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Weather can be unpredictable and harmful to crops. If weather events cause damage to or loss of your NAP covered crops, remember that you must report this to your local FSA county office timely in order to be eligible for a NAP benefit.
NAP notices of loss can be initiated by phone, email, or fax, but must be submitted in writing, to your local FSA county office for weather related events or adverse natural occurrences that cause damage to or loss of the NAP covered crop. To report crop damage or loss you must complete, sign, and file the loss portion of form CCC-576 with your FSA office by the earlier of either of the following:
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15 calendar days after the disaster occurrence or date of loss or damage to the crop or commodity first becomes apparent or
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15 calendar days after the normal harvest date.
Please note, producers of hand-harvested crops and certain perishable crops must notify FSA within 72 hours of when a loss becomes apparent.
FSA county offices can take initial NAP notice of loss notifications via phone, email, or fax. Offices will assist producers in completing the official CCC-576 Notice of Loss form as best as possible, sending the form to producers via email, fax, or mail for final review and signature. The completed and signed CCC-576 should then be returned to the county office as soon as possible via email, fax, or mail. A CCC-576 is not considered filed until it has been signed and returned to FSA.
As the 2022 crop year progresses, it is imperative that a notice of loss is filed (for all affected NAP covered crops) within the timeframe noted above for each weather-related event or adverse natural occurrence. This will ensure FSA is notified that your NAP covered crop or crops have been damaged or lost. If the loss event is approved, remember to provide your crop production to your local FSA county office within 60 days after harvest or request an appraisal within 60 days of the normal harvest date so that the payment portion of form CCC-576 can be filed timely.
When a covered crop is lost or damage is significant, replanting is required if feasible and the final planting date has not passed. When you determine that a NAP covered crop will be destroyed, abandoned, or not taken to harvest as intended, you must report this to your local FSA office as soon as possible so a field visit can be conducted by a certified loss adjuster. Once the crop appraisal has been completed, the loss adjuster will release the field and you can destroy the covered crop acres and replant to a different crop or harvest the acres for a different use.
Remember, failure to timely notify your FSA county office of NAP covered crop damage or loss will result in denial of NAP payment benefits. Destroying NAP covered crop acres or harvesting for a different use without a loss adjuster appraisal will result in those acres being determined ineligible for NAP payment benefits.
If you have any questions about NAP policy requirements, contact your local county FSA office for more information.
For crops that are not insurable with catastrophic level coverage (CAT) through your crop insurance agent, Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage is an available tool to help mitigate financial risk. NAP covers non-insurable crops damaged, lost or prevented from being planted due to a natural weather-related disaster condition.
There are several coverage level options through this program. NAP provides a catastrophic level (CAT) of coverage for losses that exceed 50 percent of the expected yield at 55 percent of the approved NAP price for the crop. The 2018 Farm Bill reinstated higher levels of coverage, from 50 to 65 percent of expected production in 5 percent increments, at 100 percent of the approved NAP price. Producers who elect a higher level of coverage must “buy-up” and pay a premium in addition to the service fee. Producers with an organic certification can select the organic option when requesting NAP coverage at either CAT or buy-up levels of coverage at 100 percent of the approved organic NAP price. Buy-up coverage is not available for crops intended for grazing.
Premium cost for buy-up coverage on yield-based crops will be calculated based on the lesser of either of the following:
- The applicable payment limitation ($300,000 for buy-up) X 5.25% premium fee = $15,750 maximum premium per individual or legal entity, or
- The sum of acres X APH yield X share X coverage level X NAP price X 5.25% premium fee for each NAP crop with buy-up coverage selected.
NAP payment limitation for basic coverage remains at $125,000 per individual or legal entity. Beginning, limited resource, and targeted underserved farmers or ranchers remain eligible for a NAP premium reduction.
NAP service fee is $325 per crop per county, up to $825 per county, not to exceed $1,950 per producer with NAP covered crops in multiple counties. A waiver of the NAP service fee is available to beginning, limited resource, and traditionally underserved farmers and ranchers.
NAP coverage for eligible 2023 crops should be purchased at least 1 day before the crop is planted, but no later than the established NAP application for coverage closing date for the crop or crops listed as follows:
August 31, 2022 – 2023 cabbage (for seed or fresh); canola; carrots (for seed); cauliflower (for seed or fresh); onions (for seed, fresh, or processing); rapeseed; rutabaga (for seed or fresh); turnips (for seed or fresh); and any other fall planted crops not mentioned in other closing dates.
