Declaration of Farm Operator Information

FORM 7-21FARMOP
2008 Instructions
(7-07)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR DECLARATION OF
FARM OPERATOR INFORMATION
(For Certification and Reporting Requirements of the
Reclamation Reform Act of 1982)

Bureau of Reclamation

OMB Control No.: 1006-0005

Do not use this form after December 31, 2008

Paperwork Reduction Act
This information is being collected to establish landholder compliance with Federal reclamation law. Response to this request is
mandatory in accordance with Public Law 97-293 and 43 CFR 428.4 through 43 CFR 428.8. Public reporting burden for this form is
estimated to average 1 hour 18 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and
completing and reviewing the form. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of
information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. Direct comments regarding
the burden estimated or any other aspect of these forms to Manager, Land Resources Office, Code 84-53000, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,
PO Box 25007, Denver CO 80225.

GENERAL INFORMATION

WHO MUST SUBMIT THIS FORM

“General Information About RRA Forms” (Form 7-21INFO)
provides basic instructions on using Reclamation Reform Act
of 1982 (RRA) forms. Ask your district office for this form
each year to keep current. Refer to the definitions at the end
of Form 7-21INFO whenever the meaning of a term is not
clear to you. Please note, some terms such as “irrigable
land,” “irrigation land,” and “irrigation water” have special
definitions when used in these forms which differ from their
common meaning. Other terms and corresponding definitions
that are specific to the RRA forms are:

You must submit a “Declaration of Farm Operator
Information” (Form 7-21FARMOP) if:
• You are a farm operator and you provide services to more
than 960 nonexempt acres westwide, held by a single trust
or legal entity or any combination of trusts and legal
entities; or
• You are a part owner of a legal entity that is a farm
operator that must submit RRA forms and the farm
operator is providing services to land that you formerly
owned as excess and sold or transferred at a price
approved by us.

• “Land” or “acres” means irrigable and/or irrigation land.
• “You” means the farm operator or authorized agent of the
farm operator, or, as applicable, the part owner of a farm
operator that is a legal entity.

The requirement to submit a Form 7-21FARMOP must be
met even if the farm operator is a legal entity that is
100-percent family owned, or is only providing services to
landholders that are part owners of the farm operator.

• “We,” “us,” “our,” or “Reclamation” means the Bureau
of Reclamation.

WHERE TO SUBMIT FORMS

• “Farm operator” means an individual or legal entity
other than the owner, lessee, or sublessee that performs
any portion of the farming operation. This includes farm
managers, but does not include spouses, minor children,
employees for whom the employer pays social security
taxes, or custom service providers.

You must submit a Form 7-21FARMOP to each district in
which you provide services westwide. You must submit an
original form to one district office and may submit copies to
others if you provide services in more than one district.

WHAT LAND TO INCLUDE

• “Custom service provider” means an individual or legal
entity that provides one specialized, farm-related service
which a farm owner, lessee, sublessee, or farm operator
employs for agreed upon payments (e.g., crop dusters,
custom harvesters, grain haulers, etc.).

You must declare all land to which you and your wholly
owned subsidiary(ies) provide(s) services westwide that is:
• subject to the acreage limitation provisions, and
• held in a trust or held by a legal entity,

Visit www.usbr.gov/rra for more information.

• land held by individuals and estates is not to be included.

1

For each parcel, you must provide an accurate legal
description or an assessor’s parcel number. Be sure to break
down land parcels as far as necessary to ensure accurate
identification.

questions.

ITEM BY ITEM INSTRUCTIONS
Farm Operator Information

ANNUAL DECLARATION
This section is to be completed by all farm operators.
You must submit Form 7-21FARMOP each and every year
prior to the delivery of Reclamation irrigation water to the
land for which you provide services if you are required to
submit this form as specified above. You are not required to
submit Form 7-21FARMOP if you are a custom service
provider as defined earlier in these instructions.
Farm operators and part owners of farm operators who meet
the criteria to submit RRA forms cannot use a “Verification
of Landholdings” (Form 7-21VERIFY) to meet any
applicable RRA forms submittal requirements.

1.

