Joyce Frost, county executive director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency for Clarke-Decatur counties, reminds producers some farm program deadlines are fast approaching. June 3 is the deadline for enrolling in the 2013 Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program, and the final date to apply for the 2011 Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE) is June 7. May 31 is the final loan availability date for corn, grain sorghum and soybeans. These are statutory deadlines for all participants in these programs.
“Farmers are finally in the field and deadlines are fast approaching. It is important that producers sign up or submit needed program documents timely,” said Frost.
For the 2013 program year, all eligible participants may choose to enroll in either DCP or ACRE. This means that eligible producers who were enrolled in ACRE in 2012 may elect to enroll in DCP in 2013 or re-enroll in ACRE in 2013. Likewise, producers who were enrolled in DCP may enroll into ACRE for the first time in 2013. The deadline for enrollment into DCP is August 2, 2013.
All signatures of producers receiving a share in ACRE payments are required by the June 3 deadline. For new participants into ACRE for the first time in 2013, an election must also be completed before June 3. If a farm has been previously enrolled in ACRE, producers must still complete the annual enrollment process by the June 3 deadline.
The Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), which provides benefits for farm revenue losses has a June 7 deadline. Losses because of natural disasters that occurred during the 2011 crop year may be eligible for this sign up. SURE is available to eligible producers on:
• Farms in counties with Secretarial disaster declarations, including contiguous counties, that have incurred crop production or quality losses, or both, and includes all crops grown by a producer nationwide, except grazed crops.
• Any farm in which, for the crop year, the actual production on the farm because of disaster-related conditions is 50 percent or less than normal production of the farm.
May 31 marks the final day to apply for short-term financing that is available by obtaining commodity loans for the 2012 crops. These nine-month loans provide low interest loans for the crop that is stored either on the farm or in the warehouse.
For more information about these and other programs administered by FSA, contact the Clarke-Decatur County FSA office at 641-342-2162. Information can also be obtained on line at http://www.fsa.usda.gov.