NCRS needs to be notified

DES MOINES ? When working with your local Farm Service Agency office to transfer land ownership, change operators or your corporation, LLC or partnership, don?t forget to stop by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office, or your contract payments may be in jeopardy.

?Any time there is a change in the control of the land under contract, the contract holder must complete paperwork at the NRCS office to transfer control to the new owner or operator,? said Jon Hubbert, assistant state conservationist for programs.

Landowners must complete Form NRCS-CPA-152 Conservation Program Contract Transfer Agreement within 60 days of the ownership change or land transfer. If not, NRCS will not be able to make contract payments and the contract holder may be liable for financial damages and improper payments, he said.

?Most land transfers are completed by March 1, so this paperwork needs to be completed at the NRCS office by May 1 or earlier,? he said.

If you have concerns about your contracts, call or visit your local USDA Service Center.