Tuesday, November 27, 2012 12:37 pm

DeKalb/Cannon County Farm Service Agency reminds growers of wheat, barley, oats, and other fall planted/seeded crops that Dec. 15 is the deadline to make your annual crop acreage report. Previously, crop insurance and the Farm Service Agency had different crop reporting deadlines for these crops. However, beginning with crop year 2012, the December 15 deadline has been established for uniformity between the two agencies.

Producers who have planted their fall seeded crops should report acreage as soon as planting is completed to ensure crops are timely reported for crop insurance program purposes and to maintain program eligibility for FSA programs.

Producers who have been prevented from planting, because of a natural disaster, should also consider filing acreage reports and Notice of Prevented Planting. Prevented Planting does not include land or acreage not planted due to management decisions, land that had a previous or subsequent crop planted that does not meet double-cropping definitions, land where pasture or other forage crops are in place during the time that planting generally occurs, land that was affected by chemical or herbicide residue, land where the producer was unable to find a market for the crop, and other various reasons determined by the County FSA Committee. Producers must complete form CCC-576, Notice of Loss and Application for Payment Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Producers must file a notice of prevented planting within 15 calendar days after the final planting date for the crop.

Participation in the following USDA programs requires annual reporting of crops and land use: Marketing Assistance Loans, Loan Deficiency Payments, DCP, CRP (Conservation Reserve Program), Noninsured Assistance Program, SURE, ACRE, and the Livestock Feed Program. Participation in these programs requires a report of all cropland on a farm even though it may not be used for annually-tilled row crops. Idle land and pasture must also be reported.

For additional information, producers can call the FSA office at (615) 597-8225, Ext. 2 or visit the DeKalb/Cannon County Farm Service Agency service center located at 647 Bright Hill Road, Smithville, TN during regular business hours of 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.