SPRINGFIELD — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Scherrie Giamanco has announced the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 extended the authorization of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill) for many Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) commodity, disaster and conservation programs through 2013. FSA administers these programs.

The extended programs include, among others: The Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment Program (DCP), the Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE), and the Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC). FSA is preparing the following actions:

• FSA will begin sign-ups for DCP and ACRE for the 2013 crops on Feb. 19. The DCP sign-up period will end on Aug. 2; the ACRE sign-up period will end on June 3.