FSA to allow acreage reporting down to 2.5-inch area
To allow urban and innovative agriculture producers to more easily participate in Agriculture Department programs, the Farm Service Agency will allow acreage reporting for areas as small as 2.5 inch by 2.5 inch, FSA said in a news release Tuesday.
“These improvements, implemented by USDA’s Farm Service Agency, provide more flexibility for reporting acreage on a smaller scale and identifying innovative planting practices like multi-level planting or vertical farming practices,” FSA said.
FSA’s acreage reporting software previously allowed acreage to be reported down to .0001 acres, approximately a 4 square-foot area. Producers will now be able to report acreage-based crops at a minimum size of .000001 acre, approximately a 2.5-inch by 2.5-inch area.
FSA added, “Additional improvements will distinguish alternate growing methods such as crops grown within multiple levels of a building, or crops grown using multi-level or multi-layer growing structures such as panels or towers within a container system. This change allows the distinction of vertical farming practices. Urban and innovative producers will also have the option to report plant inventory along with their acreage-based report, allowing producers to better report the full scope of their operation.”
“Through USDA’s urban agriculture initiative and the opening of USDA offices within urban settings, our Farm Service Agency offices are more frequently engaging with urban and innovative producers,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “Filing an acreage report is an important requirement to receive many USDA program benefits, and our small-scale agricultural producers, including urban and innovative producers, will notice a simpler acreage reporting process that better reflects the scope of their unique operations.” USDA has established urban service centers in 17 cities staffed by FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service personnel.
FSA is also organizing urban county committees that play a role in USDA programs on a local level. The nomination period is over, but ballots in those elections will be mailed November 4 and the committees will take office on Jan. 1, 2025.
–The Hagstrom Report
