For Immediate Release

July 13, 2011

Contact:

Ethel Truly 601-965-4300, ext.102

(Jackson, Miss.), July 13, 2011 – USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Michael R. Sullivan, issued a reminder to producers that July 29, 2011, is the deadline to apply for assistance for 2009 crop losses under the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program.

"The SURE program compensates producers for production and/or quality losses during times of disaster," said Sullivan. "All producers who have experienced crop production and/or crop quality losses must apply for SURE program benefits by the July 29 deadline," he said.

To meet program eligibility requirements, the farming operation must be physically located in a county that was declared a primary or contiguous disaster county by the Secretary of Agriculture under a 2009 Secretarial Disaster Designation.

Producers located in designated disaster counties must have suffered at least a 10 percent loss on a crop of economic significance and purchased crop insurance through the Federal Crop Insurance Act or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP).

However, an operation located in a county that did not receive a primary or contiguous disaster designation can still qualify for SURE benefits if, because of a qualifying disaster event, the actual farm production was less than 50 percent of the normal production on the farm.

Producers and legal entities cannot, directly or indirectly, receive more than $100,000 in SURE and other FSA disaster assistance payments. FSA disaster programs include SURE, Livestock Forage Program (LFP), Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), and Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP).

Producers and legal entities are not eligible for SURE program payments if their nonfarm income exceeds $500,000.

For questions regarding the SURE program, please contact the your local county FSA office.