Freeborn County USDA Farm Service Agency Executive Director Lee Crawford announced that the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program enrollment for 2010 crop year losses began Nov. 14.

“Producers across the state experienced several natural disasters during the 2010 crop year that caused hardship and financial losses to many agricultural operations,” said Crawford. “The SURE program provides assistance to producers when disaster strikes, so I strongly encourage producers with 2010 crop losses to contact the Freeborn County FSA office to learn more about the program,” he said.

To qualify for a SURE payment, the producer’s operation must be located in a county that was declared a disaster for 2010 or be contiguous to a disaster declared county and have at least a 10 percent production loss that affects one crop of economic significance. Producers with agricultural operations located outside a disaster county are eligible for SURE benefits if they had a production loss greater or equal to 50 percent of the normal production on the farm.

The following Minnesota counties received a primary disaster designation during 2010: Freeborn.

The following Minnesota counties are contiguous to a disaster designated county: Clay, Dodge, Faribault, Kittson, Lac Qui Parle, Lincoln, Marshall, Mower, Norman, Polk, Steele, Traverse, Waseca, Wilkin, Winona and Yellow Medicine.

To meet program eligibility requirements, producers must have obtained a policy or plan of insurance for all insurable crops through the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and obtained Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage on non-insurable crops, if available, from FSA. Eligible farmers and ranchers who meet the definition of a socially disadvantaged, limited resource or beginning farmer or rancher do not have to meet this requirement. Forage crops intended for grazing are not eligible for SURE benefits.

For more information on SURE program eligibility requirements contact the Freeborn County FSA office at 507-373-7960 or visit the FSA website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/sure.