The USDA Farm Service Agency in Indiana has determined that producers who did not obtain crop insurance or Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage for 2008 can become eligible for 2008 disaster assistance programs authorized by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008. Producers must pay a buy-in fee through May 18 to become eligible.

"Producers have an additional opportunity to become eligible for several programs if they suffered 2008 agricultural losses due to natural disaster," acting executive director Don Hunton said.

Producers who did not take the necessary steps to become eligible for the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP), and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) are required to complete the following steps by May 18: • Pay a $100 buy-in fee per crop. The maximum fee is $200 per county, per producer not to exceed $900 for multicounty producers. • In the case of each insurable crop, excluding grazing land, agree to obtain a policy or plan of insurance for the next insurance year for which crop insurance is available. Coverage level should equal 70 percent or more of the yield at 100 percent of the price. • In the case of each non-insurable crop, agree to file the required paperwork and pay the applicable administrative NAP coverage fee by the applicable state application closing date of the next available year.

Producers who choose to buy-in under this provision will be considered, for insured crops, to have obtained a policy or plan of insurance for the 2008 crop year at a level of coverage not to exceed 70 percent of the yield at 100 percent of the price. For non-insurable crops producers will be considered to have a level of coverage equal to 70 percent of the yield. These levels of coverage will be used to calculate the 2008 SURE guarantee.

Producers who meet the definition of Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource or Beginning Farmer or Rancher will not be required to pay the buy-in fee. For information, contact Rick Kelley at (317) 290-3030, ext. 213 or by E-mail at Rick.kelley@ in.usda.gov.