Farmers affected by flooding in Iowa will now have a little extra time to get acreage reported to the USDA.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency announced on Wednesday that farmers in Iowa and other flood-impacted states will be allowed additional time to get their acreage reports submitted for this year's crops. Farmers are usually required to have all of their crop-planting reports in to the USDA Farm Service Agency by June 30, but that deadline for acreage reporting has been moved to Aug. 15 in Iowa and other states because of the difficulties cause by the devastating floods.

This additional time applies to spring-seeded crop acreage for all counties in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Farmers are still being encouraged to get all of their reports completed as soon as possible.

Dustin Sample, a crop insurance agent with Johnson Insurance Sales Corp. in Albia, said that can help speed up the insurance claims process. "It's important for farmers to go ahead and get their acres reported to the USDA Farm Service Agency and certified, then go see their crop insurance agent as quickly as possible," said Sample. "Claims can't be paid until the acreage reports are received. So even though they have until Aug. 15, it would still be to their advantage to get in and get it done as soon as possible."