USDA Reminds Producers to File Crop Acreage Reports by July 15

Agricultural producers who have not yet completed their crop acreage reports after spring planting should make an appointment with the Tipton/Hamilton County Farm Service Agency (FSA) before the applicable deadline.

“In order to comply with USDA program eligibility requirements, all producers must file an accurate crop acreage report by the applicable deadline,” said Traci Merida, FSA’s County Executive Director in Tipton/Hamilton County. “Our FSA staff is available to assist producers in completing acreage reports, including providing maps.”

An acreage report documents a crop grown on a farm or ranch and its intended uses. Filing an accurate and timely acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed acreage and prevented planted acreage, can prevent the loss of benefits.

How to File a Report:

The following acreage reporting dates are applicable for Tipton/Hamilton County:

July 15, 2022 – Corn, Soybeans, Alfalfa, Mixed Hay, Forage

To file a crop acreage report, producers need to provide:

• Crop and crop type or variety
• Intended use of the crop
• Number of acres of the crop
• Map with approximate boundaries for the crop
• Planting date(s)
• Planting pattern, when applicable
• Producer shares
• Irrigation practice(s)
• Acreage prevented from planting, when applicable
• Other information as required

Acreage Reporting Details:

The following exceptions apply to acreage reporting dates:

• If the crop has not been planted by the acreage reporting date, then the acreage must be reported no later than 15 calendar days after planting is completed.
• If a producer acquires additional acreage after the acreage reporting date, then the acreage must be reported no later than 30 calendar days after purchase or acquiring the lease. Appropriate documentation must be provided to the county office.
• If crops are covered by the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, acreage reports should be submitted by the applicable state, county, or crop-specific reporting deadline or 15 calendar days before grazing or harvesting of the crop begins.

Producers should also report crop acreage they intended to plant, but due to natural disaster, were unable to because of a natural disaster.

Prevented planting acreage must be reported on form CCC-576, Notice of Loss, no later than 15 calendar days after the final planting date as established by FSA and USDA’s Risk Management Agency.

FSA offers continuous certification for perennial forage. This means after perennial forage is reported once and the producer elects continuous certification, the certification remains in effect until a change is made. Check with FSA at the local USDA Service Center for more information on continuous certification.

New Option to View, Print and Label Maps on Farmers.gov:

Producers with an eAuth account linked to their USDA customer record can now access their FSA farm records, maps and common land units by logging into farmers.gov. A new feature will allow producers to export field boundaries as shapefiles and import and view other shapefiles, such as precision agriculture boundaries. This will allow producers to view, print and label their own maps for acreage reporting purposes.

Producers who have authority to act on behalf of another customer as a grantee via form FSA-211 Power of Attorney, Business Partner Signature Authority, along with other signature types, or as a member of a business can now access information in the farmers.gov portal.

Producers can learn how to use the farmers.gov Farm Records Mapping functionality with this fact sheet and these video tutorials.

For questions, please contact the Tipton/Hamilton County FSA office at 765-675-2316.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.