What’s a farm number?
So, what’s a farm number? and why should you consider getting one? First, a little background. The farm number is one of the three ways you identify yourself as a farmer for government purposes. It is also how the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) offices identify your farm for all of their programs. The USDA farm programs are administered on the local level through county-based Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices. The FSA office is where you register to get a farm number. You must have a farm number in order to apply for FSA farm loans, disaster assistance, and crop insurance as well as for NRCS programs like Environmental Quality Incentive Program.
A farm number identifies yourself as a farmer for government purposes. However, the farm number remains associated with the land, not the farmer. Similarly, the history of production remains connected to the farm number. So if you decide to sell the land, the farm number and production history remain part of the value of the land.
Is there a minimum acreage? Nope There is no minimum acreage to register as a farm. There is also no cost to obtain a FSA number so get one today.
How to Get a Farm Number
- Make an appointment with your local FSA office. The office is usually in the same building as the Cooperative Extension. Look here for county office info.
- Update on scheduling appointments during COVID-19: USDA is doing phased re-openings of FSA offices on a county level. Visit their website here to determine whether your county office is open for phone-only or in-person appointments. Both require an appointment – call the main office number to schedule. USDA Service Center staff can meet with producers virtually through Microsoft Teams – click here to learn how to use Microsoft Teams on your laptop, mobile device, or desktop.
- Prepare to spend 30 minutes to an hour with the office or on a virtual call.
- Bring along documentation of your identity and, if applicable, your farm business identity, like your driver’s license, social security card and EIN#. If this is a virtual appointment, the USDA Service Center staff will inform you how you can view, share, and sign documents virtually.
- Bring along proof of control of the land, which can be a deed, a lease or rental agreement, or other land tenure documents.
- The FSA staff will locate your farm parcel through the county GIS system, check to see if it already has a number, and if not – issue you a number. Farm numbers are issued for free.
As previously mentioned there are three Ways to Identify Yourself as a Farmer
- A Farm Number is the first way that farmers can identify themselves to the government in order to access various USDA programs, elect FSA County Committee members, and be counted in the Agricultural Census.
- The second way is Filing your IRS Schedule F on your Federal taxes. On your federal income taxes, filing a Schedule F establishes your farm income. This is important if you ever want to take out a farm loan or participate in revenue-based crop insurance. Unlike the farm number, the business entity EIN goes with the farmer or farm business entity and is set up through the IRS.
- The third is Agricultural Land Valuation. Agricultural land valuation has to do with your property taxes which are administered through your county-level tax office and is different from tax exemption.
So while it isn’t required you can see how filing for such a farm is critical to your success.
