DAVENPORT, Wash. – In 2009, farmers nationwide had an opportunity to transfer some of their traditional government crop support payment to a type of revenue insurance called the Average Crop Revenue Election Program, or ACRE.
According to Tom Platt, WSU Extension educator in Davenport, the 25 percent of Washington farmers who elected to take this transfer should be rewarded with an indemnity payment for their 2009 crop averaging $67 per planted acre over and above the cost of the insurance. But, says Platt, the 75 percent that did not participate in 2009 left money on the table.
Platt will hold two workshops in May to help nonparticipating farmers evaluate whether to participate in the ACRE program in 2010. The first will be Monday, May 10, at the Washington Association of Wheat Growers office, 109 E. 1st Ave., Ritzville. The second will be Tuesday, May 18, at Lincoln County Public Works, 27234 State Route 25 N. in Davenport. Both workshops will run 10:30 a.m.-noon.
The deadline for new ACRE participants is May 31.
Platt speculates that the reason more farms didn’t participate in 2009 is because the program was new and complex.
“I think a lot of them figured that a bird in the hand was better than two in the bush,” he says. “However, when they learn that their participating neighbors netted about $30,000 in ACRE payments for 2009, they may want to reconsider. The workshops will help them re-evaluate participation in the ACRE program.”
If prices hold the same for 2010 and yields are average, Platt estimates another ACRE payment for the 2010 crop of $29 per planted acre over and above the cost of the insurance. Although he admits this is a big “if,” Platt explains that the reason ACRE payments are likely is because ACRE uses a high target based on crop revenue from 2007 and 2008, years with historically high prices.
Registration is required by the Friday before each workshop. The cost is $20 for the first person from a farm operation, then $5 for each additional person. To register, mail a check payable to Lincoln County to WSU Extension, Box 399, Davenport WA 99122.