(a) In addition to the written notice of loss requirements specified for all crops in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, for hand-harvested or rapidly deteriorating crops and for other crops determined by FSA, at least one producer having a share in the unit must notify FSA of the damage or loss through the administrative county office for the unit within 72 hours of the date damage or loss on the unit first becomes apparent. Notification required under this paragraph may be via telephone to the administrative county office during business hours or via written notice on a form prescribed by FSA as specified in paragraph (c) of this section.

(b) Unless written notice for hand-harvested or rapidly deteriorating crops has already been provided within 72 hours of date of damage or loss as specified in paragraphs (a) and (c) of this section, in case of damage to any NAP covered crop, at least one producer having a share in the unit must file a notice of loss in the administrative county office:

(1) For prevented planting claims, within 15 days after the final planting date;

(2) For low yield claims and value loss claims, the earlier of:

(i) 15 days after the disaster occurrence or date of loss or damage to the crop first becomes apparent; or

(ii) 15 days after the normal harvest date.

(c) The notice of loss specified in paragraph (b) of this section must be for each crop and be in writing on a form prescribed by FSA and include:

(1) The alleged cause of crop damage;

(2) Date the disaster occurred and when the damage or loss first became apparent;

(3) A copy of the contract or agreement if a contract or agreement of a guaranteed payment for planted acreage exists;

(4) The type of loss that occurred, for example, prevented planting or low yield;

(5) Practices used, for example, irrigated or non-irrigated;

(6) For prevented planting:

(i) Total intended planted acreage of the crop on the unit;

(ii) Total acreage of the crop planted on the unit;

(iii) Whether seed, chemicals, fertilizer, etc. was purchased, delivered, or an arrangement for purchase or delivery was made for the intended to be planted crop;

(iv) What and when land preparation measures were completed, and

(v) What has been done or will be done with the acreage, for example, abandoned, replanted, etc.;

(7) For low yield:

(i) Total acreage devoted to the crop in the unit;

(ii) Total acreage of the crop affected;

(iii) What and when land preparation measures and practices were completed before and after the loss; and

(iv) What will be done with the affected crop acreage, for example, harvested, destroyed, replanted to a different crop, abandoned, etc.; and

(8) Any other information requested by an FSA authorized representative.

(d) Producers who file a notice of loss, using the appropriate FSA form, for crop acreage that will not be harvested as intended, such as abandoned, put to another use, replanted to the same or a different crop, or in the case of forage, acreage intended to be mechanically harvested that will be both mechanically harvested and grazed, must:

(1) Not put the crop to another use or prepare the acreage for replanting or otherwise change any conditions of the crop or acreage until written notification of release of the crop or acreage is received from FSA;

(2) Request, using the appropriate FSA form, an appraisal of the un-harvested acreage for potential production and release of the crop or acreage:

(i) No less than 15 calendar days before replanting or in the case of forage intended to be mechanically harvested, grazing of the crop acreage.

(ii) Within 72 hours after the acreage is abandoned for hand-harvested or rapidly deteriorating crops, or within 15 calendar days after the acreage is abandoned for all other crops;

(iii) No later than the normal harvest date of the crop, as determined by FSA.

(3) Request the loss adjustor on the day the initial appraisal is completed, or request in any manner of written correspondence received in the administrative county office no later than 15 calendar days after the request for initial appraisal is submitted, that the appraisal be deferred until the end of the growing season, the producer be permitted to establish representative sample areas according to paragraph (d)(4) of this section, and that the acreage be released immediately when:

(i) Time is critical for replanting, or other urgent reasons; and

(ii) Producers and loss adjustors cannot resolve disagreement with the initial appraisal of the acreage to be released.

(4) Establish representative sample areas of the acreage according to the loss adjustor's instructions received on the day the initial appraisal is completed or, if the loss adjustor is not available, according to the FCIC Loss Adjustment Manual (LAM) and applicable FCIC crop handbooks. Report the size, number, and location of the areas in any manner of written correspondence received in the administrative county office, no later than 15 calendar days after requesting a deferred appraisal and before the acreage is put to another use or replanted. Representative sample areas must be of adequate construction and numbers to provide acceptable sampling results and maintained in sound condition, as determined by FSA, until released by FSA.

(5) If possible, be present for the appraisal involving un-harvested crop acreage and accept or contest the results of the loss adjustor's appraisal. Producers unable to be present for the appraisal may contest the results of the appraisal in the administrative county office.

(e) Crop acreage for which an application for coverage has been filed, that is intended for production of forage seed and for which a notice of loss is filed indicating the crop acreage will not be harvested as seed, will be appraised for potential production of seed when producers provide FSA acceptable evidence of a contract to produce seed for the current crop year or acceptable records of acreage and seed production for three or more of the last 5 consecutive crop years, as determined by FSA.

(f) Forage acreage for which a notice of loss is filed and:

(1) Catastrophic coverage was obtained for forage intended to be grazed will have NAP benefits calculated based on § 1437.401(f);

(2) Catastrophic coverage was obtained for forage that was intended to be mechanical harvested but will be grazed and not mechanical harvested;

(i) Must have an appraisal and release for the unit to have NAP benefits calculated based on mechanical harvested forage; or

(ii) For which an appraisal or release was not obtained, will have a loss calculated as specified in § 1437.401(f).

(3) Buy-up coverage was obtained for forage intended to be mechanically harvested but will be grazed and not mechanically harvested:

(i) Must have an appraisal and release in order for the unit to have NAP benefits calculated based on the loss of expected mechanically harvested forage; or

(ii) For which an appraisal or release was not obtained is ineligible for payment consideration and will have the unit guarantee assigned to the forage crop acreage.

(g) Producers must file an application for payment on a form specified by FSA to apply for NAP payments within 60 days of the last day of coverage for the crop year for any NAP covered crop in the unit.

(h) A notice of loss under paragraph (a) of this section filed beyond the time specified in this section or notification provided under paragraph (b) of this section may satisfy the requirements of these provisions, if, at the discretion of FSA, the notice is filed at such time that permits:

(1) An authorized FSA representative to verify information on the notice of loss by inspecting the affected acreage or the crop or commodity involved; and

(2) The county committee or an authorized FSA representative the opportunity to determine that eligible disaster conditions caused the damage or loss.

[67 FR 12448, Mar. 19, 2002, as amended at 71 FR 13743, Mar. 17, 2006. Redesignated and amended at 79 FR 74574, 74577, 74583, Dec. 15, 2014; 85 FR 12220, Mar. 2, 2020]