Farm Records You Need to Report FSA Acreage and File Crop Insurance Claims

Running a farm means keeping track of a lot of paperwork. Recording everything from planting dates and spray records to receipts and yield maps takes time, and without a system in place you can quickly end up with a pile of cluttered papers. 

Regardless of what type of crop insurance you have, certifying your acreage with the FSA is an important step in making sure that your farm is fully protected if you need to file a claim.

Reporting acreage to the FSA

For crop insurance, you’ll need to certify your acreage with your local FSA office. You can use this map to find your local FSA office and find more information about your area’s crop insurance and FSA deadlines here.

These are the records you’ll need to report your acreage:

• An FSA map of your farm or ranch

• FSA tract and farm numbers

• What crops you intend to plant and their intended use

• Number of acres for each crop

• Approximate crop boundaries, planting patterns and dates, irrigation practices and producer shares

  (source: fsa.usda.gov)

If you’re a FarmLogs Complete subscriber, you can use the Reports feature to easily export a PDF of your fields, FSA tract and farm numbers, crop types, and acres for your crops. You can also use the Fields feature to show field boundaries to your FSA agent.

“One of the biggest advantages [of FarmLogs] was when I went into the FSA to report. I simply showed them my FarmLogs account and went field-to-field until I finished reporting.”            – Dustin | Corn & Soybeans | Wisconsin

Filing a crop insurance claim

If your crop gets damaged during the season, your records could help you get a better settlement for your insurance claim.

Here are some basic steps to follow when filing a claim:

1. If your crops have been damaged, document the damage and contact your insurance agent within 72 hours of discovery.

2. After calling your agent, follow up with a letter and keep a copy for your records. This could come in handy later if a dispute occurs.

3. If your crop is damaged and you plan to replant, wait until the adjuster visits your farm. It’s important to leave damaged crops as is until after an adjuster has assessed your crop damage.

4. Prepare your documents (such as acreage, field locations of damaged crops, proven yield estimates, photos of the damage, weather data) before the adjuster’s visit.
   
   Tip: If you’re using records for Precision Ag Technology, you may also need to present records of proper equipment calibration and application.

(source: legacy.rma.usda.gov)

FarmLogs offers many tools that provide useful records when filing an insurance claim.

• Satellite imagery can help prove can use it to show the effects of crop damage when filing an insurance claim.
• Scouting helps you document damage with geotagged notes including photos that you can easily share with your insurance agent.
• Rain & Heat History gives you automatic records of rainfall amounts on your fields.
• Automatic Activity Recording shows the field path of your equipment and records other useful information, like wind speed.

The bottom line

Ultimately, the key is to be proactive with your farm record keeping. Detailed and organized records will help make reporting to the FSA and filing a crop insurance claim run smoothly.