DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa fruit growers in many counties are eligible for 2012 disaster assistance, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS).

“Many Iowa commercial apple growers’ crops were devastated by the late freeze in (April) 2012 and the USDA has now made disaster assistance available in 44 Iowa counties,” said Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey.

On July 21, the USDA announced Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) assistance for losses to bush or tree fruit crops because of frost or freeze during the 2012 crop year. Under the 2014 farm bill, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) was authorized to retroactively provide assistance at additional coverage levels under the 2012 NAP to producers of eligible non-insurable fruit crops grown on a tree or bush when low yields occur due to a natural disaster.

Producers are not required to have previously purchased 2012 NAP coverage to be eligible for this additional assistance, the USDA said.

According to IDALS, Iowa counties eligible to participate in the program are: Adair, Allamakee, Benton, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Chickasaw, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Delaware, Des Moines, Dickinson, Dubuque, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Greene, Guthrie, Harrison, Henry, Howard, Iowa, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Mitchell, Monona, Muscatine, Osceola, Pottawattamie, Shelby, Van Buren, Washington and Webster.

The USDA said Iowa farmers who did not have access to crop insurance and are in primary and adjacent counties that received a secretarial disaster designation because of frost or freeze in 2012 are eligible for NAP assistance, which began July 22, 2014. An eligible producer is a landowner or tenant who shares in the risk of producing an eligible fruit crop and is entitled to an ownership share of that crop.

Juan Garcia, FSA administrator, said losses to weather damage or other adverse natural occurrences may also qualify for program assistance. To expedite applications, he encourages producers who experienced losses to collect records documenting these in preparation for the signup in this program. Producers also are encouraged to contact their FSA county office to schedule an appointment.

For crops that are harvested more than once during the same crop year, from the same plant, such as blueberries, records of production must be summarized and provided for the entire harvest season and be easily understood by the FSA County Committee. Producers should contact the FSA office where their farm records are maintained for questions regarding acceptable production records.

Garcia said limited resource, socially disadvantaged and beginning producers are eligible for premium reductions and also may be eligible for fee reductions.

For producers who previously obtained 2012 NAP coverage, the USDA said approved yield previously established for their crop for the 2012 crop will be used to determine the payment amount for assistance. Producers who did not previously obtain 2012 NAP coverage may submit actual yields as long as verifiable or reliable records are available to substantiate the actual yield.

Moreover, payments received, directly or indirectly, by producers eligible for assistance will be attributed to the applicable individual or entity and limited to $125,000 for the 2012 crop year per individual or entity. In addition, in applying the limitation on average adjusted gross income (AGI), an individual or legal entity is ineligible for payment if the individual’s or legal entity’s average AGI exceeds $900,000.

The USDA stated the NAP Application for Coverage Service Fee is the lesser of $250 per crop or $750 per producer per administrative county, not to exceed a total of $1,875 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties. Limited-resource producers may request a service fee waiver.

For more information about the NAP, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/nap or your local FSA office.