The Farm Service Agency is reminding Minnesota farmers that signup is under way for the new Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program, known as SURE.

FSA county offices began accepting applications for benefits on Jan. 4 for crop production losses suffered during the 2008 crop year.

Linda Hennen, the FSA’s director for Minnesota, says no sign-up deadline has been set for 2008 crop losses because the agency is still waiting for software.

Eligible producers who experienced crop production losses in 2009 won’t apply for SURE program benefits until this fall. That’s because seasonal average market prices, a critical element in calculating program payments, won’t be finalized until October at the earliest.