Farmers to receive reports from the USDA this month

Farm Service Agency Administrator Juan M. Garcia announced Friday, Aug. 1, that farmers should start receiving notices this month.

The notices will update farmers on their current base acres, yields and 2009-2012 planting history.

These updates are an important part of preparing for the safety net programs established in the 2014 Farm Bill.

Producers need to cross check their records with the information they receive and if the letter is incorrect they should contact their local FSA office as soon as possible.

For producers enrolling in the upcoming Agriculture Risk Coverage program and the Price Loss Coverage program it is important to verify the accuracy of the farm’s acreage data.

Later in the summer farmers and ranchers will have an opportunity to update their crop yield information and reallocate base acres.

By mid-winter producers will be required to make a one-time election between price protection and county revenue protection or individual revenue protection for 2014-2018 crop years.

Producers can expect to sign contracts for ARC or PLC for the 2014 and 2015 crop years by 2015.

Commodities covered include: barely, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, cramble, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice (includes short grain rice and temperate japonica rice), safflower seed, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seeds, and wheat.

Upland cotton is no longer a covered commodity.

For more information about the 2014 Farm Bill can be found at http://www.fsa.usda.gov or by calling the local FSA office.