U.S. Department of Agriculture Opens Base Acre Enrollment for Farm Safety Net Programs

(KNSI) — For the first time since 2002, eligible landowners have a three-month window to review and potentially increase base acres on farms enrolled in federal commodity safety net programs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency says landowners can review Base Allocation Summaries and request base acre increases from June 1st through August 31st. The update applies to farms enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage safety net programs, which provide financial protection to farmers when market prices or revenues drop.

Up to 30 million new base acres can be added nationally.

To qualify, a covered commodity must have been planted or prevented from being planted on the farm during crop years 2019 through 2023. The farm’s average planted and prevented planted acres during that period must exceed total existing base acres for all covered commodities as of September 30th, 2024, excluding unassigned base acres.

FSA is notifying eligible landowners by direct mail. Summaries are available online by clicking here through a Login.gov account. Landowners without an account can contact their local FSA county office to obtain their summary in person. The FSA encourages landowners to establish early communication with farm operators, since operators often hold detailed planting records needed to verify the summary’s accuracy.

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