Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Center Lake Pavilion was packed to standing room only Thursday during an Indiana Farm Service Agency regional meeting to discuss the 2002 Farm Bill.
Alan Olson and Carl Clark, FSA regional directors for northern Indiana, were on hand as well as Doug Hoovermill, Chris Hollis and Dan Ford to explain the nuisances of the new farm bill.
"You're not going to walk away from here and know it all," said Hoovermill. "2002 is a transition year, with deprogramming and reprogramming for everyone."
He said the FSA has tried to take a complex document and make it as simple as possible.
"This is going to test all of us. Be careful about the decisions you make because you'll be bound by them for the next eight years."
Hollis then took the microphone and gave a general overview of the program, which adds soybeans, canola and sunflowers as covered commodities. Lentils, small chickpeas, wool, mohair and honey are new commodities.
The bill continues direct payments and adds counter-cyclical payments. The bill offers participants options to update bases and program yields and maintains limitations on fruit and/or vegetable plantings.
Hollis stressed the need for new power of attorney forms to be signed.
Because the 2002 Farm Bill provides producers with significantly different options and responsibilities, all current FSA Powers of Attorney are invalid for any program covered.
The power of attorney allows producers who lease land to make decisions about the leased land.
New forms are available on the Internet and at each county's FSA office.
Producers with Production Flexibility Contracts authorized under the Agricultural Market Transition Act in the 1996 farm law must continue to follow contract requirements. PFC payments for 2002 will continue to be issued, as requested, until Sept. 30, provided all eligibility requirements are met.
Since 2002 is a transitional year both the first advance CCP and the final direct payments under the old AMTA are scheduled to be paid this fall, Hollis said.
The new law also provides for a first installment of 2003 direct payments in December 2002.
Although the new law provides for the first advance counter-cyclical payments for 2002 in October, Hollis said, "don't bet on it. The first and second counter-cyclical will probably come in February."
Payment limitations under the new bill are: direct payments - $40,000; counter-cyclical - $65,000; and loan deficiency - $75,000.
Under the new planting flexibility provisions, any crop may be harvested on base acres except fruits and vegetables. Producers will have the option to not enroll a farm for a specific year and re-enroll that farm for a later year to avoid a planting violation.
The remainder of the evening was devoted to planting flexibility provisions, determining acreage histories and how to choose one of five base options.
The direct payment yield for PFC crops - wheat and feed grains - is the PFC, or assigned, yield.
For oilseeds, the direct payment yield is the average yield for the farm since 1998, factored by the historical yield ratio to reflect 1891-1985 crops.
Follow-up FSA farm bill meetings will be held Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m. and Aug. 29 at 9 a.m.
The FSA has an entire section of its Web site dedicated to answering questions people may have about the Farm Bill.
On the Net: www.usda.gov/farmbill www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/farmbill www.fsa.usda.gov/in www.ces.purdue.edu/farmbill and www.afpc.tamu.edu/ css/docs/bya/
