Northwest Iowa — Signup is underway for a couple of programs offered through the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, and a deadline is approaching for another program.
Kevin McClure, Chief Program Specialist for the Iowa Farm Service Agency says producers on farms with base acres under the safety net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill, known as the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, can visit their local FSA office to sign contracts and enroll for the 2017 crop year.
He says that since shares and ownership of a farm can change year-to-year, producers on the farm must enroll by signing a contract each program year. But producers cannot choose between ARC and PLC at this point, they can only say “yes” or “no” for 2017.
McClure says sometimes people confuse the ARC and PLC signup deadlines with the March deadline for Federal Crop Insurance, which is sold by private commercial insurance agents.
The FSA says that if you have any unreported changes of address or zip code or an incorrect name or business name on file they need to be reported to the county office. Changes in your farm operation, like the addition of a farm by lease or purchase, need to be reported to the FSA office as well. Producers participating in FSA and NRCS programs are required to timely report changes in their farming operation to the County Committee in writing and update their CCC-902 Farm Operating Plan.
If you have any changes or would like to schedule a time to complete 2017 ARC/PLC signup, you are asked to call your county FSA office.
