What's up at the FSA Office?

by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• May 15 – August 1: Primary Nesting Season
• July 15: Report All Spring-Seeded Crops   
• August 1: ARC/PLC Sign-up

Crop Reporting
Certifying your crops is a requirement for many FSA programs.  This includes all spring planted crops and land uses.  Forages and pastures were to be reported last fall, and if you missed that deadline, we will be asking for that report now and collecting a late fee.  100% of the farm must be reported to be eligible for programs.  Please report what is planted on your farm by the deadline of July 15.

Permitted Revision of Intended use After Acreage Reporting Date
New operators or owners who pick up a farm after the acreage reporting deadline has passed and the crop has already been reported on the farm, have 30 days to change the intended use. Producer share interest changes alone will not allow for revisions to intended use after the acreage reporting date. The revision must be performed by either the acreage reporting date or within 30 calendar days from the date when the new operator or owner acquired the lease on land, control of the land or ownership and new producer crop share interest in the previously reported crop acreage.

Under this policy, appropriate documentation must be provided to the County Committee’s satisfaction to determine that a legitimate operator or ownership and producer crop share interest change occurred to permit the revision.

USDA NASS Seeks Input from Farmers
During the first two weeks of June, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct major mid-year surveys that will collect information from farmers on 2017 planted acreage, current grain stocks, livestock inventories, cash rents, and the value of land. By responding to these surveys, farmers will help ensure that the information published by NASS represents all areas of the State and is as accurate as possible.

The information collected from growers will provide the first clear sign of the prospective production and supply of major commodities in Iowa and the United States for the 2017 crop year.

By taking a few minutes to participate, selected producers will not only help NASS provide data that levels the playing field for all farmers, giving them access to the same information as grain buyers, packers, and input suppliers as they develop marketing plans for the year, but will also help provide the information used by many USDA programs. State, local, and national leaders also use NASS data to address agricultural related issues that impact producers.

For the June Area Survey, a NASS field interviewer will use an aerial photograph to visit randomly selected tracts of land and interview the operators of land in the tract, while other producers will be contacted by mail or telephone.  If you are contacted by NASS, we encourage your participation and cooperation.

As with all NASS surveys, information provided by producers is kept strictly confidential, as required by federal law.  NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only state-level and national-level results, ensuring that no individual producer can be identified.

Results from the mid-year surveys will be published in a series of USDA reports, including the annual Acreage report and quarterly Grain Stocks report, both released on June 30, 2017.  All reports will be made available on the NASS website at www.nass.usda.gov. If you have any questions about how to complete a survey from the NASS Iowa Field Office, please call 1-800-772-0825.

Allamakee County FSA Committee
In June, the Allamakee County FSA office will be seeking nominations for a producer to represent LAA-2, which includes the townships of Ludlow, Jefferson, Post, Franklin, Linton, and Fairview.  Nominations will be accepted from June 15 – August 1.  Voting for nominated candidates will occur from November 7 – August 5, with the elected producer taking office on January 1, 2018.  Candidates must be of legal voting age, live in the LAA holding the election, and participate in a FSA program.  FSA would like to encourage women, minorities, and beginning farmers to consider this opportunity to serve as well.