USDA to extend farm bill signup one week

The Agriculture Department announced today that the deadline for farmers to reallocate their base acreage and update yield and to make a choice between the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs will be extended until April 7.

Anyone who already has made an appointment with the local Farm Service Agency office to discuss ARC/PLC doesn’t need to take further action, a USDA official told The Hagstrom Report.

USDA’s reports show that almost 98 percent of producers have already updated yield and base, and close to 90 percent of producers have enrolled in one of the programs, the official said.

USDA sent out 5 million educational postcards, has held more than 5,000 events to explain the program changes to more than 430,000 attendees and also demonstrated tools to make the choices to more than 3,400 groups, the official noted.

–The Hagstrom Report