7 CFR § 760.610 - Participant eligibility.

§ 760.610 Participant eligibility.

(a) In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements of § 760.103, a participant must meet all of the following conditions:

(1) All insurable crops on the participant's farm must be covered by crop insurance administered by RMA in accordance with FCIA, and all noninsured crops must be covered under NAP, as specified in § 760.104, unless the participant meets the requirements in either § 760.105 or § 760.107. At the discretion of FSA, the equitable relief provisions in § 760.106 may apply.

(2) Crop losses must have occurred in crop year 2008 or subsequent crop years due to an eligible disaster event that occurred on or before September 30, 2011.

(i) For insured crops, the coverage period, as defined in the insurance policy, must have begun on or before September 30, 2011;

(ii) For NAP crops, the coverage period must have begun on or before September 30, 2011; and

(iii) The final planting date for that crop according to the Federal crop insurance or NAP policy must have been on or before September 30, 2011.

(3) A qualifying loss as defined in § 760.602 must have occurred.

(4) The participant must have been in compliance with the Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation provisions of part 12 of this title, for 2008 and subsequent crop years through September 30, 2011, as applicable, and must not otherwise be barred from receiving benefits or payments under part 12 of this title or any other law.

(5) The participant must not be ineligible or otherwise barred from the requisite risk management insurance programs or NAP because of past violations where those insurance programs or NAP would otherwise be available absent such violations.

(6) The participant must have an entitlement to an ownership share of the crop and also assume production and market risks associated with the production of the crop. In the event the crop was planted but not produced, participants must have an ownership share of the crop that would have been produced.

(i) Any verbal or written contract that precludes the grower from having an ownership share renders the grower ineligible for payments under this subpart.

(ii) Growers growing eligible crops under contract are not eligible participants under this subpart unless the grower has an ownership share of the crop.

(b) In the event that a producer is determined not to be an eligible producer of a crop in accordance with this section, such crop will be disregarded in determining the producer's production or eligibility for payments under this subpart. However, any insurance, farm program, or NAP payments received by the producer on such crop will count as farm revenue if that producer is an eligible participant as a producer of other crops.

(c) Participants may not receive payments with respect to volunteer stands of crops. Volunteer stands will not be considered in either the calculation of revenue or of the SURE guarantee.

(d) A deceased applicant or an applicant that is a dissolved entity that suffered losses prior to the death or the dissolution that met all eligibility criteria prior to death or dissolution may be eligible for payments for such losses if an authorized representative signs the application for payment. Proof of authority to sign for the deceased participant or dissolved entity must be provided. If a participant is now a dissolved general partnership or joint venture, all members of the general partnership or joint venture at the time of dissolution or their duly authorized representatives must sign the application for payment. Eligibility of such participant will be determined, as it is for other participants, based upon ownership share and risk in producing the crop.

(e) Participants receiving payments under the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) as specified in subpart C of this part are not eligible to receive payments under SURE for the same loss.

(f) Participants with a farming interest in multiple counties who apply for SURE payment based on a Secretarial disaster designation must have a 10 percent loss of a crop of economic significance located in at least one disaster county, as defined in this subpart, to be eligible for SURE.

[74 FR 68490, Dec. 28, 2009, as amended at 76 FR 54075, Aug. 31, 2011]