USDA Reminds Iowa Producers to File Crop Acreage Reports

DES MOINES, Iowa, June 6, 2025 – After spring planting is complete, agricultural producers in Iowa should make an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office to complete crop acreage reports before the applicable deadline.

“In order to receive many USDA program benefits, producers should file an accurate crop acreage report by the applicable deadline,” said Karen Rawson Acting State Executive Director in Iowa. “Call your local FSA office to make an appointment after planting is complete to report your acreage and take care of any other FSA-related business.”

How to File a Report

A crop acreage report documents a crop grown on a farm or ranch, its intended use and location.  Producers should file an accurate crop acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed acreage and prevented planted acreage before the applicable deadline.

The following acreage reporting dates are applicable in Iowa:

July 15, 2025 - All crops including perennial forages 

December 16, 2025 -  Fall-seeded small grains

To file a crop acreage report, producers need to provide: 

• Crop and crop type or variety 

• Intended crop use 

• Number of crop acres 

• Map with approximate crop boundaries 

• Planting date(s) 

• Planting pattern, when applicable 

• Producer share(s) 

• Irrigation practice(s) 

• Acreage prevented from planting, when applicable 

• Other required information 

 Acreage Reporting Details 

The following exceptions apply to acreage reporting dates:  

• If the crop has not been planted by the acreage reporting deadline, then the acreage must be reported no later than 15 calendar days after planting is completed.  

• If a producer acquires additional acreage after the acreage reporting deadline, then the acreage must be reported no later than 30 calendar days after purchase or acquiring the lease. Appropriate documentation must be provided to the county office.  

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) policy holders should note that the acreage reporting date for NAP-covered crops is the acreage reporting date or 15 calendar days before grazing or crop harvesting begins, whichever is earlier.  

Producers with perennial forage crops should check with their local FSA office to see if their crops are eligible for continuous certification, which rolls the certified acreage forward each year until a change is made.  

Prevented Planted Acreage 

Producers should also report the crop acreage they intended to plant but were unable to because of a natural disaster, including drought. Prevented planted acreage must be reported on form CCC-576, Notice of Loss, no later than 15 calendar days after the final planting date as established by FSA and USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA).   

Farmers.gov Portal 

Producers can access their FSA farm records, maps, and common land units through the farmers.gov customer portal. The portal allows producers to export field boundaries as shapefiles and import and view other shapefiles, such as precision agriculture boundaries within farm records mapping. Producers can view, print and label their maps for acreage reporting purposes. A login.gov account that is linked to a USDA customer record is required to use the portal.   

Producers can visit farmers.gov/account to learn more about creating an account. Producers who have the authority to act on behalf of another customer as a grantee via an FSA-211 Power of Attorney form, Business Partner Signature Authority or as a member of a business can now access information for the business in the farmers.gov portal.   

Geospatial Acreage Reporting  

Acreage reports using precision agriculture planting boundaries can be filed electronically with an approved insurance provider or an authorized third-party provider, who will then share the file with FSA staff. Producers should notify their local FSA office if they submitted an electronic geospatial acreage report containing precision planting boundaries that they want to use as part of their FSA acreage report.   

More Information  

For more information, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center.

 FSA helps America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners invest in, improve, protect and expand their agricultural operations through the delivery of agricultural programs for all Americans. FSA implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster recovery and marketing programs through a national network of state and county offices and locally elected county committees. For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov.