FSA requires ownership changes to be reported

In Farm Service Agency program terminology, farms are constituted to group all tracts having the same owner and the same operator under one farm serial number.

When changes in ownership or operation take place through sales, purchasing, inheritance and other transfer transactions, a farm reconstitution is necessary.

Farm reconstitutions are the process of combining or dividing farms or tracts of land based on the farming operation. Remember, to be effective for the current year, recons must be requested by Aug. 1.

It is important that producers report any changes to their farming operations that would affect the status of the farm so that eligibility in all USDA-related programs can be maintained.

A policy change new for 2008 requires that reconstitutions requested for farms with base acres of 10 acres or less will not be approved if requested after May 22, 2008. An exception would be if the farm is to be combined with another farm and one of the farms has a change in ownership with the same shares.

Compliance spot check inspections will once again be utilized during the 2008 crop year. Instead of locally selecting farms and contracts for review, a nationwide selection of producers is used to achieve a statistical sampling of participating producers.

Spot check selections are to be conducted based on a producer?s participation in Conservation Reserve Program, Direct and Counter-cyclical Program, Loan Deficiency Program, etc.

County FSA offices shall only view the producer?s farms on the national designated selection list.

 

Bill Harmon is executive director of the Marion County FSA office.

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