General Public Policy
USDA issues disaster payments for crop, livestock and feed losses. Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner announced that USDA is issuing payments to tens of thousands of farmers and ranchers across the country who suffered losses because of natural disasters. USDA is currently processing about $1 billion in payments under the Crop Disaster Program, Livestock Compensation Program and Livestock Indemnity Program. Sign-up for these programs is ongoing. The programs provide payments to agricultural producers who suffered crop, livestock and feed losses in 2005, 2006, and before Feb. 28, 2007. But, producers must choose one year for which to receive payments. The Livestock Compensation Program (LCP) compensates livestock producers for feed losses resulting from natural disasters that occurred between Jan.1, 2005, and Feb. 28, 2007. Producers who suffered losses caused by blizzards that started in 2006 and continued into 2007 are eligible. Producers in primary or contiguous counties that were declared secretarial disaster areas or counties declared presidential disaster areas between Jan. 1, 2005, and Feb. 28, 2007, are also eligible.
USDA: No partial 2007 crop year counter-cyclical payments. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that because market prices are high, producers with wheat, barley or oats base acres who are enrolled in USDA's Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program will not receive partial 2007-crop year counter-cyclical payments.
Agromedicine's AgriSafe Project - NCFB is meeting with representatives with the NC Agromedicine Institute regarding interest in establishing a project that recognizes farmers for adopting practices on their farm that reduce risks. The program known as AgriSafe has two primary components: 1) overall health screening of farmers and their families to check for earlier indicators of health concerns, and 2) adoption of a Certified Safe Farm program that evaluates the overall safety of farms. Farmers that participate in the health screening and on farm safety evaluations will be recognized for their role in reducing risks and be eligible for incentives that are to be identified by the AgriSafe Project Advisory Committee.
Dates to Remember
2008
- May 9 - Conservation Farm Family Celebration, Sidden Farm, Wilkes SWCD
- May 15 - 2008 Hurricane Preparedness Meeting, Wake Commons, Raleigh
- May 28 - Conservation Awareness Day, NC General Assembly, Halifax Mall
*Events were NCFB is speaking