Effective Wednesday, May 8, USDA has resumed farm program payments which had been suspended by the budget sequester.
Farm Service Agency Administrator Juan Garcia says this includes payments for the 2011 Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE), the Noninsured Crop Assistance Program (NAP) and the Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC).
Garcia says FSA is "working diligently to get these payments out as quickly as possible."
Payments were temporarily suspended March 4 in order to assess the impact of sequestration and determine the least-disruptive process possible for carrying out the required cuts.
Producers should be advised that program sign-up periods currently under way have the following enrollment deadlines: 2013 Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program - June 3; 2011 SURE - June 7; and the 2013 Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program - Aug. 2. Producers should contact their local Farm Service Agency office as soon as possible for appointments to enroll in these programs before the deadlines.
Source: brownfieldagnews.com