National Program Deadlines
View important upcoming and ongoing national USDA program deadlines. Note that this list does not include every deadline, and only includes federal deadlines. Check with your local USDA Service Center to learn about all available programs, and programs that have local or state level deadlines.
Upcoming Deadlines
The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provides financial assistance to producers of noninsurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters.
This deadline is only for honey and maple sap.
The Seafood Trade Relief Program (STRP) is part of a relief strategy to support fishermen and other producers while the administration continues to work on free, fair and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets to help American farmers compete globally.
Applications are available September 14, 2020 through January 15, 2021.
The Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) provides payments to eligible livestock owners and contract growers who have covered livestock and produce grazed forage crop acreage that have suffered a loss of grazed forage due to a qualifying drought during the normal grazing period for the county. LFP also provides payments to eligible livestock owners or contract growers who are producers of grazed forage crop acreage on rangeland managed by a federal agency if the eligible livestock producer is prohibited by the federal agency from grazing the normal permitted livestock on the managed rangeland due to a qualifying fire.
The deadline to submit LFP applications for qualifying 2020 losses is February 1, 2021.
Through the Conservation Reserve Program, farmers and ranchers establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. The CRP general signup runs Jan. 4, 2021 through Feb. 12, 2021. This signup includes increased opportunities for enrollment of wildlife habitat through the State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) initiative.
The Agriculture Risk Coverage program (ARC) provides income support payments on historical base acres when actual crop revenue declines below a specified guaranteed level. The Price Loss Coverage program (PLC) provides income support payments on historical base acres when the effective price for a covered commodity falls below its reference price. Enrollment for the 2021 crop year for ARC and PLC closes March 15, 2021.
Marketing assistance loans provide producers interim financing at harvest time to meet cash flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows.
This deadline is only for prior year harvested wheat, barley, canola, crambe, flaxseed, honey, oats, rapeseed, and sesame.
Through the Conservation Reserve Program – Grasslands, landowners and operators protect grassland, including rangeland, pastureland, and certain other lands while maintaining the areas as grazing lands. The CRP Grasslands signup runs March 15, 2021 through April 23, 2021.
The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provides financial assistance to producers of noninsurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters.
This deadline is only for ornamental nurseries.
Local Deadlines and Ongoing Programs
The following federal USDA programs either do not have a deadline or have ongoing signup. Check with your local USDA Service Center to learn more about programs that have local or state level deadlines.
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides farmers and ranchers an income source in exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production in an effort to improve environmental health and quality.
Signup for the continuous Conservation Reserve Program began on December 9, 2019 and is ongoing.
Acreage reporting is an important part of determining your eligibility for many USDA assistance programs. A crop acreage report documents all crops and the intended uses.
Acreage reporting dates vary by crop and by county. Contact your local USDA Service Center for details.
Past Deadlines
Enrollment for the following federal USDA programs has ended. Check with your local USDA Service Center to learn about programs that are currently open or that have local or state level deadlines.
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 provides direct relief for agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19. Applications are available September 21, 2020 through December 11, 2020.
The Dairy Margin Coverage program (DMC) is a voluntary risk management program that offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed price (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer. Signup for 2021 DMC runs through December 11, 2020.
The Wildlife and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) compensates producers for losses due to hurricanes, floods, snowstorms, tornadoes, typhoons, volcanic activity, drought, excessive moisture, and wildfires occurring in calendar years 2018 and 2019. The deadline to submit applications for disaster recovery assistance for 2018 and 2019 losses is October 30, 2020.
The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provides financial assistance to producers of noninsurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters.
This deadline is only for Christmas trees, turf grass sod, mushrooms, ginseng, floriculture and aquaculture.