§ 1437.8 - Records.

§ 1437.8 Records.

(a) Producers must maintain accurate records of crop acreage, acreage yields, and production for the crop for which an application for coverage is filed in accordance with § 1437.7. For those crops or commodities for which it is impractical, as determined by FSA, to maintain crop acreage, yields, or production data, producers must maintain records, in addition to the available records required by this section, as may be required in subparts C, D, and E of this part. Producers must retain records of the production and acreage yield for a minimum of 3 years for each crop for which an application for coverage is filed in accordance with § 1437.7. Producers may be selected and be required to provide records acceptable to FSA to support any certification provided. For each harvested crop for which producers file an application for payment in accordance with § 1437.11, producers must provide documentary evidence acceptable to FSA of production and the date harvest was completed, including production of crops planted after the planting period or late planting period. Such documentary evidence must be provided no later than the acreage reporting date for the crop in the subsequent crop year or, for crops with a coverage period of more than 12 months, no later than 60 days after the normal harvest date. Records of a previous crop year's production for inclusion in the actual production history database used to calculate an approved yield for the current crop year must be certified by the producer no later than the acreage reporting date for the crop in the current crop year. Production data provided after the acreage reporting date in the current crop year for the crop may be included in the actual production history data base for the calculation of subsequent approved yield calculations if accompanied by acceptable records of production as determined by FSA. A certification of an amount of production itself is not a record of production. Certifications must be accompanied by a record of production; records of production acceptable to FSA may include:

(1) Commercial receipts, settlement sheets, warehouse ledger sheets, or load summaries if the eligible crop was sold or otherwise disposed of through commercial channels provided the records are reliable or verifiable as determined by FSA; and

(2) Such documentary evidence such as contemporaneous measurements, truck scale tickets, and contemporaneous diaries, as is necessary in order to verify the information provided if the eligible crop has been fed to livestock, or otherwise disposed of other than through commercial channels, provided the records are reliable or verifiable as determined by FSA.

(3) For quality losses specified in § 1437.105, verifiable records substantiating a quality loss due to an eligible cause of loss in the coverage period. The record submitted must come from tests or analysis substantiating that the loss of quality occurred from an eligible cause of loss during the coverage period. FSA will disapprove quality adjustments under § 1437.105 if FSA determines the evidence does not substantiate a loss of quality occurred due to an eligible cause of loss in the coverage period. For example, if FSA determines the tests or analysis of the specific crop's production were taken too late to determine if the measured loss of quality occurred from an eligible cause of loss in the coverage period (regardless whether a loss of quality was in fact measured or determined), no quality loss adjustment will be made or permitted. There is no presumption that a measured loss of quality occurred due to an eligible cause of loss in the coverage period. It is a NAP covered producer's burden to present evidence, satisfactory to FSA, substantiating that the alleged quality loss occurred to the NAP covered crop in the coverage period.

(b) During any crop year that a notice of loss is filed according to this part:

(1) Producers of hand-harvested or rapidly deteriorating crops, as determined by the Deputy Administrator, must, in addition to providing acceptable production records according to this part, notify the administrative county office that harvest is complete. This notification must be made within 72 hours of when harvest is complete. If an appraisal of the crop acreage is requested by the producer or determined necessary by FSA, the producer must not destroy the crop residue until the crop acreage is released by an FCIC- or FSA-qualified loss adjustor. Producers may, at their expense, request that an appraisal by certified FCIC or FSA loss adjusters of acreage of hand-harvested or rapidly deteriorating crops be completed during non-loss crop years in order to maintain accurate actual production history.

(2) Producers must not allow the gathering (gleaning) of any produce left in the field following normal harvest of the crop acreage until the crop acreage is released by a qualified FSA or FCIC loss adjustor, as determined by FSA. Except, crop acreage may be released by an authorized FSA representative for acceptable gleaning operations, as determined by FSA, when producers and gleaners agree to provide acceptable records, as determined by FSA, of the quantity of the crop gleaned.

