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 - No Mid-Contract Management Activities on CRP acres
July 15: Report All Spring-Seeded Crops   
August 1: ARC/PLC Sign-up

Crop Reporting
With spring planting right around the corner, Allamakee county farmers are reminded to report all spring planted crops to the FSA office by July 15 to remain eligible for FSA and other USDA programs. Please remember to bring planting dates with you. It is the producer’s responsibility to accurately report acres and producer’s shares in individual crops. Discrepancies found later may affect eligibility for all FSA-administered programs.

The last day to report is July 15. While you can late file, there will be a $46 fee assessed per farm, and FSA will perform an on-site inspection of these acres to verify the crops were planted. Additionally, any crop reports revised after the final reporting date of July 15 will be assessed a $46 fee as well, and FSA will be required to visit the farm to verify crop planting. 

A recent and important change is that late filed crop reports can only be accepted through the next seasons reporting deadline. So this year’s crops can be reported through July 15, 2018. However, if you decide to wait, remember the $46 fee will be charged for all dates between July 16, 2017 and July 15, 2018. This new late-file deadline will continue for subsequent years. 

CRP Reminders
The primary nesting season runs from May 15 – August 1. Contact the FSA office if you need to perform spot maintenance activities on your CRP acres during this time. Cosmetic mowing of your CRP acres is prohibited, but you are allowed to spot treat areas that are threatened by undesirable vegetation throughout the year. A written request must be made before the County Committee grants approval to conduct maintenance during the nesting season.

As a reminder, volunteer trees and woody vegetation must be controlled and removed from CRP acres. Failure to control undesirable vegetation on CRP can result in financial penalties.

Grain Under Loan With FSA
If grain under loan has been disposed of through feeding, selling or any other form of disposal without prior written authorization from the county office staff, it is considered unauthorized disposition. The financial penalties for unauthorized dispositions are severe and a producer’s name will be placed on a loan violation list for a two-year period. Always call before you haul any grain under loan.
 
Bins are ideally designed to hold a level volume of grain. When bins are overfilled and grain is heaped up, airflow is hindered and the chance of spoilage increases. Producers under loan and use the farm-stored grain as collateral should remember that they are responsible for maintaining the quality of the grain through the term of the loan.