Producers can now easily sign-up for important government programs on line
USDA touts convenience of system

By DOREEN MUZZI
DBJ Contributing Writer

Several hundred Mississippians have already taken advantage of a new USDA program that allows farmers to sign up for government programs through the Internet.

Latrice Hill-Moore with the Farm Service Agency’s Mississippi state office in Jackson, Miss., says that as of Oct. 6, approximately 300 producers in the state had signed up for the agency’s new e-government service. The United States Department of Agriculture began giving producers the option of signing up for government programs online Oct. 20.

The electronic service will allow producers to choose 2005 direct and counter-cyclical program payment options, assign crop shares and sign and submit their contracts electronically from any computer with Internet access. Participants no longer have to visit their USDA Service Center to complete these tasks and can view and print out submitted contract options at any time, USDA says.

To sign-up for the service, producers of eligible commodities should first visit the website, http://www.fsa.usda.gov/egov/ edcp_default.htm. Once on the website, you must establish a level 2 e-authentication account. To do so, you must supply a laundry list of information to USDA, including your name, address, e-mail address, phone number, mother’s maiden name, date of birth, and a four-digit personal identification number.

Then within about one hour, USDA will send you an e-mail. You then have seven days to physically visit your local FSA office and present your driver’s license or other form of government photo identification to verify your identity. If you don’t, your e-authentication account can’t be activated.

According to USDA, the user-friendly online service saves producers time, reduces paperwork and speeds up contract processing at USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices. Anyone who is eligible to participate in the direct and counter cyclical payment program, and who has obtained an eAuthentication account is eligible for the Internet service. “The service has strict security measures to protect participants’ private information, as only authorized federal employees have access to information that is submitted electronically,” USDA says.

Even with an electronic account, producers with annual rental or lease contracts will probably have to visit their local Farm Service Agency office to hand-deliver that paperwork, Moore says. “USDA is working on providing computer access to those farmers who live in rural communities, including many of those located in the Mississippi Delta,” she says.

In addition to the new electronic service, USDA is providing expanded service for producers who choose to travel to a USDA office to complete their paperwork for government commodity programs. Under this program, producers can any USDA Service Center.

That means that producers who farm in two or more counties, can now conduct all of their business at one FSA office of their choosing, whether or not that office is located in his or her county of residence. “Any county can get your FSA information from your primary county’s database,” Moore says.

When announcing the online account system, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman said, “Expanding electronic government is a major element of the President and USDA’s management agenda to provide more efficient, streamlined assistance to individuals and businesses across the country.”

"Since the Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program was authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill, the program has made available $12 billion in payments to America’s farmers," said Veneman. "This month, we will be making an additional $2.6 billion in final direct payments for the 2004 crop year. We are marking the third year of this program by offering producers the option to sign up for the 2005 program online. This time-saving electronic service is part of the Administration’s e-Government initiative to improve delivery of services."

Producers have until June 1, 2005 to enroll in the 2005 direct and counter cyclical payment program. Producers must sign contracts annually under the program’s rules and can opt out of participating in the program in any year. DBJ