Disaster declaration enables SURE program

Conditions last fall made it difficult to get wheat planted in this area. It seems that the moisture (rain/snow/ice) just kept coming. Harvest was slow with combine ruts still in evidence in nearly every field. Feeding livestock through the winter also brought up discussions of how long it has been since it was this muddy.

Based on this prolonged weather-based occurrence, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Chautauqua, Cherokee, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, Montgomery, and Neosho Counties in Kansas as primary natural disaster areas due to losses from prevented planting caused by frost, excessive rain, flash flooding, and flooding that occurred from September 1, 2009, through January 6, 2010.

These conditions caused severe damage to areas of Kansas and prevented farmers from being able to plant their wheat. This action will help to make designated disaster program benefits available to farmers who suffered significant production losses to their 2010 wheat crop.

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Kansas also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous: Allen, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Coffey, Cowley, Lyon, Woodson, and Wilson.

Farmers in the following counties in Missouri and Oklahoma also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous: Barton, Jasper, Newton, and Vernon in Missouri; and Craig, Nowata, Osage Ottawa, and Washington in Oklahoma.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas March 18, 2010, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

Other USDA program available to assist farmers and ranchers include the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), which was approved as part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. If coverage had been timely purchased, Federal Crop Insurance and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) might also offer some beneficial coverage for affected producers. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

FSA news releases are available on FSA's Web site at http://www.fsa.usda.gov via the "News and Events" link.

MEETING NOTE: A rain barrel Conservation Workshop will be hosted by the Bourbon and Linn County Conservation Districts from 5 to 7 p.m. on Earth Day, April 22, at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds. A rain barrel is used to save rain water for home uses, so can be useful for everyone, both urban and rural residents. All materials will be provided, and for $30 attendees will be able to take home a 55-gallon rain barrel. Please RSVP to (620) 223-3170, extension 28; or (913) 795-2940, extension 3 by 4:30 p.m. April 15.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC, 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

Editor's Note: Doug Niemeir is the County Executive Director for the USDA/Farm Service Agency. He can be reached by emailing him at Douglas.Niemeir@ks.usda.gov