How to file a crop acreage report

June is dairy month, and your local Farm Service Agency office recognizes all the hard work our dairy community puts forth to make so many wonderful dairy products. We salute you for your grit and the determination it takes to be a dairy farmer. It truly is a pleasure to provide the service we do to dairy farmers and all farmers each and every day.

Our hearts go out to those producers affected by the excessive moisture and storms that have created havoc in parts of the state. There is major crop damage at present, and this will no doubt affect final yield outcomes for 2025. If you need to report failed acres to your local FSA office, please do not delay. With that in mind, now is the time for all producers to file reports on their planted crops, forages, Conservation Reserve Program land and pastures. After spring planting is complete, agricultural producers should make an appointment with their local county FSA office to complete crop acreage reports before the applicable deadline.

A crop acreage report documents a crop grown on a farm or ranch, its intended use and location. Producers should file an accurate crop acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed acreage and prevented planted acreage, before the applicable deadline.

July 15 is the final date to certify your spring-seeded crops, forages and pasture.

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

— Crop and crop type or variety;

— Intended crop use;

— Number of crop acres;

— Map with approximate crop boundaries;

— Planting date(s);

— Planting pattern, when applicable;

— Producer share(s);

— Irrigation practice(s);

— Acreage prevented from planting, when applicable;

— Other required information.

Acreage reporting details

The following exceptions apply to acreage reporting dates:

— If the crop has not been planted by the acreage reporting deadline, 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 deadline, 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.

Prevented planted acreage

Producers should also report the crop acreage they intended to plant but were unable to because of a natural disaster. Prevented planted 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 the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency.

Many are asking about disaster aid related to the drought of 2023. News releases indicate this is coming in early July for crops. We will provide more details when we have more information to offer. Your local FSA office will keep you posted. FSA recently released Emergency Livestock Relief Program payments related to the drought of 2023 on pasture losses applied for through the Livestock Forage Program. This was a direct payment, and no signatures were required on the producer’s end. Please look at your bank account prior to calling your office for details.

As you harvest your forages, remember that FSA offers the Farm Storage Facility Loan program to assist you with all your storage and handling needs. Chopper boxes, ag baggers, hay trailers, flatbed semi-trailers and many more items are eligible. New or used equipment can qualify. This popular loan tool is used by many, and interest rates are hanging around 4.25%. Call your local FSA office for more details.

Be proud of what you have accomplished this spring. We certainly are proud of you.

Farm Service Agency is an equal opportunity lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 20250. Visit www.fsa.usda.gov for application forms and updates on USDA programs.