By Bob Wevodau

Ag Program Specialist
Farm Service Agency, Maryland

6.30.2009-

As we move further and further into the summer, there are two things we know for sure: The first one is that the 90-plus-degree weather with haze and humidity is most certainly on the way.
The other is that the deadline to elect the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program is also rapidly approaching.
On second thought, maybe there is only one sure thing.
Looking at the official highs at BWI, we have only topped 90 three times this year, and all three of those days were in April, both May and June have flirted with 90, but as of the time I’m writing this, neither have topped it.
As a Marylander, I don’t think I’d ever say this, but I’m not convinced the 90-degree weather is such a sure thing in 2009.
But getting back to what is predictable, the ACRE sign-up that was originally scheduled for June 1 has been pushed back to Aug. 14.
For producers, this is good news.
The amount of information out about the ACRE program has increased greatly in the last few weeks.
There are many more resources available to you now than there were heading into what would have been the original deadline.
Though there are many different resources available on ACRE, a great place to start is the FSA Web site.
You can visit the Web site at www.fsa.usda.gov.
Once you reach FSA’s home page, on the left-hand side, under “Browse by Subject,” you will see a link for “Direct and Counter Cyclical Program/ACRE.”
This will take you to the DCP/ACRE page.
One of the biggest additions to the page in the last few weeks is the ACRE calculator.
There are plenty of ACRE calculators on line — so feel free to use whichever one you are most comfortable with — but this is the only one available that was created by USDA.
To help you navigate, there is also a PowerPoint presentation with instructions on how to use the calculator.
In addition to the calculator, there are other valuable resources available on the site.
For example you can see the latest ACRE guarantee prices, benchmark state yields, county level yields, as well as ACRE fact sheets and presentations.
The site is also updated regularly as new yield and price information becomes available, so make sure you check back for the latest updates.
Remember, the best thing you can do for yourself when it comes to ACRE is to be informed.
There are plenty of places in the print media, as well as online, in which you can gather information about the ACRE program, but if you want to see a lot of information all in one spot, this is definitely the place to look.
I can’t promise you next week’s weather, though it is probably a safe bet you’ll be reading this in mid-90s heat — based on the jinx I just created — but I can promise if you are looking for a lot of ACRE information all in one place, this is the site for you.
It’s updated regularly and coming straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
And in a world where we start to question things that we used to be certain of, that kind of reliability is a good thing.