The U.S. Agriculture Department saidit has extended until April 17 the date by which Agricultural
Stabilization and Conservation county offices must determine
eligibility of individuals or other entities for payments under
1987 farm programs.
    Jerome Sitter, director of ASCS's Cotton, Grain and Rice
Price Support Division, said the decision meant farmers have
until April 17 to file a farm operating plan indicating how
many persons would be involved in their farming operations.
    Earlier this year USDA extended the deadline to April 1
from March 1, Sitter said.
    ASCA Administrator Milton Hertz said in a statement that
the extension was necessary because of heavy workloads at
county ASCS offices.
    Hertz said ASCS county officials "have had to make a large
number of eligibility determinations for individuals and other
entities, such as corporations and partnerships, in preparation
for imposing the 50,000-dlr-per-entity cap."
    "These offices already had a very heavy workload due to the
large number of applications for both the 1987 farm programs
and the Conservation Reserve Program," Hertz said.
 Reuter
