Farmers are being reminded the deadline is near to certify their conservation compliance. This news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says the new Farm Bill requires producers to file a Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification form (AD-1026) with their local USDA Service Center by June 1, 2015, in order to remain eligible or to become eligible for crop insurance premium support.

Many farmers already have a certification form on file since it’s required for participation in most USDA programs including marketing assistance loans, farm storage facility loans and disaster assistance. However, farmers who only participate in the federal crop insurance program must now file a certification form to receive crop insurance premium support. These producers might include specialty crop farmers who may not participate in other USDA programs.

“USDA is making every effort possible to get the word out about this new Farm Bill provision,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We’ve deployed a variety of informational documents and online resources including fact sheets, frequently asked questions and brochures to help farmers understand what they need to do. We’ve also conducted informational meetings and training sessions for nearly 6,000 stakeholders across the country. We want to make sure that those who are required to act do so by the June 1 deadline. We want all eligible producers to be able to maintain their ability to protect their operations with affordable crop insurance.”

If a good faith error and omission is made on certification forms, that can be corrected. But the deadline cannot be waived or extended and a form must be filed by June 1.