As the region reaches the peak summer season for crop acreage reporting, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is streamlining the process so farmers and ranchers can participate in crop insurance programs.
The change is part of the USDA Acreage Crop Reporting Streamlining Initiative and would allow farmers to file one crop acreage report with either the Farm Service Agency or a participating insurance provider and have the common information shared electronically between the two locations.
According to the USDA, agriculture producers expressed concern with the amount of time it takes to provide the same information to multiple locations.
As a result, the Department consolidated the deadline dates for submitting the reports and opened the new customer self-service portal known as FSA Farm Plus allowing farmers access to securely view, print or export their personal farm data. Farmers can enroll in the service through their local FSA office.
