Farmers in 16 Nebraska Counties Invited to Join Acreage Reporting Pilot Project

Producers Using Precision Ag Data Needed for Initiative

Wheat producers in 16 Nebraska counties are eligible for a pilot program to test their ability to use precision ag data for reporting acreage to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies.

Nancy Johner, Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director, and USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) Regional Director Rebecca Davis announced the agencies are looking for wheat producers to test the transfer of data collected by their planting equipment as part of a streamlining initiative. The data will be processed by an approved third-party provider and transmitted directly to FSA and RMA as part of the Acreage Crop Reporting Streamlining Initiative (ACRSI).

Crop acreage reporting is an important step farmers and ranchers take to be eligible for many USDA programs and services, such as federal crop insurance administered by RMA and farm programs administered by FSA. The fall acreage reporting deadline is November 15, 2018, for winter wheat sown for 2019 production.

“Through this pilot project, producers will be able to use their own technology and tools to help us reduce paperwork for them and deliver programs more efficiently,” said Johner. “They will be able to use their precision data equipment to provide their 2019 wheat acreage, up to the November 15 deadline.”

The Nebraska counties participating in the pilot include Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes-North Sioux, Frontier, Furnas, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Keith, Kimball, Lincoln, Morrill, Perkins, Red Willow, Sheridan and Webster.

“Participating wheat farmers will still have to visit their participating FSA county office and discuss with their crop insurance agent to validate transmitted data, sign the final acreage reports and provide any additional information,” said Davis. “By helping test this pilot now, we will continue to improve and streamline the process and ensure farmers spend more time farming and less time filling out paperwork.” This process must be completed by the November 15, 2018, fall acreage reporting deadline.

Wheat farmers interested in participating in the pilot should contact their county FSA office for additional information. To find a county office, visit www.farmers.gov and scroll down to “Find Your Local Service Center.”