The Farm Service Agency recently began the process of generating 2011 contracts for the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program.

DCP contracts are scheduled to be mailed to farm operators in Butler, Beaver and Allegheny counties by the end of February.

Farms are eligible to participate in DCP if the farm has an acreage base of corn, soybean, wheat, oats or barley crops. Acreage bases were established in the 2000 Farm Bill and may not reflect the actual planted acres on a farm. Producers will receive multiple contracts if they operate more than one farm with base acres.

It is important that producers review the contracts carefully to ensure all information is correct. Specifically are the owners correct? Are the crop shares correct? In some cases the operation may have changed to a partnership. These are a few examples of items to be aware of when reviewing the DCP contracts.

The idea is that by being proactive with DCP enrollment, it will be more convenient for producers to meet the enrollment deadline. All DCP contracts must be returned by June 1 to be eligible for DCP program benefits.

Farm storage loans

A Farm Service Agency reminder goes out to producers that are considering new farm storage for grain and hay.

FSA provides financing for Farm Storage Facility structures. Examples are grain bins, silos and hay storage barns as well as grain dryers, silo unloaders and other permanent equipment.

The current interest rate is 2.75 percent. Producers who would like more information should contact the FSA office.

The best practice is to plan ahead; don’t wait until construction is ready to begin to start the process. In some cases winter discounts are available from some manufacturers now and construction would not occur until summer.

Brucellosis sanctions eased

New federal rules have eased sanctions against states bordering Yellowstone National Park when livestock get infected with the disease brucellosis — but leave unresolved the more nettlesome problem of infected wildlife.

Under the U.S. Department of Agriculture rules, ranchers with a handful of cattle infected with the reproductive disease no longer risk losing their entire herds to slaughter. Nor do states automatically lose their coveted “disease-free” status — a past practice that cost the industry tens of millions of dollars in lost sales and expenses.

The most significant change for wildlife is increased disease monitoring for species like bison and elk that carry brucellosis. So far, though, the rules have yielded no change to a government-sponsored capture program for bison, under which more than 500 of the animals are awaiting possible slaughter.

Brucellosis causes pregnant cattle, bison, elk and other animals to miscarry. It has been largely eradicated outside the Yellowstone region of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, where it lingers in wildlife.

A Montana state veterinarian called the shift in federal policy a game-changer for brucellosis management in livestock. Instead of the heavy hand of the Department of Agriculture coming down on states with infections, agriculture officials are finally acknowledging the Yellowstone region is unique.

The states must agree to essentially draw a line around a disease hot zone near the park. The most stringent brucellosis restrictions — vaccination requirements and blood tests for animals being shipped out of state — are reserved for livestock producers inside the zone, known as the designated surveillance area.

Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Service Agency.