03/31/05 Producers can sign up for disaster relief

Idaho 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 which we did last year. Anybody who had a loss in either one of those years 2003 or 2004 ought to bring their production data in, make an appointment with the county office. Its kind of a complicated process to get everyone signed up." Last year Idaho producers received more than 23 million dollars in disaster payments and Hammon says because of drought and insect problems that figure will probably be higher under the new program. HAMMON "Congress authorized us to pay everyone at the established rate. So there's not like a maximum dollar figure nationwide. We'll pay everybody that had a loss. We don't have to wait for it nationally to see if it's one million or two million or ten million." They won't pay producers more than 95 percent of the value of their crop but they'll be paid right away. Almost any crop you can think of is covered, including sugar beets, which were not in last year's disaster relief program list. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott