06/04/07 Disaster assistance; the check is not in the mail

Farm and Ranch June 4, 2007 After several years of trying, agricultural disaster assistance finally passed Congress and was signed into law by the president. But if you're an agricultural producer who may qualify for the assistance, don't expect a check anytime soon. Johnson: "So we do have to develop new software and write new regulations for these programs." That's John Johnson with USDA's Farm Service Agency who says sign up for the disaster program could be five months or so away. Here is what the multibillion dollar disaster package contains. Johnson: "It has a crop disaster program in it as well as a livestock compensation program and a livestock indemnity program for people who lost livestock that died as a result of a natural disaster." Weather related losses are covered for 2005, 2006 and for crops in 2007 planted before February. However farmers can only be paid for one of those years. Johnson: "You can't claim a disaster on your wheat in 2005 and your corn n 2006. You have to pick the one year." Johnson says there is a major difference in this disaster program compared to those in the past. Johnson: "In that Congress has said this program is only available to those producers who took out crop insurance or coverage under our Noninsured Assistance Program or what we call NAP for some minor crops and specialty crops." To be eligible a farmer must have had at least a 30 percent loss. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.