By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER
Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Producers in seven states can still grow tomatoes, cucumbers, green peas, lima beans, pumpkins, snap peas or sweet corn for processing on their base acres if they so choose.

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Planting Transferability Pilot Project (PTTP) permits producers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin to plant approved vegetables for processing on their base commodity acres. This comes under the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP) or Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE).

Eligible producers have until March 1 to sign up for the program. The USDA will not accept late-filed applications. Participants must agree to produce one of the approved crops for processing and to provide the county FSA office with a copy of the contract between the producer and processing plant, said Steve Maurer, Ohio FSA executive director.

Participants must also agree to produce the crop as part of a program of crop rotation on the farm. Interested growers should visit their county FSA office.
“It gives an opportunity for producers to diversify their crop production and better use their base acres,” Maurer said. “The producer must have a contract with a processor before this can happen.”

Without PTTP, planting these crops on base acres will be prohibited. Base acres on a farm will be temporarily reduced each year on an acre-for-acre basis, for each base acre planted with an approved fruit or vegetable on that farm.
“There is a prohibition in not only the last farm bill but many of those that preceded it, which prohibits farmers from planting fruits and vegetables on base acres,” Maurer said. “That’s been a little contentious over the years.”
With this program the USDA gives producers in certain states, particularly those with many vegetable processing plants, an opportunity to grow vegetables. Acreage allotted to the program varies – from 34,000 in Minnesota, to 9,000 each in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Ohio has 4,000 acres and Iowa, 1,000.

“I think the Congress did a good thing in trying to cut some middle ground between the absolute prohibition of planting fruits and vegetables on base acres, and completely opening it up,” Maurer said. “This was done to see how much interest there is.

“It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the next farm bill, if this is taken on as a permanent part of the law or if they decide to open it up and let farmers plant all the fruits and vegetables they want.”
Eligible growers may apply by completing form CCC-749 available at www.fsa.usda.gov and filing it with their county FSA office.