Richmond County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Amy Hill Yaklin is reminding producers that the 2012 deadline to enroll in the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment (DCP) program is June 1.

“Richmond County producers interested in DCP should visit the USDA Service Center where their farm is administered and sign up,” said Yaklin. “Enrollments cannot be accepted after the deadline. Enrolling early means avoiding a missed deadline during this busy season.”

DCP provides payments to eligible producers on farms enrolled for any of the 2008 through 2012 crop years. The two types of DCP payments, direct payments and counter-cyclical payments, are calculated using the base acres and payment yields established for the farm. DCP is authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill).

Other FSA programs having enrollment deadlines include:

• Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (check with the Richmond County FSA Service Center for dates);

• GRAZE-OUT – March 31 for calendar year 2011 crops;

• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General Sign-up – April 6;

• Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) – June 1;

• Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payment Program (SURE) – June 1, 2012 for crop year 2010;

• 2011 ACRE Production Evidence – July 15;

• Certification of Planted Acres – Various deadlines, but no later than June 30;

• Farm Reconstitutions (changes) – August 1, 2012 for the 2012 crop year;

• Crop Insurance – Contact a crop insurance agent or the regional RMA office.

For information on how a late filed provision may apply, or for more information on FSA programs, producers and farmers should contact the Richmond County FSA Service Center at 123 Caroline St., Suite 400, Rockingham N.C., or visit the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov.