Thursday, June 05, 2008

FSA Bureaucrats at Work

The farm bill has been enacted and those busy beavers at the South Building have issued a series of notices providing early info on its effects.

Notice PL-173 says, which I missed in the law, but which makes sense, that the new payment limitation regs will apply for the 2009 crop year. I don't anticipate following these changes in detail--I've already lost my memory of what's what and spending any portion of my remaining time on earth trying to absorb payment rules doesn't make sense.

Notice DCP-187
covers the direct payment program. The 10-acre base limit will be interesting. Is that going to be significant enough for people to try to evade it. Because you don't have to plant to get payments, the definition of cropland may become more important. That's the sort of thing I enjoyed, trying to figure out the implications and to stay abreast of the schemes and wiles of the people trying to outwit you (i.e., the lawyers).

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