As soon as you have finished planting, it is time to call the Champaign County Farm Service Agency and make your appointment to complete your crop acreage reporting.

In order to comply with Farm Service Agency (FSA) program eligibility requirements, all producers must file a crop certification report by July 15, 2016. This deadline is applicable to all corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, hybrid corn seed, spring oats, potatoes, popcorn, and other crops. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) should also be reported by July 15.

Producers who chose coverage from the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs and have not yet completed their 2016 enrollment may also sign their ARC/PLC contracts when they certify their crops. The ARC/PLC enrollment period will continue until Aug. 1, 2016.

If a farm’s acreage is not fully reported and certified, or not enrolled during the 2016 enrollment period, producers on that farm will not be eligible for financial assistance from the ARC or PLC programs should crop prices or farm revenues fall below the historical price or revenue benchmarks established by the program.

Once acreage reporting and ARC/PLC contracts are complete, the next important deadline will be for producers who plant wheat in the fall. 2016 wheat should be reported no later than December 15, 2016.

For more information and to schedule your appointment, please contact the Champaign County Farm Service Agency office at 937-484-5527.