Enrollment is now under way for the Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program.

DCP is available on farms with a crop acreage base of more than 10 acres. The new Farm Bill provides that producers on farms with DCP base acres that total 10 acres or less will not receive a direct, counter-cyclical or average crop revenue election program payment, unless the farm is wholly owned by a socially disadvantaged or a limited resource farmer or rancher.

For this provision's purpose, a socially disadvantaged farmer is a person who is a member of a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities.

Status as a limited resource farmer or rancher is one who directly or indirectly had gross farm sales of no more than $100,000 in each of the previous two years (to be increased beginning in fiscal year 2004 to adjust for inflation using prices paid by farmer index as compiled by the National Agricultural Statistic Service) and has a total household income at or below the national poverty level for a family of four. A limited resource farmer also can have less than 50 percent of county median household income in each of the previous years (to be determined annually using Commerce Department data).

A limited resources farmer or rancher can be determined in an automated system using the Web site for USDA Limited Resource Farmer and Rancher Online Self Determination Tool at www.lrftool.sc.egov.usda.gov/tool.asp.

Ag humorHere's the corniest story ever.Ontha Cobb was crowned Corn County's new queen last week. A member of a local family, Ontha is the daughter of a retired kernel. Those who watched the competition said she creamed the other contestants. Cobb, a rather husky girl, wore a yellow silk dress, and all the judges, including celebrities Pop and Caramel Corn, agreed she was very sweet. When presented with a big bushel of flowers, Cobb just smiled and said, "Shucks." Asked how it felt to be canned by the winner, the first runner-up gave a frozen smile and replied, "I wish I had been picked." Cobb said she is proud of her roots and plans to stalk out a career in her chosen field.Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Service Agency.