Final Rule Published for Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program

The final rule for the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency, was published in the Federal Register on March 2, 2020. As required by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, this rule implements changes to NAP, making buy-up coverage levels available for 2019 and future years, increasing service fees, and extending the service fee waiver and premium reduction to eligible veterans. It also includes the changes to the payment limitation and native sod provisions and clarifies when NAP coverage is available for crops when certain crop insurance is available under the Federal Crop Insurance Act.

This rule adds provisions for eligibility and program requirements for new producers or producers with less than 1-year growing experience with a new crop (for example, most hemp producers) and makes some additional minor changes to clarify existing NAP requirements and improve program integrity. For more information, read 7 CFR Part 1437.