Meeting on USDA's new farm program scheduled for May 14

The Vernon County FSA Office will hold an information meeting about the new farm program called the Average Crop Revenue Election Program or "ACRE" for short. This is a revenue based program which is just available beginning this year that protects against crop revenue losses resulting from price and/or production declines at the state and farm level. This is one of the more complicated programs USDA has offered and has created many questions from farmers about the cost and benefits of participation. The meeting will be held in the home economics building at the Vernon County fairgrounds in Nevada on Thursday, May 14, at 1 p.m. and again that evening at 7 p.m. Several examples of what it takes to qualify for benefits in ACRE and in the regular DCP farm program will be presented along with producer and farm requirements for participation. Some other farm programs will also be reviewed. The deadline to sign up in ACRE or the regular farm DCP program has been extended from June 1 to Aug. 14 in order to give producers time to decide whether to participate in ACRE. For more information, contact the FSA Office at (417) 667-8137. Another meeting on ACRE will be held in mid- June.