Arkansas ranchers with pastures or hay for livestock have until March 15 to sign up for the Noninsured Assistance Program (NAP). This includes applying for coverage on such crops as grain and forage crops including native forage, said Henry English, head of the Small Farm Program at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
NAP protects against crops planted and grown for livestock consumption from losses due to natural disasters such as drought, excessive heat, excessive moisture or floods. For all coverage levels, the NAP service fee is the lesser of $250 per county or $750 per producer per administrative county, not to exceed a total of $1,875 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties.
Of importance to certain growers are NAP fee waivers. Basic NAP coverage is now free to all farmers who qualify as beginning, limited resource or socially disadvantaged. Socially disadvantaged now includes women, English said.
Previously, only limited resource farmers were eligible for fee waivers. To be eligible, farmers must first certify their status when applying for coverage at their Farm Service Agency office.
English advises growers to sign up for the program at their local FSA office.