FSA Andy for May 14, 2009

Hello Again!

“Rain, rain go away come back another day,” even at the ripe old age of (… well let’s not go there) I find myself singing the children’s song as we see yet more rain in the upcoming forecast.

“Grain planting this spring is turning into a tale of two Corn Belts — with one possibly seeing more soybeans than expected in the ground by June,” according to a Reuters’ article.

If producers east of the Mississippi do not have corn in the ground by the middle of May, farmers often change to planting soybeans, a faster growing crop.

With this said, the USDA wants to make sure farmers are aware of the upcoming soybean request for referendum.

Referendum. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service will offer soybean producers the opportunity to request a referendum on the Soybean Promotion and Research Order.

The Request for Referendum will be conducted at USDA’s Farm Service Agency county offices.

To be eligible to participate, producers must certify and provide documentation that shows that they produced soybeans and paid an assessment on the soybeans during the period of Jan. 1, 2007, through Dec. 31, 2008.

Eligible producers may obtain the Form, LS-51-1: Soybean Promotion and Research Order Request for Referendum from their local FSA office either in person, by mail or by facsimile through May 29.

Forms. Forms may also be obtained at http://www.ams.usda.gov/LSMarketingPrograms and then click on the “Soybean Program” link and lastly click on the “Form LS-51-1” link.

Individual producers and other producer entities may request a referendum at the county FSA office where their administrative farm records are maintained. For the producer not participating in FSA programs, the opportunity to request a referendum will be provided at the county FSA office where the producer owns or rents land.
Completed forms and supporting documentation must be returned to the appropriate FSA county office by fax or in person no later than close of business May 29; or if returned by mail, must be postmarked by midnight May 29 and received in the county FSA office by close of business June 5.

USDA will conduct a referendum if at least 10 percent of the nation’s 589,182 soybean producers support a referendum. Not more than 1/5 of the producers who support having a referendum can be from any one state.

Soybean program. The soybean checkoff program is administered by a 68-member producer board and is designed to expand uses of soybeans and soybean products in domestic and foreign markets.
The national program is financed by a mandatory assessment of 1/2 of 1 percent of the net market price of soybeans.

For more information, contact the Marketing Programs Branch; Livestock and Seed Program, Room 2628-S; 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.; Washington, D.C. 20250-0251; 202-720-1115; or via the Internet at http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsmarketingprograms .

That’s all for now,
FSA Andy