Enter the farm operator’s name. The farm operator’s
name should be the name of the individual or entity
providing the services to the land, unless the farm
operator is an entity which is a wholly owned
subsidiary of another entity. In that case, the parent
entity’s name should be given as the operator, and the
subsidiary’s name should appear on the lines provided
in item 13.

2.

(a)

Check the box that best identifies the farm
operator’s type. If you check the “Other” box,
you must write in your entity’s type.

(b)

If you checked “Other” in item 2(a), how is your
entity taxed by the Internal Revenue Service
(check one box: corporation or partnership).
Skip this item and proceed to item 3(a) if your
entity is a religious or charitable organization
that does not meet the RRA section 219 criteria.

(a)

Enter the farm operator’s street address or rural
route number, city, state, and ZIP code. An
attorney's address, “c/o” address, etc., is not
acceptable in place of a street address. Post
office box numbers may be used only if no other
address exists.

(b)

Enter the mailing address if the farm operator’s
mailing address is different than the street
address.

(a)

Enter the telephone number where questions can
be directed.

(b)

Enter the name of a contact person at that
telephone number.

IF THE LAND YOU PROVIDE SERVICES TO
CHANGES
Once you have submitted a Form 7-21FARMOP for the
water year, you are not required to submit additional
Forms 7-21FARMOP during that water year if you should
either start providing services to additional lands or cease
providing services to certain lands.
3.

FORMERLY EXCESS LAND
If you are a former owner of land now held in trust or by a
legal entity, such land is not eligible to receive Reclamation
irrigation water if:
• The land was excess when you owned it;
• You sold or transferred the excess land at a price
approved by us; and
• You are the direct or indirect farm operator of that land.

4.

This does not apply if you or the landholder pays the
full-cost rate for any Reclamation irrigation water delivered
to your formerly excess land that is otherwise eligible to
receive such water. See 43 CFR 428.9 and 43 CFR 428.10
of the Information Requirements for Certain Farm
Operations in Excess of 960 Acres and the Eligibility of
Certain Formerly Excess Land for more information.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
Type or print in ink all answers. You must initial and date
any crossouts and corrections. You may attach continuation
sheets to list information. District name abbreviation(s) used
on this form must be spelled out on the form where the
abbreviation is used for the first time, or on a separate sheet
attached to this form. Please contact your district office or

5.

For entities: Enter the state(s) or country(ies) in
which the farm operator is established or registered.

6.

For entities: Enter the Employer Identification
Number (EIN). Leave this blank if the entity does not
have an EIN and is not required to obtain one by the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Land For Which the Farm Operator Provides
Service(s)
This section is to be completed by all farm operators.

the appropriate Reclamation office if you have any
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FORM 7-21FARMOP (2008)

7.

This section requests information regarding the
services you and your wholly owned subsidiary(ies)
provide(s) to land westwide that is held in a trust or
held by a legal entity. For each parcel, enter the
following:
(a)

Name of the district in which the land parcel is
located.

(b)

Provide an accurate legal description of the land
parcel or an assessor’s parcel number.

(c)

Enter the services provided for each land parcel.

(d)

Enter the name, address, and telephone number
of the legal entity or trust for whom the services
are provided.

(e)

Enter the number of acres in each land parcel
for which you provide services.

(f)

Indicate who decides when the farm operating
services should be provided: you or your entity
(self), the landholder (landholder), or another
natural person or entity (other). Provide a name
in the space provided if you indicate “other.”

13.

List any wholly owned subsidiary(ies) of the parent
entity that provides services to legal entities or trusts.
For each wholly owned subsidiary(ies), include all
irrigable and/or irrigation land parcels westwide for
which the subsidiary(ies) provide(s) services that are
held in a trust or held by a legal entity. Intermediate
entities are not exempted from the requirements to
report services they provide unless they are wholly
owned subsidiaries. Such intermediate entities must
complete a separate Form 7-21FARMOP. If your
entity needs to report additional subsidiaries, please do
so on a separate sheet of paper and attach it to this
form.
(a)

Enter the subsidiary’s name.

