MetroWest report
COLORADO — Farmers have until Sept. 30 to enroll in 2016 Farm Service Agency programs including the Dairy Margin Protection, Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Safety-Net, and Crop Disaster Assistance programs in Colorado.
Dairy farmers are reminded that the enrollment deadline is Sept. 30 for the 2016 Margin Protection Program. The voluntary program, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides financial assistance to participating dairy operations when the margin — the difference between the price of milk and feed costs — falls below the coverage level selected by the farmer.
The Margin Protection Program gives participating dairy producers the flexibility to select coverage levels best suited for their operation. Enrollment began July 1.
Participating farmers will remain in the program through 2018 and pay a $100 administrative fee each year. Producers also have the option of selecting a different coverage level during open enrollment each year. Margin Protection Program payments are based on an operation’s historical production. An operation’s historical production will increase by 2.61 percent in 2016 if the operation participated in 2015, providing a stronger safety net.
USDA also has an online resource available to help dairy producers decide which level of coverage will provide them with the strongest safety net under a variety of conditions, available at www.fsa.usda.gov/mpptool. It allows dairy farmers to quickly and easily combine their unique operation data and other key variables to calculate their coverage needs based on price projections. Producers can also review historical data or estimate future coverage based on data projections.
n Eligible producers are reminded that enrollment in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for 2014 and 2015 ends Sept. 30.
The new programs, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, trigger financial protections for agricultural producers when market forces cause substantial drops in crop prices or revenues. More than 1.76 million farmers have elected ARC or PLC.
Previously, 1.7 million producers had enrolled to receive direct payments (the program replaced with ARC and PLC by the 2014 Farm Bill). This means more farms have elected ARC or PLC than previously enrolled under previously administered programs.
Nationwide, 96 percent of soybean farms, 91 percent of corn farms, and 66 percent of wheat farms elected ARC, while 99 percent of long grain rice farms, 99 percent of peanut farms, and 94 percent of medium grain rice farms elected PLC.
For data about other crops and state-by-state program election results go to www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc.
Covered commodities under ARC and PLC include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice (which includes short grain and sweet rice), safflower seed, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat. Upland cotton is no longer a covered commodity.
n Barley and wheat producers are reminded to apply for 2016 Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) benefits by Sept. 30.
In addition, the deadline to obtain NAP coverage on apples, appricots, cherries, grapes, hops, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums and prunes is Nov. 20.
The service fee for basic NAP coverage is the lesser of $250 per crop or $750 per producer per administrative county, not to exceed a total of $1,875 for a producer with farming interest in multiple counties. Producers interested in buy-up coverage must pay a premium, in addition to the service fee. The maximum premium will be $6,563.
Producers meeting the definition of a socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher, beginning farmer or rancher, or limited resource farmer or rancher, will have service fees waived.
Producers meeting this definition that choose to purchase buy-up coverage will also have service fees waived, and the premium will be capped at $3,282.
For more information on these and other USDA programs, visit the FSA online at www.fsa.usda.gov/dairy, or stop by a local FSA office.