10/10/06 Sign up for 2007 DCP underway

Farm and Ranch October 10, 2006 The 2002 Farm Bill requires producers to sign up every year if they want to participate in the Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program, DCP. And October 1st marked the beginning of the sign up period for the 2007 DCP. Farm Service Agency program specialist Brad Karmen says this year producers can sign up for farm programs a number of ways. Karmen: "Go to a Farm Service Agency office. They can visit a county office in their home county or probably the best alternative is to sign up online thru the internet. That allows the producers to put in an application and then be ready to receive payment when payments are authorized." 2007 is the final year for these payments authorized under the 2002 Farm Bill. In order to sign up online producers, if they haven't done so already, will have to go to the area USDA office one time to obtain an eAuthentication account and after that sign up for a variety of programs can be done online. Sign up for the DCP continues until June 1st of 2007. Following that USDA will accept late applications through September 30th 2007 but with a $100 late fee. USDA will issue DCP direct advance payments beginning December 1st of this year. Counter cyclical payments are issued only when the effective price for a commodity is below its target price. That part of the program has not been of much benefit to wheat producers. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.