The Farm Service Agency is seeking Loss Adjusters (LAs) for the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). Loss Adjusters are required to have knowledge of field crops and specialty crops, as well as a thorough understanding and execution of crop adjusting guidelines and program provisions, as applicable to FSA programs.

Loss Adjusters are self-employed; therefore, health and retirement benefits are not provided. LA’s are responsible for paying all taxes on earned income. LA’s are also responsible for obtaining equipment necessary to perform required inspection/appraisal duties. Some equipment such as cameras and GPS measuring devices may be available through the FSA county office.

Loss adjusters should expect that hours available are highly variable depending on season and frequency of weather related events during the growing season.

Required qualifications include, but are not limited to:

• A minimum of two years of college education or adequate agriculture-related experience
• Strong analytical skills and attention to details
• Excellent interpersonal communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing to producers and FSA employees
• Ability to maintain confidentiality in daily operations
• Reliable means of transportation and ability to travel within assigned area. LA’s may be assigned work in several counties and may travel statewide.

Essential functions and responsibilities:

• Participate in yearly LA update training
• Complete field inspections
• Read maps and aerial photographs
• Measure fields
• Discuss findings of crop loss with farmers
• Perform fact-finding and investigate crop damage, thoroughly documenting findings
• Maintain knowledge of FSA’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and Tree Assistance Program (TAP) and RMA’s appraisals and inspections
• Schedule assignments to ensure timely service, returning producer forms to the FSA county office within 10 calendar days
• Accurately complete and timely submit all claim documents and LA pay vouchers
• Promote a good working relationship between the producer and FSA.

Required training Two phases of LA training must be completed before becoming a certified loss adjuster.

• Phase 1 is a minimum of 24 hours and can be as much as 120 hours of classroom training that covers general policy provisions in effect for appraisals, loss adjustment forms, crop handbooks, verification, and use of acreage and production to count.
• Phase II is a combination of classroom and field training for loss situations, including ineligible causes of loss and controversial cases. Phase II is a minimum of 24 hours.
• The LA trainee will work with a fully certified LA to become certified. A LA is not fully certified until two different crops are appraised without error.
• A minimum of 6 to 8 hours of annual update training is required to remain certified.

LA ethics and conflicts of interest LA’s must follow all applicable federal laws and ensure that there is no appearance or occurrence of conflict of interest. LA’s cannot:

• Solicit or accept money, gifts, or favors from any party that are designed to influence or give the appearance of influencing any loss adjustment findings or decisions
• Use position to gain favor, influence, or financial advantage
• Work in the county where he or she is the spouse of an FSA county executive director or county committee member
• Engage in sales or administration of any MPCI policy
• Adjust losses for:
• any family member (including but not limited to parents, brothers, sisters, children, spouse, in-laws, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents; relationship by adoption or similar extent is included)
• the family of an employee of the LA
• any party with whom the LA has a material or financial interest.
• Discriminate against any producer because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Eligibility A Loss Adjuster cannot be:

• A permanent, part-time, or intermittent FSA employee (A field reporter who performs only technical field services may be an LA; however, work cannot be performed for both positions on the same day.)
• An FSA State or county committee member
• An elected or appointed public officer
• A candidate for any elected or appointed public office.

Contact Contact Aly Dyson, NJ FSA Farm Program Disaster Specialist, Alyson.Dyson@usda.gov, with any questions

Agricultural producers and handlers who are certified organic, along with producers and handlers who are transitioning to organic production, can now apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Organic and Transitional Education 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. Applications for OTECP and OCCSP are both due October 31, 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.  

This cost share for certification is available for each of these categories: crops, wild crops, livestock, processing/handling and State organic program fees.   

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.  Producers have until October 31, 2022 to file applications, and FSA will make payments as applications are received.  

To apply, producers and handlers should contact the Farm Service Agency (FSA) at their local USDA Service Center. 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.   

Additional details can be found on the OTECP and OCCSP webpages. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced another installment (phase) in assistance to commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2020 and 2021. More than 18,000 producers will soon receive new or updated pre-filled disaster applications to offset eligible crop losses. Approximately $6.4 billion has already been distributed to 165,000 producers through USDA’s Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Emergency Relief Program (ERP). 

FSA will begin mailing pre-filled applications in late August to producers who have potentially eligible losses and: 

• Received crop insurance indemnities for qualifying 2020 and 2021 disaster events after May 2, 2022.
• Received crop insurance indemnities associated with Nursery, Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX), Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) and Margin Protection (MP) policies. 
• New primary policyholders not included in the initial insured producer Phase 1 mailing from May 25, 2022, because their claim records had not been filled. 
• Certain 2020 prevent plant losses related to qualifying 2020 disaster events that had only been recorded in crop insurance records as related to 2019 adverse weather events and, as such, were not previously provided in applications sent earlier this year.
• New Substantial Beneficial Interest (SBI) records, including SBIs where tax identification numbers were corrected.

Producers are expected to receive assistance direct deposited into their bank account within three business days after they sign and return the pre-filled application to the FSA county office and the county office enters the application into the system.  

Before applying any program payment factors or eligibility criteria, it is estimated that this next installment (phase) may generate about $756 million in assistance.

