Now that spring officially arrives this week, thoughts easily turn to the planting season that awaits. Before you know it, warm, dry weather conditions will permit soil preparation activities.

Farms that have a corn, soybean, wheat, oats or barley acreage base may want to visit or contact the office now before the spring rush starts on the farm to enroll in the direct and counter-cyclical program.

Although the deadline for DCP is not until June, it would be a good idea to enroll now. May is a busy month on most farms, so why waste a good planting day then to visit the Farm Service Agency office? DCP requires an annual enrollment and some of the other program provisions are as follows:

• Planting flexibility — any crop may be planted on base acres enrolled in DCP except fruit and vegetables. Acre-for-acre payment reductions will apply to fruit and vegetable violations.

• Idle acreage — weeds must be controlled and the idled ground maintained on DCP contract acres.

• Conservation compliance — operators must certify they are following a conservation plan approved by NRCS for every farm they operate whether or not it is a participating farm.

• Acreage reports — must be given annually for all cropland on the farm. The deadline for filing an acreage report for small grains is June 15 and course grains, fruits, vegetables and hay by July 15.

• Signature requirements — all producers on a farm must sign the contract and agree to the shares before the contract can be approved. The signature requirements must also be met by the appropriate deadlines for successions-in-interest and reconstitutions.

Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Services Agency.