USDA Announces Changes To Fruit, Nut, Vegetable Planting Rules

Posted by Christina Herrick|May 29, 2014

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced fruit, vegetable, nuts, and wild rice provisions that affect producers who intend to participate in certain programs authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014.

“Similar to previous programs that we’ve administered, planting fruits, nuts, vegetables, or wild rice on base acres on a farm can result in a payment reduction for program participants,” said Steven Maurer, state executive director for the Ohio FSA.

Producers who intend to participate in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs are subject to an acre-for-acre payment reduction when fruits, nuts, vegetables, or wild rice are planted on the payment acres of a farm. Payment reductions do not apply to mung beans, dry peas, lentils, or chickpeas. Planting fruits, vegetables, or wild rice on acres that are not considered payment acres will not result in a payment reduction. Farms that are eligible to participate in ARC/PLC but are not enrolled for a particular year may plant unlimited fruits, vegetables, and wild rice for that year but will not receive ARC/PLC payments for that year. Eligibility for succeeding years is not affected.

Planting and harvesting fruits, vegetables, and wild rice on ARC/PLC acreage is subject to the acre-for-acre payment reduction when those crops are planted on either more than 15% of the base acres of a farm enrolled in ARC using the county coverage or PLC, or more than 35% of the base acres of a farm enrolled in ARC using the individual coverage.

Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and wild rice that are planted in a double-cropping practice will not cause a payment reduction if the farm is in a double-cropping region as designated by the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation.