Program helps growers calculate financial assistance

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today said USDA now has a web-based 2008 crop program payment calculator to help producers calculate the financial benefits they may receive under the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program. The calculator was designed by USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) to give producers a tool to help them better understand and participate in this new crop disaster program.
"Our goal is to help the producers make informed decisions so their business planning is as easy as possible, and this calculator is one of the tools we're making available to do exactly that," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The calculator collects information about farming operations, including planted acreage, actual production, insurance coverage data and other federal disaster payments. This relevant information is used to calculate an estimated payment for crop losses.
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