FAQ: When is the deadline to sign up for crop insurance? Do I really need to buy crop insurance before I sign up for USDA's SURE program in 2010?

Answer: Provided by Steve Johnson, Iowa State University Extension Farm Management specialist.

Producers of spring-planted crops face a crop insurance sign-up deadline of March 15, 2010 which, if missed, may make them ineligible for USDA's Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE).

March 15, 2010 is also the deadline for making any changes to existing policies. Since there is an incentive to invest in higher levels of coverage many producers may choose to make changes.

You need crop insurance to be eligible for SURE

SURE requires crop insurance coverage on nearly all crops and the SURE guarantee is directly tied to the level of crop insurance coverage you have. The higher the level of coverage, the larger the SURE guarantee. In a way SURE is free, additional, crop insurance coverage.

Thirteen Iowa crops share the March 15 deadline: corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, forage seeding, sweet corn, popcorn, dry beans, grain sorghum, hybrid seed corn, green peas, soybeans, potatoes and barley.

SURE is a Farm Service Agency program so contact your local FSA office for more information about SURE. Also, visit with your crop insurance agent well before March 15. Your eligibility for SURE is at stake. You must buy crop insurance to be eligible to sign up for SURE. Visit with your insurance agent about crop insurance coverage and visit with FSA about signing up for SURE for 2010.

If you have specific questions or need details regarding USDA farm programs, contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office. You can also get news and information about DCP, ACRE and other USDA programs at www.fsa.usda.gov.

Two Iowa State University Extension Web sites have farm program information and analysis. They are ISU's Ag Decision Maker site at www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm and ISU Extension Specialist Steve Johnson's site at www.extension.iastate.edu/polk/farmmanagement.htm.

And be sure to read the regular column "Frequently Asked Questions about the Farm Program" that appears in each issue of Wallaces Farmer magazine and at www.WallacesFarmer.com