Last week was designated National Agriculture Week to coincide with the official first day of spring.

Well guess what? Spring weather seems to be here. Some cool season grasses and winter small grains appear to be breaking dormancy. Many producers have started spring farm activities since many fields are dried out enough to permit work. Common jobs are hauling manure, plowing, spreading fertilizer, frost seeding, soil preparation, oats seeding and hay seeding.

Some of these jobs will be done at various times for the next two to 2Z\x months depending on the situation on a specific farm operation.

Last week I wrote funding from the economic stimulus package would be targeted to agriculture. FSA just announced a buy-in waiver extension was just approved for specific disaster assistance programs.

Producers who did not obtain crop insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage for 2008 can pay a buy-in fee through May 18 to become eligible for 2008 disaster assistance programs authorized by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.

Producers who have not already taken the necessary steps to become eligible for the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program, Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and the Tree Assistance Program may now become eligible for such programs by completing the following steps by May 18:

• Paying a $100 buy-in fee per crop. The maximum fee is $300 per county, per producer, not to exceed $900 for multicounty producers.

• In the case of each insurable crop, excluding grazing land, agree to obtain a policy or plan of insurance for the next insurance year for which crop insurance is available; coverage level should equal 70 percent or more of the yield at 100 percent of the price.

• In the case of each noninsurable crop, agree to file the required paperwork and pay the applicable administrative NAP coverage fee by the applicable state application closing date for the next available year.

Producers who choose to buy in under this provision will be considered, for insured crops, to have obtained a policy or plan of insurance for the 2008 crop year at a level of coverage not to exceed 70 percent of the yield at 100 percent of the price. For noninsurable crops, producers will be considered to have a level of coverage equal to 70 percent of the yield. These levels of coverage will be used to calculate the 2008 SURE guarantee.

Producers who meet the definition of "Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource," or "Beginning Farmer or Rancher," are not required to pay the buy-in fee. Contact the FSA office for more information.

Ag humor

The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building.

So he was annoyed to find that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute.

The substitute wanted to know what to play.

"Here's a copy of the service," the pastor said impatiently. "But you'll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances."

During the service, the minister paused and said, "Brothers and sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected, and we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up." At that moment, the substitute organist played "The Star-Spangled Banner." That's how the substitute became the regular organist.