Spring is here, believe it or not

With the way the weather has been, it seems hard to believe that we are officially in spring.

Even though Mother Nature continues to play her games, it is inevitable that you’ll soon be in your tractors, planting the days away with an eye toward final plant dates. 

We appreciate those of you who have already taken the time to complete your enrollment for 2018 coverage under the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) safety net programs. 

For those of you who have not yet completed this process, there is still time to get in the door before the true rush of field work begins. 

Completing ARC/PLC enrollments is important to our office because we also are starting to turn our attention to spring-seeded crop acreage certification. While the reporting deadline isn’t until mid-July, our office needs your help right now to get organized or we won’t be able to successfully get everyone through the door by the deadline. 

How can you help? As you get in the field, keep track of what you are planting, where you are planting it and when you are planting it. 

Due to a shortage in staffing, our office is mailing acreage reporting maps to assist us in making the acreage reporting process more efficient for both producers and our staff. The letter will have an appointment date along with instructions and example on how the maps need marked. These will need to be returned one week prior to your appointment. 

This detailed information will help make your certification appointment with us run much smoother, and that brings me to my next point. 

If you have not received maps when you are done planting, please call our office at 308-352-4747 to schedule your certification appointment. Our office has 1,000 producers to get through the door, so appointments are necessary to serve everyone timely.

Deb Hutsell retirement open house April 26

I also wanted to let you know that after serving Perkins County farmers and ranchers for over 31 years, Deb has decided to retire and spend more time camping, cheering for the Huskers and spending time with family. 

We are holding an open house on Thursday, April 26, from noon until 4 p.m. in our office at 927 Central Ave., Grant. 

We invite all area farmers to come in during this time and wish Deb well in her retirement. If this date is not convenient for you, please feel free to stop in any time between now and then. 

The office staff will also be available to help you with any program needs while you are here. 

If you can’t stop in, you also can wish her well via a card at: Deb Hutsell, PO Box 548, Grant, NE 69140. 

FSA office hiring

The Perkins County Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking to fill a temporary County Program Technician position at the county office in Grant, Nebraska.

Applicants should submit a resume to the Perkins County Office no later than close of business on April 20, 2018. 

That’s all I’ve got for this month. Good luck planting and stay safe.