The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency is reminding landowners and producers in Mississippi of several upcoming deadlines.
The deadlines include filing crop acreage reports, applying for financial assistance, review potential increases to farm program base acres, and updating farm operating plans. Christopher McDonald, state executive director of the Mississippi Farm Service Agency, is encouraging producers and landowners to review the deadlines and ensure they don’t miss out on available assistance or needed updated.
“FSA is entering into one of the busiest times of the year for its county offices,” McDonald said. “County office staff are preparing for annual crop acreage reports from producers and beginning to implement new provisions included in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“FSA encourages producers to review the upcoming deadlines and to take advantage of the opportunities that may apply to their farming operations. Please do not wait until the deadline for FSA to assist you.”
Here’s a closer look at the deadlines and what they mean for Mississippi landowners and producers.
July 15: Crop acreage reports due for most
Most Mississippi producers have until July 15 to file crop acreage reports with the FSA.
A crop acreage report documents a crop grown on a farm or ranch, along with its intended use and location. Filing an accurate report helps ensure producers remain eligible for various federal safety-net, disaster assistance, conservation, and crop insurance programs.
To file a crop acreage report, producers should contact their local FSA office and be prepared to provide information such as the crop and crop type, intended use, number of acres planted, approximate crop boundaries, planting dates, producer shares, and irrigation practices, among other details.
While July 15 is the standard deadline for most crops, USDA notes that producers whose crops are planted after the acreage reporting deadline generally have 15 calendar days after planting is completed to report their acreage. Producers who acquire additional acreage after the deadline generally have 30 calendar days to report acreage and provide appropriate documentation.
Producers also should report acreage they intended to plant but were unable to because of a natural disaster, including drought. Earlier this year, 45 Mississippi counties were designated as drought stricken.
Aug. 7: Specialty crop assistance applications due
Specialty crop producers – including those who produce sweet potatoes, tree nuts like pecans, berries, melons, and muscadines, among others – have until Aug. 7 to apply for financial assistance through the USDA’s Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers Program.
USDA is making $1.625 billion available nationwide to help eligible specialty crop producers offset elevated input costs and market disruptions that impeded specialty crop exports during the 2025 growing season.
Pre-filled applications are available to those with a Login.gov account. Producers who do not have an account, while encouraged to create an account, can apply through their local FSA office.
Payment rates vary by crop category, ranging from $25 to $650 per acre, with a payment limitation of $250,000. Eligible acreage must have been reported to the FSA by April 24, 2026.
Specialty crops grown in controlled environments are generally not eligible, apart from mushrooms.
Aug. 31: Deadline to review possible base acre increases
Eligible landowners have until Aug. 31 to review and consider possible increases to their farm program base acres through the FSA.
The opportunity, authorized through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, marks the first chance to add base acres since 2002. Nationwide, eligible farms could add up to 30 million new base acres beginning with the current crop year.
Base acres are used to determine eligibility and payments under the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs, two federal commodity safety-net programs that provide financial protection when market prices or revenues decline.
The FSA has begun notifying eligible landowners by mail that Base Allocation Summaries outlining potential increases are available for review. The summaries can also be accessed online through Login.gov accounts or obtained through local FSA offices.
To qualify for new base acres, a covered commodity must have been planted or prevented from being planted on the farm between the 2019 and 2023 crop years, and the farm’s average planted and prevented planted acreage during that period must exceed the farm’s existing base acres.
Sept. 15: Certain farm entities must update operating plans
For the 2026 program year only, farm operations structured as LLCs, S-corporations, or other newly qualified pass-through entities must update their farm operating plans by Sept. 15.
Beginning with the current crop year, USDA is expanding payment eligibility provisions to treat qualifying LLCs, S-corporations, and certain similar entities as pass-through entities. The change allows eligible members who meet the FSA’s actively engaged in farming requirements to help qualify the operation for expanded program payments.
USDA also announced an increase to the payment limitation for the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs. Beginning with the 2025 crop year, the payment limit for those programs increased from $125,000 to $155,000 and will be adjusted annually for inflation.
Additionally, the agency broadened its definition of farming income for certain average adjusted gross income requirements to include activities such as agri-tourism, direct-to-consumer sales, and certain equipment sales, potentially allowing more diversified producers to qualify for exemptions from the $900,000 adjusted gross income cap for conservation and disaster programs.
Producers who have crop insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage are encouraged to contact their crop insurance agent or local FSA office before restructuring their operations. Additional information and assistance with updating farm operating plans are available through local FSA offices.
Where are local FSA offices in Mississippi?
While McDonald and the FSA are encouraging producers to take advantage of the USDA’s streamlined online tools when possible, those who prefer the in-person route or have questions about upcoming deadlines can contact their local FSA office.
FSA offices in Mississippi are in the following counties: Adams, Alcorn, Amite, Attala, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Claiborne, Clarke, Clay, Coahoma, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, George, Grenada, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lafayette, Lauderdale, Leake, Lee, Leflore, Lincoln, Lowndes, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pearl River, Pike, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Scott, Sharkey, Simpson, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tippah, Tunica, Union, Walthall, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Winston, Yazoo.
Addresses and phone numbers for each can be found here.