Posted July 29, 2014
Last week, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) informed producers of their obligation to comply with conservation regulations in order to purchase crop insurance and some vegetable producers have concerns, according to a Delta Farm Press article available here.
The Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) expressed their concerns to Congress and the USDA during consideration, because it will affect some producers more than others, depending on type of farm.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated that all producers must file new paperwork with their local Farm Service Agency office.
“It’s important that farmers and ranchers taking the right steps to conserve valuable farm and natural resources have completed AD-1026 forms on file at their local Farm Service Agency office,” he said. “This will ensure they remain eligible for crop insurance support.”
Permanent crops are commodities produced without “annual tilling of the soil,” and are mostly exempted from this requirement, but the paperwork must still be filed in order to be eligible for the federal subsidy under crop insurance programs.
For crops that are “annually tilled,” an obligation may be required to have a certified conservation plan in place along with other restrictions, which depends on if the land is highly erodible or a wetland as defined by the USDA.
USDA is conduction a listening session on August 7 in Gainesville, Florida to receive comments from the industry.
For more information on crop insurance programs, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
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