Crop Acreage 

Reporting

What You Need to Know

Overview

Agricultural producers should file crop 

acreage reports with USDA that document 

the crops grown on your farm or ranch and 

their intended uses. 

Each year, USDA agencies collect data 

relating to crops through crop acreage 

reports. If you want to participate in many 

USDA programs, including crop insurance, 

safety net, conservation, and disaster 

assistance programs, you must file timely 

acreage reports to remain eligible for 

program benefits. Filing an accurate and 

timely acreage report for all crops and land 

uses, including failed acreage and prevented 

planted acreage, may prevent the loss of 

benefits.

Deadlines

Deadlines to file crop acreage reports vary 

by crop and by state and county. 

Farm Service Agency staff at your local 

USDA Service Center can help by providing 

you with maps and acreage reporting 

deadlines by crop for your county. Your 

crop insurance agent can assist you with 

reporting information necessary for crop 

insurance benefits.

How it Works

You can file crop acreage reports by filling 

out the FSA-578 form. Your local USDA 

service center staff can help by providing 

you with maps and deadlines to simplify the 

reporting process. Producers can also log 

into farmers.gov to securely view or print 

maps. To enroll in the online service, contact 

your local FSA office or visit farmers.gov/

sign-in. 

To file an acreage report, you need: 

• Crop and crop type or variety

• Intended use of the crop

• Number of acres of the crop

• Map with approximate boundaries for 

the crop

• Planting dates

• Planting pattern, when applicable

• Producer shares

• Irrigation practice(s)

• Acreage prevented from planting, 

when applicable

• Other information as required

Reporting dates vary by crop and by 

county. Ask your local FSA staff for details. 

Find your Local Office

To find your local office, go to:

farmers.gov/service-locator

Farmers.gov Account

Producers with an eAuth 

Account linked to their 

USDA customer record 

can now access their FSA 

farm records, maps, and 

common land units by 

logging into farmers.gov. 

A new feature will allow 

producers to export field 

boundaries as shapefiles 

and import and view 

other shapefiles, such 

as precision agriculture 

boundaries. This will allow 

producers to view, print 

and label their own maps 

for acreage reporting 

purposes. 

Producers who have 

authority to act on behalf 

of another customer as a 

grantee via an FSA-211 

POA, Business Partner 

Signature Authority, along 

with other signature 

types, or as a member of 

a business can now access 

information by logging 

into their farmers.gov

account. 

Producers can learn how 

to use the farmers.gov

Farm Records Mapping 

functionality by watching 

the video tutorials posted 

on the Farmers.gov 

YouTube channel. 

JUNE 2022
CROP ACREAGE REPORTING 2

Crop Acreage Reporting 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How are crop acreage reports 

used? 

The data collected from crop acreage 

reports is used to:

• Determine compliance with USDA 

farm programs

• Determine the amount of insurance 

provided and the premium charged

• Verify compliance with Highly 

Erodible Land Conservation and 

Wetland Conservation provisions

• Inform USDA agency program 

decisions

• Determine producer eligibility 

for commodity loans and loan 

deficiency payments

• Determine crop and producer 

eligibility for participation in 

certain USDA programs

Q: How often do I need to report 

my crop acreage? 

Producers must generally certify 

acreage reports after each planting as 

some crops have multiple plantings and 

each planting must be reported.

Perennial forage is eligible for 

continuous certification. This means 

after a crop is reported once, the 

certification remains in effect until a 

change is made. Check with FSA at 

your local USDA Service Center to see 

if your crops are eligible for continuous 

certification.

Q: I’m a beginning farmer. How do I 

report crop acres my first year? 

If this is your first year farming a tract 

of land, make sure you have a farm 

number, that your tract information 

is current, and that you are in FSA’s 

system. To get a farm number, bring 

proof of identity, a copy of your deed 

or leasing documents, and any entity 

documentation for your business 

(limited partnership, estate, or trust 

documents) to your local USDA 

Service Center. We’re here to help 

you get started!

Q: Do I need an appointment? 

Please contact your local FSA office 

to schedule a phone or virtual 

appointment. 

Q: I have a small operation. Do I 

still need to report crop acres? 

Yes. FSA works with farms and ranches 

of all sizes. Small farmers should still 

report their acreage because they may 

be eligible for assistance in the event of 

a natural disaster. 

Q: Can I report cover crops? 

Yes. Crops that are used for erosion 

control, soil health, or water quality can 

be reported as cover crops. However, if 

a cover crop is harvested for anything 

other than forage or grazing, it’s no 

longer a cover crop and the report must 

be revised. 

Q: What if my crops are organic? 

Crops aren’t required to be reported 

as organic, but if you choose to do so 

you should bring your current organic 

plan and documentation verifying the 

certified organic status of your crops.

Q: If I already reported my acres to 

my crop insurance agency, do I still 

need to submit a report to FSA? 

Yes. FSA and participating insurance 

providers approved by the Risk 

Management Agency (RMA) can provide 

the common information 

from their acreage reports at one 

office and the information will be 

electronically shared with the other 

location. However, producers must 

still sign reports for both FSA and the 

insurance provider.

Q: When should I report prevented 

planted and failed acres? 

Many programs require that prevented 

planted and failed acres be reported 

within 15 days of the disaster.

Q: What happens if the acreage 

reporting deadline for my county 

has passed? Can I still file? 

Yes. Acreage reports can be filed up to 

a year after the deadline has passed. 

Acreage reporting establishes your 

eligibility for many programs including 

disaster programs. Even if there is no 

program payment that might be at issue 

when an acreage report could be filed 

or filed late with a fee, we encourage 

producers to file an acreage report and 

remit the late-file fee rather than to 

choose not to report 

the acreage. 

Sometimes program or payment 

eligibility decisions or application 

deadlines extend beyond the final date 

when a late-filed acreage report can be 

filed. In this case, electing not to file and 

paying a fee could be final with regard 

to the potential eligibility of those acres 

and producers sharing in the acres.

Having an acreage report on file 

helps ensure eligibility for payments 

and disaster assistance, especially 

unforeseen future disasters or program 

payment eligibility. 

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