(c) Producers must provide acceptable evidence, as determined by FSA, of:

(1) An interest in the commodity produced or control of the crop acreage on which the commodity was grown at the time of disaster;

(2) The authority of the applicable individual to execute program documents;

(3) The producer's risk in the crop; and

(4) The producer's ability and intent to harvest, transport, and market the crop's expected production determined by using the approved yield or inventory of the crop or commodity.

(d) Reports of acreage planted or intended but prevented from being planted must be provided to FSA at the administrative county office for the acreage no later than the date specified by FSA for each crop and location. Reports of acreage filed beyond the date specified by FSA for the crop and location may, however, be processed and used for determining acres devoted to the eligible crop if all the provisions of 7 CFR part 718 are met. In the case of a crop-share arrangement, all producers will be bound by the acreage report filed by the landowner or operator unless the producer files a separate acreage report by the date specified by FSA for the crop and location. Reports of acreage planted or intended and prevented from being planted must include all of the following information:

(1) Number of acres of the eligible crop in the administrative county (for each planting in the event of multiple planting) in which the producer has a share;

(2) Zero acres planted when the producer's crop for which an application for coverage was filed, is not planted;

(3) The producer's share of the eligible crop at the time an application for coverage was filed;

(4) The FSA farm serial number;

(5) The identity of the crop, practices, intended uses, and for forage crops, the predominant species or type and variety of the vegetation;

(6) For organic crops with an average market price established under § 1437.12(b), the identity of the crop planted on:

(i) Acreage using conventional farming practices;

(ii) Certified organic acreage;

(iii) Transitional acreage being converted to certified organic acreage;

(iv) Buffer zone acreage;

(7) The identity of all producers sharing in the crop;

(8) The date the crop was planted or planting was completed, including the age of the perennial crops; and

(9) The acreage intended but prevented from being planted.

(e) Producers receiving a guaranteed payment for planted acreage, as opposed to receiving a payment only upon delivery of the production must provide documentation of any written or verbal contract or arrangement with the buyer to FSA. Net production, as determined by FSA, may be adjusted upward by the amount of production corresponding to the amount of the contract payment received.

(f) Producers must provide documentation of any salvage value received by or made available for the quantity of the crop or commodity that cannot be marketed or sold in any market, as determined by FSA and any value received by or made available for a secondary use of the crop or commodity.

(g) Producers requesting payment under this part must maintain records which substantiate gross revenue for the tax year preceding the crop year for which coverage is requested.

(h) Producers requesting a waiver of service fees as a limited resource producer must maintain records which substantiate annual gross income for the two tax years preceding the crop year for which coverage is requested.

(i) Producers requesting payment under this part for a crop grown on certified organic acreage for which a price and T-yield are established, as provided in §§ 1437.12(b) and 1437.102, must provide, no later than the acreage reporting date specified by FSA for the crop and location:

(1) A written certification in effect from a certifying agency indicating the name of the entity certified, effective date of certification, certificate number, types of commodities certified, and name and address of the certifying agent (a certificate issued to a tenant may be used to qualify a landlord or other similar arrangement); and

(2) Records from the certifying agent showing the specific location of certified organic, transitional, and buffer zone acreage, and acreage not subject to organic farming practices according to an organic system plan. \

(j) Producers providing reports of acreage that include transitional acreage being converted to certified organic acreage in accordance with an organic system plan must provide, no later than the acreage reporting date specified by FSA for the crop and location:

(1) Written documentation from a certifying agent indicating an organic system plan is in effect for the acreage; and

(2) Records from the certifying agent showing the specific location of certified organic, transitional, and buffer zone acreage, and acreage not subject to organic farming practices according to an organic system plan.

(k) Producers who are exempt from National Organic certification requirements, as specified in § 205.101 of this title, and are requesting payment under this part for a crop grown on organic acreage for which a price and T-yield is established, as provided in §§ 1437.12(b) and 1437.102, must provide, no later than the acreage reporting date specified by FSA for the crop and location, a copy of their organic system plan, which must be developed with an organic certifying agent.

[67 FR 12448, Mar. 19, 2002, as amended at 71 FR 13742, Mar. 17, 2006. Redesignated and amended at 79 FR 74574, 74575, 74583, Dec. 15, 2014; 85 FR 12220, Mar. 2, 2020; 85 FR 16232, Mar. 23, 2020]