IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
v March 15, 2013 – deadline to purchase 2013 NAP Coverage for hay and grazing
v June 3, 2013 – deadline to sign-up for ACRE
v June 7, 2013 – deadline to apply for 2011 SURE benefits
v August 3, 2013 – deadline to sign-up for DCP
IRS Reporting Changes to IRS Form 1099-G and 1099-MISC
The Farm Service Agency has implemented some changes regarding issuing IRS Form 1099-G and 1099-MISC for payments issued in 2012. FSA will no longer issue IRS Form 1099-G and/or 1099-MISC if a producer’s total reportable payments are less than $600. In addition, FSA will only issue one IRS Form 1099-G and/or 1099-MISC for producers participating in multiple counties. Producers receiving reportable payments that total $600 or more before withholdings were applied are still being issued an IRS Form 1099-G and/or 1099-MISC.
The changes to the report of payments on the IRS Form 1099-G and 1099-MISC are according to the Internal Revenue Code.
Producers who have questions about 2012 payments and/or refunds should contact their local FSA Office. Any FSA office can perform a search of all payments and refunds using a Tax I.D. Number through their Financial Inquiries software.
Farm Service Agency in Nebraska Announces Important 2013 Program Updates
The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers that the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 extended the authorization of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill) for many Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) commodity, disaster, and conservation programs through 2013. FSA administers these programs.
The extended programs include: the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment Program (DCP), the Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE), and the Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC). FSA is preparing the following actions:
- FSA will begin sign-ups for DCP and ACRE for the 2013 crops on Feb. 19, 2013. The DCP sign-up period will end on Aug. 2, 2013; the ACRE sign-up period will end on June 3, 2013.
- The 2013 DCP and ACRE program provisions are unchanged from 2012, except that all eligible participants in 2013 may choose to enroll in either DCP or ACRE for the 2013 crop year. This means that eligible producers who were enrolled in ACRE in 2012 may elect to enroll in DCP in 2013 or may re-enroll in ACRE in 2013 (and vice versa).
- All dairy producers’ MILC contracts are automatically extended to Sept. 30, 2013. Eligible producers do not need to re-enroll in MILC. Specific details regarding certain modifications to MILC will be released soon.
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP)
The sales closing date to purchase NAP coverage is March 15, 2013. This is the effective date for spring seeded crops and forage crops. The NAP program offers benefits to producers who suffer losses in excess of 50 percent of their approved yield on selected crops that are non insurable by FCIC.
An eligible producer is an owner, landlord, tenant, or sharecropper who shares in the risk of producing the crop or is entitled to share in the crop available for marketing from the farm or would have shared had the crop been produced. A producer must be determined “at risk” and have control of the land, however limited, to receive benefits.
To be eligible to receive NAP assistance, a producer must request application, and pay the service fee by the closing date of March 15, 2013. The service fee is $250 per crop per county or $750 per producer per county. The fee cannot exceed a total of $1875 per producer with farming interest in multiple counties. Payment of the service fee is also due at the time the producer files the application.
Qualifying limited resource producers may request a waiver of service fees, if:
- In each of the last two years, was your direct or indirect Gross Farm Sales less than or equal to $172,800 per year?
- In each of the last two years, was your Total Household Income less than the Dawes County median household income “County/Area Value” of $23,050.00?
If you answered YES to BOTH questions, you are eligible for NAP FEE WAIVER.
The Limited Resource Farmer/Rancher FY 2013 Self-Determination Tool as available at the following website:
www.lrftool.sc.egov.usda.gov/DeterminationTool.aspx?fyYear=2013
NAP coverage is one program where the deadline cannot be extended beyond the sales closing date of March 15; therefore, it is imperative that producers purchase their coverage by this date.
Producers who have purchased a RMA Pilot Program for Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF), available through your crop insurance agent, WILL BE able to purchase NAP coverage on the same forage type.
Foreign Buyers Notification
The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) requires all foreign owners of U.S. agricultural land to report their holdings to the Secretary of Agriculture. The Farm Service Agency administers this program for USDA. Foreign persons who have purchased or sold agricultural land in the county are required to report the transaction to FSA within 90 days of the closing. Failure to submit the AFIDA form could result in civil penalties of up to 25% of the fair market value of the property. County government offices, Realtors, attorneys and others involved in real estate transactions are reminded to notify foreign investors of these reporting requirements.
If you have any questions please contact the Dawes/N Sioux County FSA Office in Chadron 432-4616 ext. 2, the Sheridan County FSA Office in Rushville 327-2489 ext. 2, or the Box Butte County FSA Office in Alliance 762-4322 ext. 2
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.