NAP Changes for the 2015 Crop Year

Significant changes have been made to USDA’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for the 2015 crop year. Many of these changes come from the 2014 Farm Bill while others were added by USDA as amendments to the NAP regulations and agency handbooks. Please click here to read FLAG’s overview of the changes.

The most publicized NAP change for 2015 has been the addition of “buy-up coverage,” that is, the opportunity for farmers to pay a premium and buy a higher level of coverage for their NAP-covered crops. As important as this new buy-up option is, there are other changes that farmers who participate in NAP should be aware of. These include the possibility of using more targeted market prices to establish a farmer’s NAP coverage level and the requirement that farmers growing hand-harvested crops must notify FSA within 72 hours of a loss claim or the end of harvest. FLAG has prepared materials providing an overview of all of the changes to NAP for the 2015 crop year.