We realize that planting has come to a halt for many who are trying to finish up the 2017 planting season with the ill-timed rainfalls. Many farmers must make the decision to go ahead and plant or replant their corn acreage, or not plant the corn and convert that acreage to soybeans. In some cases the choice of letting the acreage lay fallow for the year will be made. This decision is never an easy one.

The Risk Management Agency (RMA) has set June 5th as the final planting date for corn. As a reminder the final deadline to report prevented planted corn acreage to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is June 20. If your corn crop was planted and has failed you must file an acreage report and a notice of loss within 15 calendar days of the occurrence of the disaster or when the loss is apparent. This failed acreage must be reported before the acreage is destroyed. If you are replanting corn back to corn there is no need to notify the FSA prior to replanting.

Regardless if you have completed planting or not we ask that you contact the office now at 937-492-6520 and set up an appointment to complete your crop certification. Producers carrying Federal Crop Insurance can use the acreage reported on form FSA-578 to aid in completing the acreage reporting paperwork for Federal Crop Insurance. In addition to the acreage planted in each field we will also need the planting dates for each crop and the crop shares. If there has been a change in your operation such as a formation of an entity or cropland changes, we will also need to update that information in our records. The final date to report corn, soybeans and other spring seeded acreage in Shelby County is July 15 for the 2017 crop year.