Farm owners have until May 15 to submit data needed to notify them about their eligibility to receive additional base acres under Republicans’ July 2025 reconciliation law, according to an April 20 Agriculture Department directive. 

Reconciliation (Public Law 119-21), commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill, provides an additional 30 million base acres to be allocated to farms based on their 2019-2023 cropping history. The law also requires all owners be notified of their eligibility to receive additional base acres. Base acres will automatically be assigned to farms unless owners opt out.  

Base acres are used to determine payments under federal farm programs such as Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage, and more base acres typically translate to larger payments. Providing USDA with updated planting information also provides producers the opportunity to receive payments that more accurately reflect the needs of their farm. 

Corn, soybeans, and wheat are expected to receive the largest allocations of base acres, according to analysis from the University of Missouri’s Rural & Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center. The center projects Virginia could receive as many as 268,000 additional base acres across those three commodities, but most base acre gains are forecast to be concentrated in the Midwest and plains states. 

If data collected results in more than 30 million base acres added, acres allotted will be prorated. 

State and county Farm Service Agency offices must work together to ensure acreage history dig data is completed and loaded into the CRM Farm Records database and Acreage History and Base Allocation software by 6 p.m. EDT on May 15. Farm records updates for base reductions and restorations, producer associations, and cropland indicators also must be completed by the same deadline. All data will be pulled by that deadline. 

Information for farms that need to be copied back to 2019 must be submitted to the state FSA office by May 4. State offices also must submit any requests for newly created farms to the Farm Records Remediation site by May 8 if national FSA office assistance is needed. 

Incomplete or outdated records could result in inaccurate eligibility determinations. 

Farmers must have planted at least one currently covered commodity or had to have been blocked from planting because of a natural disaster during 2019-2023 to qualify. Additionally, producers’ updated base acreage, calculated in part using their historical acreage for 2019-2023, must exceed their current base acreage. 

Covered commodities include corn, soybeans, wheat, grain sorghum, peanuts, seed cotton and more. 

The Department of Conservation and Recreation will convene a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) again this year to consider and recommend changes to the Virginia Agricultural Cost-Share Program (VACS). Farm Bureau is a member of the full TAC and several of the subcommittees to advocate for changes on behalf of farmers. Please share any suggested changes for the VACS program that we can submit to DCR for consideration using the form below or email Jake Tabor, Virginia Farm Bureau legislative specialist, (jake.tabor@vafb.com) by Wednesday, April 29th. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a temporary emergency fuel waiver that will allow nationwide sales of E15 gasoline and remove federal barriers to selling E10 fuel across the country. The action, taken in consultation with the Department of Energy and under authority of the Clean Air Act, is designed to strengthen the domestic fuel supply and provide Americans with relief at the pump ahead of the summer driving season.

Beginning May 1, 2026, EPA’s waiver will keep E15 — gasoline blended with 15% ethanol — available nationwide and prevent supply disruptions during peak travel months. Without this action, roughly half the country would be unable to sell E15 this summer. The waiver also temporarily removes enforcement of state “boutique fuel” requirements, allowing a consistent national fuel standard and improving distribution efficiency.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the move will increase fuel supply and consumer choice while maintaining environmental protections. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins emphasized that year‑round access to E15 benefits both drivers and farmers by expanding markets for American‑grown biofuels and supporting domestic energy independence.

E15 is already offered at more than 3,000 gas stations nationwide and is often a lower‑cost option for consumers. By temporarily easing volatility and blending requirements for gasoline, EPA aims to reduce reliance on imported fuel, lower energy costs and reinforce America’s domestic energy supply.

The waiver will initially remain in effect through May 20, 2026, with EPA continuing to monitor fuel supply conditions and prepared to extend the action if necessary.