September 30, 2022 – 2023 aquaculture; beets (for stecklings); Christmas trees; floriculture; garlic; mint; mushrooms; turf grass sod; biennial/perennial forages and mixed forages for hay, seed, or grazing.
November 20, 2022 – 2023 asparagus, berries, grapes, hops, tree fruits, nuts, and other perennial crops not listed under the 9/30 category.
December 31, 2022 – 2023 honey.
March 15, 2023 – 2023 artichokes, beets (for seed or fresh), buckwheat, camelina, carrots (for fresh or processing), hemp, mustard, radish (for seed or fresh), small grain forage (wheat, barley, oats, peas), and any other spring planted crops not mentioned in other closing dates.
NAP application for coverage deadlines are also posted on the Washington State FSA website located here. Contact your local county FSA office if you are interested in applying for NAP coverage, or if you have any questions regarding NAP availability or application closing dates.
With the start of 2022 crop harvest, keep in mind that FSA Marketing Assistance Loans are available for harvested commodities. A loan can provide you with interim financing to meet cash flow needs without selling your harvested crop at a time when market prices are at harvest-time lows. Your 2022 harvested farm-stored or warehouse-stored commodity is used as collateral for the loan. Marketing Assistance Loans typically mature 9 months after the month loan funds are disbursed to you, with repayment due at loan maturity. Before moving farm-stored loan collateral, you must contact the county FSA office and obtain an authorization to move the collateral. Producers who have a commodity pledged as collateral for a marketing assistance loan can purchase a commodity certificate that can be immediately exchanged for the outstanding loan collateral in situations when the loan rate exceeds the exchange rate. Producers who are eligible for marketing assistance loans can obtain loan deficiency payments (LDPs) in lieu of a loan. LDP’s are available when the posted county price for a crop falls below the county loan rate. You can check the daily LDP rates online at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/price-support/Index .
For a commodity to be eligible for a loan, loan deficiency payment, or certificate, you must have beneficial interest in the commodity which is defined as having title, possession, and control of the commodity. The quality of stored collateral must be maintained, and you are responsible for loss or damage to the commodity through the term of the loan. To retain eligibility for an LDP when beneficial interest in your harvested crop will be lost upon delivery, you must file form CCC-633 EZ Page 1 with your local FSA office prior to loss of beneficial interest.
Marketing assistance loans or loan deficiency payments are available for wheat, barley, oats, corn, dry peas, lentils, small chickpeas, large chickpeas, grain sorghum, soybeans, sunflower seed, rapeseed, canola, safflower seed, flaxseed, mustard seed, crambe, sesame seed, graded and non-graded wool, mohair, and honey. Unshorn pelts are available for an LDP only. If you are interested, please contact your local FSA county office to learn more about Marketing Assistance Loans.
Wool producers may be eligible for a Loan Deficiency Payment (LDP) through the Farm Service Agency. LDPs are direct payments made in lieu of a marketing assistance loan when the Commodity Credit Corporation determined value, based on the current local price, is below the applicable loan rate. For wool, the local prices and loan rates are set at a national level. The payment is the difference between the price and loan rate times the eligible quantity. Wool LDP rates are updated on a weekly basis and can be found online here. Use the Weekly Commodity Rates icon to open the dropdown which includes the “Wool and Mohair LDP Rates” spreadsheet.
Unsold wool shorn during the 2022 calendar year may be eligible for a 2022 LDP. For a commodity to be eligible for an LDP, the producer must have beneficial interest in the commodity, defined as having title, possession, and control of the commodity, and responsible for loss of or damage to the commodity. All related application forms must be completed at the local FSA office prior to loss of beneficial interest. Additional eligibility requirements must be met before an LDP payment can be paid. This includes a 2022 FSA-578 acreage report for all crop acres, a CCC-941 Adjusted Gross Income Certification, a CCC-902 Farm Operating Plan, an AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Certification, and a direct deposit form or waiver.
In order to request an LDP for wool, producers must complete a CCC-633 EZ Loan Deficiency Payment Agreement and Request form. Page 1 is the agreement which signifies an intent to request an LDP and must be completed before a producer loses beneficial interest of the eligible commodity. Page 4 is the wool request for LDP benefits and must be submitted after page 1 is completed. Once signed and approved, page 4 cannot be cancelled and payments cannot be deferred. Payments are processed after page 4 has been submitted and approved.
For more information on LDPs, visit https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/price-support/Index or visit your local FSA office.
Agricultural producers and handlers who are certified organic, along with producers and handlers who are transitioning to organic production, can apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) and Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which help producers and handlers cover the cost of organic certification, along with other related expenses. The 2022 OTECP and OCCSP signup period is open until October 31, 2022.