(b)

Enter the subsidiary’s EIN. Leave this blank if
the subsidiary does not have and is not required
by the IRS to have an EIN.

(c)

Provide an accurate legal description or
assessor’s parcel number for the land receiving
farm operating services from the subsidiary.

Part Owners of the Farm Operator
(g)

8.

Indicate who decides what services will be
performed on the land parcels on a daily basis:
you or your entity (self), the landholder
(landholder), or another natural person or entity
(other). Provide a name in the space provided if
you indicate “other.”

This section is to be completed only by farm operators that
are entities.
14.

Total column 7(e). This is the total number of acres
for which you provide services on this page. If you
need to report services you provide to additional
parcels, list them on page 2.

9.

Enter the farm operator’s name again. (These forms
are often photocopied, so it is necessary to have the
farm operator identified on each page.)

10.

Continue listing parcels for which you provide
services that are held in a trust or held by a legal
entity. See the specific instructions under item 7
above.

(a)

Part owner's name.

(b)

Enter the part owner’s EIN if the part owner is
an entity or trust. Leave this blank if the entity
does not have an EIN and is not required by the
IRS to have an EIN.

(c)

Percentage of the farm operator entity that the
part owner owns.

Farm Operation Summary

Total column 10(e). This is the total number of acres
for which you provide services on this page. If you
need to report services you provide for additional
parcels, please do so on a separate sheet of paper and
attach it to this form.
Subsidiary(ies) of the Farm Operator (Parent Entity)

15.

Enter the name of each district westwide in which you
and your wholly owned subsidiary(ies) provide(s)
services to land that is held in a trust or held by a legal
entity. Circle the district at which the original form is
filed if you provide services in more than one district.

16.

For each district, enter the total number of acres for
which you and your wholly owned subsidiary(ies)
provide(s) services. Obtain this information from
items 7 and 10. Add the number of acres in item 16
and enter that number in the “TOTAL” column (far
right column). This is the total number of acres (that
are held in a trust or by a legal entity) for which you

11.

This section is to be completed only by the farm operator
(parent entity) of the wholly owned subsidiary(ies) that
provide(s) the farm operating services.
12.

Provide your entity’s organizational structure by
identifying all part owners of your entity. Enter the
following information about the part owners:

Enter the farm operator’s name.
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FORM 7-21FARMOP (2008)

and your wholly owned subsidiary(ies) provide(s)
services. This number should equal the sum of item 8
and item 11.
Land Information
This section is to be completed by individual and entity farm
operators.
17.

Enter the farm operator’s name.

18.

This question should be answered “yes” if any of the
land to which services are being provided was
formerly owned by the farm operator as excess land.
This applies even if the land was placed under a
recordable contract. Skip to item 20 if you answer
“no” to this question.

19.

If you answer “yes” to this question, provide a legal
description or an assessor’s parcel number for the land
parcel(s) sold or transferred at a price approved by us.

20.

Indicate whether you or your entity [and/or its
subsidiary(ies)] can use the farm operating agreement
as collateral on a loan. Provide a legal description or
an assessor’s parcel number for the land to which this
applies if you answer “yes” to this question.

21.

Indicate whether you or your entity [and/or its
subsidiary(ies)], are able to sue or be sued in the name
of the landholdings for which you provide services.
Provide a legal description or an assessor’s parcel
number for the land to which this applies if you
answer “yes” to this question.

22.

Indicate whether you or your entity [and/or its
subsidiary(ies)] are authorized to apply for any Federal
assistance from the United States Department of
Agriculture in the name of the landholdings for which
you provide services. Provide a legal description or
assessor’s parcel number for the land to which this
applies if you answer “yes” to this question.

Signatures
23.

Read the attestation statements carefully and sign and
date the form in ink. If the farm operator is an entity
and that entity is a partnership, joint tenancy, or
tenancy-in-common, all partners, joint tenants, or
co-tenants must sign the form unless they have
provided a written signature authorization allowing
one natural person to sign for the entity. A copy of the
signature authorization must be submitted to each
district to which the entity submits an RRA form(s).
The district office must keep any such signature
authorizations on file.

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FORM 7-21FARMOP (2008)