Farm Service Agency to elect Chair of Committee [Richmond County Daily Journal, Rockingham, N.C.]

Jan. 07--The Farm Service Agency announced in its January newsletter that Jerry Morgan was elected to represent farmers from Marks Creek, Rockingham, Hamlet and Wolfpit Townships on the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee. Morgan was elected to his first consecutive term. James Porter was elected as first alternate to Chair of Committee.

The newsletter also reports that the 2012 Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP) enrollment will begin Jan. 23 and will end June 1. Here are some important reminders:

--All producers planting on DCP base acres must be identified on the DCP/ACRE contract and receive a proportionate share of DCP/ACRE payment for the farm.

--Changes on the farm after enrolling June 1 in DCP/ACRE must be reported to your local FSA office such as ownership changes, producer changed (individual and entities) or changes in crop shares arrangements.

--Changes cannot be made after Sept. 30.

Additional information on an assortment of other agricultural programs follows.

Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE)

The sign-up for 2010 losses runs through June 1.

The Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE) provides benefits for farm revenue losses due to natural disasters that incurred in the crop year 2010. 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.

Noninsured Revenue Assistance Program (NAP)

The noninsured crop disaster assistance program (NAP) is a federally funded program that helps producers reduce their risk when growing food and fiber crops, specialty crops and crops for livestock feed. These benefits are only available for crops for which the catastrophic level of crop insurance is not available. Application for coverage must be filed by the applicable crop's application closing date.

Production records for all crops must be reported to FSA no later than the acreage reporting date for the crop for the following year. FSA requires that any production reported in a loss year be verifiable according to Agency specifications. NAP Losses must be reported within 15 days of loss.

FSA Adopting GovDelivery

The USDA Farm Service Agency offices are moving toward a paperless operation.

Producers are asked to enroll in the new GovDelivery system which will provide notices, newsletters and electronic reminders instead of a hard copy through the mail.

FSA, like many other organizations, is trying to work smarter and be more efficient. Moving to electronic notifications via email will help conserve resources and save taxpayer dollars.

County Committee ballots will continue to be mailed to all eligible producers.

Producers can now subscribe to receive free e-mail updates by going to http://www.fsa.usda.gov/subscribe.

Also, if you have an email address and/or know of someone who would like to get the Richmond County Newsletter, please send the email address to [email protected], and the FSA will add you to our emailing list.

Farming Operations Changes

If you have bought or sold land, or if you have added or dropped rented land from your operation, make sure you report the changes to the FSA office as soon as possible. You need to provide a copy of your deed or recorded land contract for purchased property. Failure to maintain accurate records with FSA on all land you have an interest in can lead to possible program ineligibility and penalties. Making the record changes now will save you time in the spring. Update signature authorization when changes in the operation occur. Producers are reminded to contact the office of a change in operations on a farm so that records can be kept current and accurate.

Highly erodible land and wetland conservation compliance

Landowners and operators are reminded that in order to receive payments from USDA, compliance with Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions are required. Farmers with HEL determined soils are reminded of tillage, crop residue, and rotation requirements as specified per their conservation plan. Producers are to notify the USDA Farm Service Agency prior to conducting land clearing or drainage projects to insure compliance. Failure to obtain advance approval for any of these situations can result in the loss of eligibility and all federal payments.

Bank Account Changes

Current policy mandates that FSA payments be electronically transferred into your bank account. In order for timely payments to be made, producers need to notify the FSA county office if your account has been changed or if another financial institution purchases your bank. Payments can be delayed if the FSA office is not aware of updates to your account and routing numbers.

The Richmond County Farm Service Agency is located at 123 Caroline St., Suite 400, Rockingham. Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can contact them at 910-895-3950, ext. 2. The FSA office will be closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 16.

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(c)2012 the Richmond County Daily Journal (Rockingham, N.C.)

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