Drought relief includes aid specific to cover crops
land severely damaged by natural disas- ters and to implement emergency water conservation measures in periods of se- vere drought. • The Livestock Indemnity Program offers payments to eligible producers for livestock death losses in excess of nor- mal mortality due to adverse weather. Drought is not an eligible adverseweath- er event, except whenassociatedwithan- thrax, a condition that occurs because of drought and directly results in the death of eligible livestock. For more informat ion on these
programs, contac t a loca l count y USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda. gov/disaster. Th e USDA Na t u r a l Re s ou r c e s Conservation Service, which helps pri- vate landowners improve their opera- tions while protecting natural resourc- es, is also accepting applications for drought-related programs at its offices in55California counties. Locate anNRCS office at offices.sc.egov.usda.gov. (Chr i s t ine Souza i s an Ass i s tant editor of Ag Alert. Shemay be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
ByChristine Souza California farmers and ranchers af- fected by drought may benefit from relief offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA Risk Management Agency has announced drought assistance pro- grams—including one specific to cover crops that requires farmers to apply by June 15. Through theUSDAPandemicCoverage Crop Program, farmers who have crop insurance coverage may qualify for pre- mium support up to $5 per acre, if cover crops were planted during the 2021 crop year. Qualifying cover crops include cere- als, grasses, legumes, brassicas, non-le- gume broadleaves, and mixes of two or more cover crop species planted at the same time. According to USDA, the program pro- vides premium support to farmers who insured their spring crop and planted a qualifying cover crop for the time period. Premium support is $5 per acre but not more than the full premiumowed. Farmers must report acreage to the USDA Farm Service Agency by June 15 to qualify for PCCP and must match what was reported to their crop insur- ance company. Those who file a Report of Acreage form FSA-578 by the June 15 deadline will automatically receive the benefit, the agency said. Other federal disaster assistance avail- able to drought-impacted California farmers and ranchers include the follow- ing programs: • The Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory or prevented planting occur due to natu- ral disasters including drought (includes native grass for grazing). • The Livestock Forage Di saster Program provides compensation to el- igible livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or cash- leased land. • The Tree Assistance Programaids el- igible orchardists and nursery tree grow- ers for qualifying tree, shrub and vine losses due to natural disasters including excessive wind and drought. • The Emergency Ass i stance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program provides emergency relief for losses due to feed or water shortages, disease, adverse weather or other condi- tions not adequately addressed by other disaster programs. •TheEmergencyConservationReserve Program offers haying and grazing relief to livestockproducers inareas affectedby drought or similar natural disaster. • The Emergency Forest Restoration Program helps owners of non-industri- al private forests restore forest health damaged by natural disasters, includ- ing drought.
• The Emergency Loan Program pro- vides low-interest loans to farmers or ranchers with agricultural operations located in a county under a secretarial disaster designation. • The Emergency Conser vat ion Program provides emergency funding for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate
Keep a watchful eye on your grapes this season with VIGILANT ® from UPL. This powerful miticide provides quick knockdown of harmful mites at all life stages, in addition to long residual control and a short PHI. All of this while still going easy on beneficial insects and predator mites. Ask your PCA about VIGILANT or visit vigilantmiticide.com to learn more. STAY VIGILANT ® AGAINST MITES. Always read and follow label directions. VIGILANT, UPL, OpenAg and the UPL logo are trademarks of a UPL Corporation Limited Group Company. ©2021 UPL Corporation Limited Group Company. SPC-2003D
June 9, 2021 Ag Alert 17
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