FSA is providing clarification on reporting prevented from planting crop acres to USDA Farm Service Agency.  Producers who were unable to plant intended spring crops due to excessive rains and flooding should always report these prevented from planting acres to Farm Service Agency.  FSA policy requires that prevented planting acreage be reported on form CCC-576, Notice of Loss, no later than 15 calendar days after the final planting date as established by FSA. Contact your local FSA office for a list of final planting dates by crop.

However, Risk Management Agency (RMA) allows for a 20 day late planting period after the final planting date to report insured but prevented from planting acres to local crop insurance agents.  This has caused confusion in reporting by producers.  FSA policy has been clarified to state that if a producer timely reports prevented from planting acres to RMA (with the 20 day late planting period), FSA shall accept the producer’s report on form CCC-576 as timely reported, contingent upon proof of the timely RMA report being available within a reasonable timeframe. 

Producers may also timely report prevented from planting crop acreage to FSA (insured or not insured, but not NAP acreage) by telephone.  Producers must provide a location of where the disaster event occurred, including the farm, tract, and field number and prevented planting acreage.  Producers must still sign and return the form CCC-576 to the office by the final crop acreage reporting date and may do that by mail or in person at the local county FSA office.

If a producer is or was unable to report the prevented planting acreage to FSA within either the 15 or 20 calendar day late-reporting period, as applicable, a late-filed report may be submitted on form CCC-576, Notice of Loss.  Late-filed reports will only be accepted with payment of the late-filed fee to cover FSA verification of the eligible disaster condition that prevented the crop from being planted.  Submission of a late filed request does not guarantee approval.

Producers of hand-harvested crops must notify FSA of damage or loss through the administrative County Office within 72 hours of the date of damage or loss first becomes apparent. This notification can be provided by filing a CCC-576, email, fax or phone. Producers who notify the County Office by any method other than by filing the CCC-576 are still required to file a CCC-576, Notice of Loss, within the required 15 calendar days.  For losses on crops covered by the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), producers must file a Notice of Loss within 15 days of the occurrence of the disaster or when losses become apparent.

A link to RMA FAQs about prevented planting coverage can be found at https://www.rma.usda.gov/News-Room/Frequently-Asked-Questions/Flooding.