Emergency Relief Payments to Date 

This emergency relief under ERP complements ERP assistance recently provided to more than 165,000 producers who had received crop insurance indemnities and Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) payments for qualifying losses. USDA has processed more than 255,000 applications for ERP, and to date, has made approximately $6.4 billion in payments to commodity and specialty crop producers to help offset eligible losses from qualifying 2020 and 2021 natural disasters. Also, earlier this year, staff processed more than 100,000 payments through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) and paid eligible producers more than $601.3 million for 2021 grazing losses within days of the program announcement. 

Phase Two 

The second phase of both ERP and ELRP will be aimed at filling gaps and provide assistance to producers who did not participate in or receive payments through the existing risk management programs that are being leveraged for phase one implementation. USDA will keep producers and stakeholders informed as program details are made available.     

More Information 

In addition, on Aug. 18, 2022, USDA published a technical correction to the Notice of Funds Availability for ERP and ELRP to clarify how income from the sale of farm equipment and the provision of production inputs and services to farmers, ranchers, foresters, and farm operations are to be considered in the calculation of average adjusted gross farm income.  Producers whose average adjusted gross farm income is at least 75% of the producer’s the average Adjusted Gross Income can gain access to a higher payment limitation.

ERP and the previously announced ELRP are authorized by the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act, which President Biden signed into law in 2021. The law provided $10 billion to help agricultural producers impacted by wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, winter storms and other eligible disasters experienced during calendar years 2020 and 2021.  

For more information on ERP and ELRP eligibility, program provisions for historically underserved producers as well as Frequently Asked Questions, producers can visit FSA’s Emergency Relief webpage. A new public-facing dashboard on the ERP webpage has information on ERP payments that can be sorted by crop type – specialty or non-specialty– specific commodities and state. FSA will update the dashboard every Monday. 

Additional USDA disaster assistance information can be found on farmers.gov, including the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet and Farm Loan Discovery Tool. For FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service programs, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent.

The Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) helps you manage risk through coverage for both crop losses and crop planting that was prevented due to natural disasters. The eligible or “noninsured” crops include agricultural commodities not covered by federal crop insurance.   

You must be enrolled in the program and have purchased coverage for the eligible crop in the crop year and county in which the loss incurred to receive program benefits following a qualifying natural disaster.

 The next closing deadline for New Jersey is September 30th for Aquaculture, Christmas Trees, Flowers, Grass (SOD), Garlic, Grass (Hay), Mixed Forage, Rye, Teff. 
New Jersey coverage deadlines: by closing date or by crop .

NAP Buy-Up Coverage Option

NAP offers higher levels of coverage, from 50 to 65 percent of expected production in 5 percent increments, at 100 percent of the average market price. Buy-up levels of NAP coverage are available if the producer can show at least one year of previously successfully growing the crop for which coverage is being requested.

Producers of organics and crops marketed directly to consumers also may exercise the “buy-up” option to obtain NAP coverage of 100 percent of the average market price at the coverage levels of between 50 and 65 percent of expected production.

NAP basic coverage is available at 55 percent of the average market price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of expected production.   

Buy-up coverage is not available for crops intended for grazing.

NAP Service Fees

For all coverage levels, the NAP service fee is the lesser of $325 per crop or $825 per producer per county, not to exceed a total of $1,950 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties. 

NAP Enhancements for Qualified Military Veterans

Qualified veteran farmers or ranchers are eligible for a service fee waiver and premium reduction, if the NAP applicant meets certain eligibility criteria.

Beginning, limited resource and targeted underserved farmers or ranchers remain eligible for a waiver of NAP service fees and premium reduction when they file form CCC-860, “Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource and Beginning Farmer or Rancher Certification.”

For NAP application, eligibility and related program information, contact your USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov/nap.

Producers with farmers.gov accounts can now access farm records and maps online, the latest self-service feature added to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website.

You can quickly and easily access your land information in real time by desktop computer, tablet or phone. Capabilities include:

• View, print and export detailed farm records such as cropland, base acres, yields, CRP acres, land ownership details, and much more;
• View, print and export farm/tract maps that can be provided to lenders, chemical or fertilizer providers, and FSA for reporting acreage and crop insurance agents; and
• Export common land unit (field) boundaries as ESRI shapefiles.

The ability to access these records on demand without a visit to the service center saves you time and money.

Farmers.gov now includes the most popular functionalities from FSAFarm+, the FSA portal for producers, while providing enhanced functionality and an improved user experience. A new enhancement expands the scope of accessibility to include farmers and ranchers who are members of an entity, as well as people with a power of attorney form (FSA-211) on file with FSA.

Managing USDA Business Online

Using farmers.gov, producers, entities and those acting on their behalf can also:

• View, upload, download, and e-sign conservation documents.

• Request financial assistance, including submitting a program application.
• View and submit conservation requests.
• View technical references and submit questions.
• Access information on current and past conservation practices, plans and contracts.
• Report practice completion and request practice certification.
• View farm loan and interest information (producers only).

Future plans include adding the ability to import and view other shapefiles, such as precision agriculture planting boundaries.

To access your information, you’ll will need a USDA eAuth account to login to farmers.gov. After obtaining an eAuth account, producers should visit farmers.gov and sign into the site’s authenticated portal via the Sign In/Sign Up link at the top right of the website. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge are the recommended browsers to access the feature.

In addition to the self-service features available by logging into farmers.gov, the website also has ample information on USDA programs, including pandemic assistance, farm loans, disaster assistance, conservation programs and crop insurance. Recently, USDA updated the navigation and organization of the site as well as added some new webpages, including “Get Involved,” “Common Forms,” and “Translations.” Learn more about these changes.