Water Quality Violation, Sign-Up Dates and RMA Sales Closing Dates

Water Quality Violation, Sign-Up Dates and RMA Sales Closing Dates

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

B&G Farms in Grant County, is being fined $20,000 by the Washington Department of Ecology for violation of state water quality laws by not preventing extreme erosion on their land located north of Royal City known as Smyrna Bench, resulting in a large amount of soil sliding down hill into Lower Crab Creek after heavy rains on July 20th last year, smothering fish habitat and polluting the creek with mud. B&G Farms has been ordered to deliver a new farm plan aggressively addressing erosion issues on the property to the DOE by March 30th.

The Farm Service Agency says sign-ups for the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment Program and the Average Crop Revenue Election Program will begin on February 19. Program provisions are the same as in 2012, except that all eligible participants may choose to enroll in either DCP or ACRE for the 2013 crop year. The two programs were extended by an act of Congress on January 1st. For more information, visit your local FSA office.

Jo Lynne Seufer, with the USDA Risk Management Agency has this reminder for producers.

SEUFER: January 31 is the final date to buy or change an Adjusted Gross Revenue Insurance in select counties of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. January 31 is also the final date to submit required documents to continue or change Adjusted Gross Revenue Lite Insurance for existing policy holders. February 1 is the final date to buy or change crop insurance coverage for our 2013 spring planted onions in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, as well as cabbage in Oregon and Washington.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network.