USDA Concerned About Slow Pace Of Sign-Up For Farm Bill Programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. The
USDA is concerned about the
slow pace in which farmers are
signing up for major farm pro
grams under the 2002 Farm Bill
and urged farmers to begin the
process to quickly sign up in
order to receive intended benefits
in a timely and efficient manner.
“Ensuring timely delivery of
program benefits is a top priority
for USDA,” said Agriculture Sec
retary Ann M. Veneman. “As
farmers wrap up this fall’s chal
lenges, we are hopeful that the
extensive outreach, education,
and training USDA has con
ducted throughout the country
will enable producers to quickly
focus on signing up for the pro
gram, which will help prevent
long lines at the county offices
next spring.”
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The USDA team has devel
oped extensive new software,
trained personnel and prepared
directives for the many new and
existing programs. In addition,
the department developed a new
Website and conducted hundreds
of outreach meetings to farmers
nationwide to provide informa
tion on how to comply with the
new law and the required
changes in program participa
tion.
Farm and Foreign Agricultural
Services Undersecretary J.B.
Penn, Deputy Undersecretary
Hunt Shipman, and Farm Serv
ice Agency Administrator Jim
Little, along with various state
farm program directors, took to
the airwaves with farm broad
casters and reporters from across
the country to help relay the mes
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“If producers are putting forth
a New Year’s resolution, we hope
it is to understand the impor
tance of signing up early,” said
Penn. “USDA is committed to
working at every level to assist
producers, but it is critical they
contact their local FSA office to
begin processing individual pro
gram information and updates
needed to participate.”
According to Jim Little, re
ports to date from the states indi
cate that producer sign-up for the
direct and countercyclical pro
grams is proceeding quite slowly.
He said there are several reasons
to explain the slow pace, includ
ing the late harvest in many parts
of the country that kept
farmers in the field longer
than usual.
Additionally, the complex
ity of the new programs re
quires more time for produc
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ers to gain understanding,
assemble the necessary informa
tion, and make their decision,
often involving several different
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ture market conditions.
“For the sign-up process to
proceed smoothly, we need a
steady flow of producers visiting
their local county FSA office
from now to the April 1 deadli
ne,” said Little. “We want to
avoid a last minute crunch in the
county offices. Thus, the sooner
producers contact their local FSA
offices and begin the sign-up pro
cess, the more our staff can be of
help to them to receive their in
tended benefits in a timely man
ner.”
Little also reminded producers
that they can sign-up for major
programs now and still make
changes to their decisions any
time until the April 1 closing date
for base acreage and yield updat
ing. Also, producers may visit
their local FSA office multiple
times to review information and
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discuss their decisions.
New computer-based tools also
have been developed to help pro
ducers analyze the economic con
sequences of the new Farm Bill's
updating options. USDA, in con
junction with Texas A&M Uni
versity, has made available one
such calculator on the FSA Web
site (http://www.fsa
usda.gov/). Several other lano
grant universities and commodiU
associations have developed simi
lar tools available to producers.
“All of us at USDA recognize
the importance of the new Faro-
Bill to America’s producers, an<
we remain fully committed to
providing them with all the nec
essary information and assistance
throughout the imple
mentation process,” said Penn.
For a complete list of farm bili
programs, benefits, and informa
tion needed for sign-up, visii
USDA’s Farm Bill Website ai
http://www.usda.gov/ or contac.
your local FSA office or service
center.