Sign Up for New Farm Bill

The sign up for the new Farm Bill is officially open. Remember Congress passed and President Trump signed the new Farm Bill after the previous Farm Bill expired. Even though the Farm Bill was signed into law it takes time for the USDA to write the polices and procedures to implement the new Farm Bill. So, farmers will sign up for the first year kind of retroactively.

Late last week I was talking with Le Sueur County FSA Director Gary Kunz. He said they would prefer farmers not sign up for the new Farm Bill until after harvest, Workshops will be scheduled after harvest to explain the new Farm Bill. The Minnesota Farm Service Agency is working with the University of Minnesota Extension Service to develop presentations to explain the new Farm Bill.

Apparently the new Farm Bill is similar to the last Farm Bill. Farmers will have to choose between Arc County or Price Loss Coverage (PLC.) It is an advantage to have an idea what the county yields will be before having to choose between Arc County or PLC.