Acreage crop reporting is an important part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) delivery of programs and services to farmers and ranchers. The USDA Acreage Crop Reporting Streamlining Initiative (ACRSI) has established a common framework for agricultural producers to submit acreage reports to USDA.

Farmers and ranchers can now choose to report their common crop acreage information just once, either to their Farm Service Agency (FSA) local county office or to their participating crop insurance agent on behalf of the Risk Management Agency (RMA). The common information from  those acreage reports will be shared electronically and securely between FSA, RMA and the producers’ Approved Insurance Provider (AIP). Although producers must still contact both their county office and their crop insurance agent as they normally would to complete program-specific information, validate the common information, complete maps and sign acreage reports, the common data from the first-filed acreage reports will now be available to pre-populate and accelerate completion of the second reports. This will eliminate redundant reporting.

This new capability reduces the reporting burden on farmers and ranchers by eliminating the need to report the same information multiple times to multiple locations, while supporting efficient, secure and more accurate data sharing across participating USDA agencies.

ACRSI will:

• Improve the customer experience;
• Reduce the customer burden;
• Eliminate redundancy in data;
• Increase data integrity and data sharing within USDA; and
• Provide process efficiencies.

Producers will report their common crop acreage information through one of the following channels:

• FSA county office; or
• A participating crop insurance agent of an Approved Insurance Provider (AIP).

After a farmer or rancher chooses a channel and files their report, the data is shared electronically and securely among participating USDA agencies.

Acreage report data will be shared commonly for those producers who:

• Have planted one or more of the approved crops;
• Carry crop insurance on approved crops; and
• Carry insurance with a participating AIP with a policy in force.

Producers can report their common crop acreage for the approved categories listed below.

These categories cover more than 94 percent of the acreage annually reported to USDA nationwide. USDA may add to this list in the future.

 

 

Alfalfa Barley Canola/Rapeseed CRP Corn Cotton

Fallow Grass Oats Peanuts Rice

Rye Sorghum Soybeans Sunflowers Wheat

Producers must still contact both their FSA county office and their crop insurance agent as they normally would to complete program-specific information, validate the common information, complete maps, and sign acreage reports.

Publishing a USDA data standard for acreage reporting enables innovation by the precision agriculture industry to design tools to gather data around those standards. Producers who use this technology and have the ability to report electronically will benefit most from the efficiencies built into the ACRSI reporting process.

For more information see the FSA website, or visit your local county office.

For more information RMA and its programs, explore our website or contact your insurance agent.

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This fact sheet gives only a general overview of the crop insurance program and is not a complete policy. For further information and an evaluation of your risk management needs, contact a crop insurance agent.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, complete, sign and mail a program discrimination complaint form, (available at any USDA office location or online at www.ascr.usda.gov), to: United States Department of Agriculture; Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; 1400 Independence Ave., SW; Washington, DC 20250-9410. Or call toll free at (866) 632- 9992 (voice) to obtain additional information, the appropriate office or to request documents. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136.