Cost Share for 2022
OTECP covers:
- Certification costs for organic producers and handlers (25% up to $250 per category).
- Eligible expenses for transitional producers, including fees for pre-certification inspections and development of an organic system plan (75% up to $750).
- Registration fees for educational events (75% up to $200).
- Soil testing (75% up to $100).
Meanwhile, OCCSP covers 50% or up to $500 per category of certification costs in 2022. In the state of Washington, OCCSP can provide cost share under the following categories: crops, wild crops, livestock, and processing/handling.
Producers can receive cost share through both OTECP and OCCSP. Both OTECP and OCCSP cover costs incurred from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022. OCCSP provides cost share assistance to producers and handlers of agricultural products for the costs of obtaining or maintaining organic certification under the USDA’s National Organic Program. Eligible expenses for cost share reimbursement under OCCSP include application fees, inspection costs, fees related to equivalency agreement and arrangement requirements, travel expenses for inspectors, user fees, sales assessments and postage. Itemized invoices documenting paid eligible expenses are required to be submitted as part of an acceptable application packet for OCCSP and may be requested for OTECP applications. Producers have until October 31, 2022 to file OTECP and OCCSP applications. FSA will process payments as completed application packets are received.
How to Apply
To apply for either OTECP or OCCSP, producers and handlers should contact the Farm Service Agency (FSA) at their local county FSA office. As part of completing the OCCSP applications, producers and handlers will need to provide documentation of their organic certification and eligible expenses. Organic producers and handlers may also apply for OCCSP through participating State agencies.
Producers and handlers certified organic by Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) may receive OCCSP cost share reimbursement funding through WSDA later in the year. If cost share is paid through WSDA, producers and handles are not eligible to receive duplicate OCCSP reimbursement from USDA-FSA. If a producer has an organic operation certified by WSDA and does not receive reimbursement through WSDA, the producer can apply for OCCSP through FSA. Additional documentation may be required to verify that a duplicate payment was not processed through WSDA. OTECP funding available is not available to state agencies like WSDA. All OTECP applications must be received and processed through FSA.
Additional details can be found on the OTECP and OCCSP webpages.
Chelan County - Program Technician
The Farm Service Agency office located in Wenatchee, WA is accepting applications for a Full-Time Permanent Program Technician position. Duties include carrying out office activities related to farm programs. The full vacancy announcement which includes qualifications, eligibility requirements, and closing date are posted on USA Jobs at www.usajobs.gov.
Skagit-Snohomish County - Program Technician
The Farm Service Agency offices located in Mt Vernon, WA and Lake Stevens, WA are accepting applications for a Full-Time Permanent Program Technician position. Duties include carrying out office activities related to farm programs. The full vacancy announcement which includes qualifications, eligibility requirements, and closing date are posted on USA Jobs at www.usajobs.gov.
USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.
Washington State Farm Service Agency (FSA) is hiring a full time, Temporary Program Technician (PT), positions in Douglas County, Grant County, Lincoln County, Okanogan County, Skagit County, Spokane County, Walla Walla County, and Yakima County.
Duties include general office activities supporting FSA programs administered at the field level. Successful applicants must be reliable, have a professional attitude, enjoy working with the public. The Spokane position will require a valid driver’s license for day travel to local offices in Lincoln, Adams, and Whitman counties. The salary range is $32,283 to $51,834 per year.
Applicant closing dates will vary by location. If you are interested or know of someone who might be interested, please share this information with them. To apply please submit a copy of your resume to the following. You may also contact the number listed for specific questions regarding the position:
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
August 1, 2022 – County Committee election nominations due.
August 31, 2022 – Deadline to obtain 2023 crop year NAP coverage for cabbage (for seed or fresh); canola; carrots (for seed); cauliflower (for seed or fresh); onions (for seed, fresh, or processing); rapeseed; rutabaga (for seed or fresh); turnips (for seed or fresh); and any other fall planted crops not mentioned in other closing dates (full list of Washington State NAP dates posted here).
September 5, 2022 – Labor Day. USDA service centers will be closed.
September 30, 2022 – Deadline to obtain 2023 crop year NAP coverage for aquaculture; beets (for stecklings); Christmas trees; floriculture; garlic; mint; mushrooms; turf grass sod; biennial/perennial forages and mixed forages for hay, seed, or grazing.
October 10, 2022 – Columbus Day. USDA service centers will be closed.
October 31, 2022 – Deadline to apply for the 2022 OTECP and OCCSP. Cost share funds available for organic certification expenses paid from October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022.
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