vines,
> because of a natural disaster, as determined by the Secretary.
>
> The ELAP program will provide emergency relief to producers of
> livestock, honey bees and farm-raised fish, because of losses from
> adverse weather or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires,
> as determined by the Secretary.
>
> Because Congress did not provide a rulemaking exception for these
> programs, FSA must first publish a proposed rule seeking public
> comment, followed by a final rule. FSA is working to develop detailed
> regulations and software for these programs. Sign up for these
> programs is not expected to be held until this winter.
>
> \#
>
> FSA's news releases are available on the Web at FSA's home page:
> [http://www.fsa.usda.gov](http://www.fsa.usda.gov/).
>
> "The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits
> discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of
> race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable,
> sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion,
> sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal,
> or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any
> public assistance programs. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all
> programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
> communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape,
> etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and
> TDD).
>
> To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, **Office
> of Adjudication and Compliance**, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW,
> Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or
> (202)-720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and
> employer."