Hello again!
They say time flies when you’re having fun. Well, I’m not so sure how fun when there are so many deadlines to be aware of and the weather is getting warmer each day for farmers who just want to get out in the fields. But in the hustle of the spring season, don’t forget a few upcoming FSA programs and dates:
The Conservation Reserve Program general signup began March 12 and ends April 6. Landowners enrolled in the CRP program receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource conserving covers on eligible farmland.
The 2012 Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment DCP/ACRE program deadline to enroll in is June 1. All producers interested in DCP are encouraged to call the FSA service center where their farm is administered and sign up before the busy planting season gets underway. Enrollments cannot be accepted after the deadline, so enrolling early may help you avoid missing the deadline during one of the most demanding times of the year.
Signup for the 2010 crop year Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program will end June 1. SURE provides benefits for farm revenue losses due to natural disasters that incurred in the crop year 2010.
To be eligible for SURE a farm must have: At least a 10 percent production loss on a crop of economic significance; a policy or plan of insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program for all economically significant crops; and been physically located in a county that was declared a primary disaster county or contiguous county by the Agriculture Secretary under a Secretarial Disaster Designation.
In addition to CRP, DCP and SURE, other FSA programs that also have enrollment deadlines approaching are:
2011 ACRE Production Evidence — July 15.
Certification of Planted Acres — Various deadlines, but no later than July 15.
Farm Reconstitutions (changes) — Aug. 1 for the 2012 crop year.
MILC — Sept. 30.
Crop Insurance — Contact a crop insurance agent or the regional RMA office.
For more information on these and other FSA programs, contact a local FSA service center or visit the FSA website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/.
That’s all for now,
FSA Andy
