03/07/05 Disaster relief signup period starts soon

March 14th is the first day that producers who suffered weather related crop losses can signup for disaster relief. State director for the Idaho Farm Service Agency Wayne Hammon says producers who suffered a 35 percent crop loss or a 20 percent quality reduction in 2003 or 2004 should contact their local FSA office. HAMMON "Producers will be eligible the same way they were for our '01 and '02 programs. So if people thought they were eligible or they received a payment last year for crop disaster they should come in again." Last year Idaho producers received more than 23 million dollars in disaster payments. HAMMON "Given that our crop losses were probably even more significant in '03 and '04 we would anticipate this program to put out more money." Hammon says anyone who had a loss from weather or insects will get a payment. HAMMON "We won't pay them more than 95 percent of the value of their crop but anybody who had a loss we'll calculate payments for and they'll be paid right away. We don't have to wait to figure out nationally if it's one million or two million or ten million." Almost any crop you can think of is covered, including sugar beets, which were not in last year's disaster relief program. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott