Mark your calendars! Producers across the United States have a few critical deadlines approaching in July that should not be missed.
Both the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) acreage reports and applications to qualify for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Emergency Report Program (ERP) are both due in mid-July.
“We’ve got a hard deadline coming up on July 17,” said FSA County Director Carl Josefy. “That will be the acreage reporting deadline for all spring and summer crops, your CRP (Conservation Reserve Program), your fruits and vegetables, pecans, grass acres, and any other cropland—even if you didn’t utilize it for anything it needs to be reported as idle so that all of your acres are reported for the year.”
Another important deadline for producers is signing up for the USDA’s ERP by July 14. This is a revenue-based program, so producers will need to make tiem to visit with their accountants, CPA, attorney, or whomever helps with their taxes in order to determine if they qualify.
“ERP is the Emergency Relief Program Phase Two, which was intended for those producers who may or may not have gotten the payment under ERP Phase One for disasters that occurred during 2021 or2022,” Josefy said.
Officials say it’s important to gather all the necessary documentation and proof of the incident as soon as possible when storms cause damage to livestock.
“Documentation could include pictures or video of the dead animals,” Josefy said. “You’ve got to tell us within so many days when the loss occurred—preferably within 15 to 30 days. Let us know that the loss occurred. You can call the office and just phone us right when you notice the loss occurred, and we’ll document it, and then you’ve got a record.”
