Crop deadlines for Ag Producers coming up.

The USDA offers several programs for agricultural producers in Montana and Jill Lorang, who works for the Cascade County Farm Service Agency, talked to KMON Ag about some of those programs.

Jill: "The non-insured disaster assistance program is crop insurance through FSA for crops that aren't insured under regular crop insurance and because grazing is a pilot program with RMA, we also offer a grazing policy. Basic NAP is a 50-55% coverage level, meaning that producers with a qualifying loss have to have a 50% loss and then it pays that 55% of the price."

KMON: Jill told us that producers can do buy up levels and deadlines are September 30th for fall planting 2023 crops, contact your local FSA offices for more details. Another program Jill talked about is the emergency livestock assistance program.

Jill: "It provides assistance for water hauling to livestock and for feed transportation to livestock. It also covers if you're having to truck your livestock to additional feed. If you find a pasture someplace else or feedlot. The important part about ELAP is that those notice losses have to be filed within 30 days of you starting to haul water or feed and record keeping is extremely important for this program."

KMON: Jill talked about the livestock forage program as well.

Jill: "Cascade County has triggered the maximum number of payments due to the intensity of the drought. Please call the office to schedule an appointment for this program, again record keeping is extremely important. We're going to need all leases and proof of livestock inventory turned in. The deadline to apply for the application for payment on this program January 30^th but we are issuing payments as soon as we get all of the documentation in place."

KMON: Be aware as deadlines are approaching for many of these programs

Jill: "Fall reported maps for any Winter Wheat that you're planting perennial forage, and those type of crops, the deadline to turn in is November 15. We will not be sending map packets out but do have the majority of them printed. So if you want to stop by and pick up your maps, you can definitely do that at any point in time."

KMON: Jill invited you to go to Farmers.GOV to look at the fact sheets for general information, as well as calculation sheets.