USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Val Dolcini announced that the 2009 crop year Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program sign-up begins on Jan. 10, 2011. SURE is a disaster program designed to provide supplemental assistance to eligible farmers and ranchers who have experienced losses caused by natural disasters.

Natural disasters can turn what would be a profitable crop year into a year of hardship and financial loss,” said Dolcini. “The SURE program is part of the USDA ‘safety net’ that provides assistance to farmers and ranchers when disaster strikes,” he noted.

For information on the 2009 SURE program eligibility requirements visit your local FSA office or http://www.fsa.usda.gov/sure.