Agricultural and Food Policy
 Agri Outlook Radio
Number 204
Hurricane and Tropical Storm Gustav Damages Has U.S. Rice Producers Requesting Speedy
Implementation of the New Farm Bill’s Supplemental Revenue [disaster] Assistance Payments Program
(SURE) (4:17 minutes)
Audio/Video Script:
Robert Coats, Ph.D.
Extension Economist and Professor
University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture
This is Robert Coats Extension Economist University of Arkansas Division of
Agriculture.
Hurricane and tropical storm Gustav damages has U.S. rice producers
requesting speedy implementation of the new farm bill’s Supplemental Revenue
[disaster] Assistance Payments Program (SURE).
Johnny Broussard with the USA Rice Federation said the USA Rice Federation is
urging a prompt disaster response by USDA in implementing one of the new farm
bills disaster programs the new Supplemental Revenue [disaster] Assistance
Payments Program (SURE) as quickly as possible. This will allow producers in
impacted areas to have the opportunity to sign up for assistance.
USA Rice Federation Chairman Jamie Warshaw and USA Rice Producers’ Group
Chairman Tommy Hoskyn said. “The requirements of the SURE program also make it
critical that the disaster declarations are issued so that producers in impacted
areas are eligible to participate in this program. Rice producers and their 2008
crops have been hit by severe weather, with hurricane and tropical storm Gustav
devastating parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Rice is under water
or lodged in many fields, they noted. Some producers face a total of a portion
of their crop. They also said harvesting downed rice from waterlogged fields and
drying it will increase fuel costs “on top of an already very costly planting
and growing season.”
To be eligible for benefits under the new Supplemental Revenue [disaster]
Assistance Payments Program (SURE) a producer is required to purchase and or
buy-into the Federal Crop Insurance or Noninsured Disaster Assistance (NAP)
Programs described as follows: The producer must have Federal Crop Insurance or
Noninsured Disaster Assistance coverage on all crop acreage, in all counties,
that is planted or intended to be planted for harvest. This includes but is not
limited to the following: crops for grain, hay, grazing, seed, aquaculture, sod,
fresh market, processed market, juice market, and honey.
It is important to note that producers who meet the requirements of a
Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, and or Beginning Farmers or Ranchers
do NOT have to meet this Risk Management Purchase Requirement.
For all 2008 Arkansas crops the sales closing date for Federal Crop Insurance
and Noninsured Disaster Assistance (NAP) Programs has passed.
Since the 2008 fiscal year began in October of 2007 and the farm bill was not
passed into law until June of 2008, a special waiver has been granted to allow
farm producers the opportunity to pay a buy-in fee of $100.00 per crop to meet
insurance requirement.
The deadline to pay the buy-in fee is September 16, 2008.
Paying of the buy-in fee does NOT allow coverage in the Federal Crop
Insurance or Non-Insured Disaster Assistance Programs.
The 2008 buy-in fees will be paid at a producer’s local FSA office for both
Federal Crop Insurance and Non-Insured Disaster Assistance crops. The maximum
fees a producer will be required to pay is $300.00 per county for Federal Crop
Insurance crops and $300.00 per county for Non-Insured Disaster Assistance
crops. A producer’s maximum for all counties for Federal Crop Insurance is
$900.00 and for Non-Insured Disaster Assistance is $900.
This has been Robert Coats Extension Economist University of Arkansas
Division of Agriculture.
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