VIDALIA — The buy-in date for farmers who want to participate in any catastrophic crop loss programs has been extended until the end of the month.

Originally set for Sept. 16, the deadline has been extended until Sept. 30.

“You have people who for whatever reason elected not to purchase crop insurance for insurance crops this year, but they can pay the catastrophic insurance fee and be eligible for this upcoming disaster program,” Concordia Parish Farm Service Agency Director Kevin Case said.

The buy-in can also be applied to those who did not buy Non-insured Assistance Program coverage for non-insurable crops such as pecans or pasture. The buy-in is a one-time exemption from farm bill policy for the 2008 crop year because the farm bill was not passed until late in the season. Policy in the 2008 farm bill requires that any producer who wants to participate in any disaster recovery program must have a certain minimum of insurance or NAP coverage on their crops.

“In the future, anyone who fails to get the minimum level of coverage will be ineligible to participate in any program that requires it,” Case said.

Producers need to be sure that, if they do the buy-in, they account for every operation they have.

“Say I am a row crop producer and I have 2,000 acres of soybeans that have rotted and aren’t worth harvesting, and I have crop insurance on them, but I also have 10 cows on that land,” Case said.

“If I didn’t hay the NAP coverage for those cows they could make me ineligible.”

The buy-in fee is $100 per crop.

To pay the fee, producers only need to go by the FSA office and make the payment.

Case said producers could call ahead and discuss their specific details with the office.

“There are some situations where people think they need to pay for this coverage and they do not,” he said.

The Concordia Parish FSA office is located at 8331 U.S. 84 in Ferriday and can be reached by phone at 318-757-4870.