USDA RESCINDS BASE ACREAGE TERMINATION ON FEDERAL LAND
On April 2, 2009, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack rescinded the rule that was to immediately terminate base acres on federally owned lands. The December 23, 2008 rule, had it remained in effect, would have made any federally-owned land that was leased ineligible to receive direct payments and counter-cyclical payments beginning with the current crop year. Vilsack stated that the rule “would have hurt farmers across the United States and eroded the safety net for farmers and ranchers,” and that the action is “in keeping with President Obama’s commitment to American agriculture.”
Gillon & Associates worked with local and national farm, conservation and commodity groups to get the rule rescinded. Gillon met with affected farmers in February 2008 and continued to work with them to ensure the new Administration understood the implications of the previous Secretary of Agriculture's actions.
The announcement by the Secretary can be found at USDA.gov. An April 14, 2009, Delta Farm Press article on the action can be found at the Delta Farm Press website.