The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) is responsible for the delivery of federal farm programs to help farmers manage risks and recover from disasters. The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, or NAP, provides financial assistance to farmers of non-insurable crops to protect them against natural disasters that result in crop losses. The deadline to sign out for NAP coverage at your local FSA office for the 2021 crop year has been extended to September 30, 2020. Many offices are currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so call or email first.
NAP coverage is available for clam, oyster, and sunray venus crops. The administrative fee is $325 for 50 percent coverage of production at 55 percent of the average market price. This fee is waivered for beginning growers, veterans, or socially disadvantaged growers. Buy-up coverage is also available ranging from 50 to 65 percent of production and 100 percent market price.
Monthly Inventory Record keeping
Shellfish growers are now required to maintain a monthly inventory. These records are to be kept up to date and submitted to the FSA county office by the 15th of each month for the prior month. Records are used for spot checks and in the event of a disaster occurrence. Failure to provide accurate monthly inventories will result in ineligibility for NAP payments. Seed receipts must also be submitted with the initial beginning inventory report and with monthly reports when new seed is planted.
Excel worksheets were developed for clam growers to enter their standing crop inventory at the beginning of the crop year and then update their inventory monthly by entering information on nursery seed planted, seed transferred from nursery to growout, and harvests. Each worksheet provides a summary of the total number of bags and clams on the lease. The Excel file can be emailed to the county FSA office or the worksheet can be printed and mailed. A pdf file is also available to use as a monthly form.
- NAP Clam Inventory Worksheets 2020-21.xlsx
- NAP Clam September Inventory Form.pdf
- NAP Clam Monthly Inventory Form.pdf
If you have any questions about how to use these worksheets or need assistance in modifying the file for your farm, contact: Leslie Sturmer, UF/IFAS Shellfish Extension Specialist, (352) 493-8340, Lnst@ufl.edu or Andrew Ropicki, UF/IFAS Food & Resource Economics, (352) 294-7667, aropicki@ufl.edu.
