Iowa farmers have just under a week remaining to decide which federal farm program is best for them. Jeff Davis, the Farm Services Agency director for Plymouth and Sioux counties, says March 31st is the last day farmers can elect between the three farm bill programs. Davis explains the provisions of the ARC-co which is based on county figures. “So, you use your county yields and prices to create a revenue,” Davis says. “If our county doesn’t reach that, you get paid on whatever base you have in that commodity and you can receive the payment no matter whether you plant the commodity or not.”

Davis says farmers may want to inquire about the ARC-ic program which allows farmers to place all farms under one program. “That deals with the revenues for the entire farm, which can mean two or three different farm numbers,” Davis says. “It’s everything that’s in that program. That’s a little more difficult to explain. You’d have to just sit and go through the numbers with that one.”

Farmers have another option, too.  “We have the PLC program which is all based on price,” Davis says. “If price goes for corn below $3.70, then there would be a payment, but that would be an average price for the marketing year. At this point, they are projecting a little bit, possibly, of a payment but we’ll have to wait and see on that.”

Davis says whatever farm program a farmer decides upon, they will remain with that program through 2018. He says farmers can also sign up one farm with one program and another farm with a second program, or they can split the programs with different crops. Davis encourages farmers to visit their county F-S-A office prior to next Tuesday’s deadline in order to have all of the options explained.

(Radio Iowa)