Acreage reporting under way

The final date to file acreage reports for fall seeded crops is May 15, 2006; spring crops and nursery stock have until July 15th to complete acreage reporting.

According to Stubblefield, producers who have planted crops such as wheat, barley, or oats should be reporting the crop acreage to the local offices.

?The acreage reports are used by FSA to determine eligibility for program benefits, by the Risk Management Agency (crop insurance) for yields and policy verifications, and by USDA in general in formulating future policy and determining supply and demand needs,? he said.

Currently, FSA is in the process of updating photographs used for acreage reporting, Stubblefield said.

?Old paper photographs are being replaced by new satellite imagery photographs,? he said. ?When producers visit the county office to file acreage reports, photographs referred to as ?script maps? are printed from computer systems that have more accurate acreage calculations than previous maps.

?Although still not a snapshot of what the farm looked like last week, it is much more current than the older NHAP that offices were using.?

The agency director said that producers of non-insurable acreage program crops such as vegetables, sod, hay, or other non-program crops should also be aware of the final planting dates and crop reporting deadlines. A list of some of the crops and reporting dates are listed in the attached graphic.

?We want to encourage producers to come on in and complete their acreage reporting as they complete the planting of crops,? Stubblefield added. ?It?s much easier to complete the paperwork when its fresh on your mind, than to wait a few weeks and then have uncertainty about whether or not you completed everything you meant to do.?

Crops with their final planting and reporting dates are listed below. This is only a partial list. Please contact the local FSA county office for specific crop planting and reporting deadlines.