NMC, CREES team up on farm disaster loans
When a typhoon hits and wipes out farm crops, getting quick disaster relief can be a big problem for CNMI farmers. Fortunately for the CNMI, work currently underway at the Northern Marianas College (NMC) may change that.
The NMC-CNMI Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Services Agency (FSA) to make FSA emergency loans available to farmers in the CNMI. Scott Miller, agricultural and natural resource economist with NMC-CNMI CREES, is assisting the FSA in the process.
According to Miller, the FSA requires documented historic price and yield information for crops grown in the CNMI before they can make the disaster loan program available.
Farmer and store surveys will be conducted to get historic price and yield information. First, a sample population of the farmers will be sampled on the crops they have planted in the past several years. Next, a sample population of retail stores will be asked to provide historic prices for locally grown crops. Information collected by the surveys will be strictly confidential.
According to Miller, “NMC-CNMI CREES is working very hard to get this project done quickly.” Miller hopes to complete this work in the coming months so that the FSA has what it needs prior to the next typhoon season. “We want to assist the farmers of the CNMI in every way that we can and helping to provide another tool for disaster relief is very important to the farmers of the CNMI.” For more information you can contact Scott Miller at 234-5498, Extension 1708.
