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Timber harvesting and hauling businesses that have experienced a gross revenue loss of at least 10% during the period of Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, 2020, compared to the period of Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, 2019, are encouraged to apply for the Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers program (PATHH). Loggers and truckers can apply for assistance through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) now through Oct. 15, 2021.
Program Details
To be eligible for payments, individuals or legal entities must be a timber harvesting or timber hauling business where 50% or more of its gross revenue is derived from one or more of the following:
- Cutting timber.
- Transporting timber.
- Processing of wood on-site on the forest land (chipping, grinding, converting to biochar, cutting to smaller lengths, etc.).
Payments will be based on the applicant’s gross revenue received from Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 1, 2019, minus gross revenue received from Jan. 1, 2020, through Dec. 1, 2020, multiplied by 80%, as shown in the formula below.
Expected PATHH Payment = (2019 Gross Revenue – 2020 Gross Revenue) x 0.80
Eligible program applicants will receive up to two PATHH payments based on the payment calculation above, where both years reflect gross revenue from January 1 through December 1. FSA will issue an initial payment of no more than $2,000 shortly after application approval. A final payment will be made after the signup period ends to applicants whose expected total payment exceeds $2,000. The sum of both payments will not exceed $125,000, and USDA may prorate final payments if total calculated payments nationally exceed the $200 million in funding allocated for PATHH.
To be eligible for payments, a person or legal entity must comply with provisions of the “Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation” regulations, often called the conservation compliance provisions, certified on an AD-1026 form. Eligible loggers must have a 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code of 113310 for tax purposes. Eligible truckers must have a NAICS code of 484220 or 484230. Timber haulers must provide a copy of IRS Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return, for logging vehicles for 2019 and 2020 unless timber was hauled on tribal land in those years. Minors under 18 years of age are not eligible for PATHH.
Applying for Assistance
Loggers and truckers can apply for PATHH by completing form FSA-1118, Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers Program application, and certifying to their gross revenue for 2019 and 2020 on the application before October 15, 2021. Additional documentation may be required. Visit farmers.gov/pathh for more information on how to apply.
Applications can be submitted to the FSA office at any USDA Service Center nationwide by mail, fax, hand delivery, or via electronic means. To find a local FSA office, loggers and truckers can visit farmers.gov/service-locator. They can also call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance.
If you are a livestock or poultry producer who suffered losses during the pandemic due to insufficient access to processing, then you may be eligible to apply for assistance for those losses through the Pandemic Livestock Indemnity Program (PLIP). Review the program eligibility details below and contact your local county FSA to apply by the signup deadline. The PLIP signup period ends on September 17, 2021.
PLIP Program Details
Eligible livestock must have been depopulated from March 1, 2020, through December 26, 2020, due to insufficient processing access as a result of the pandemic. Livestock must have been physically located in the U.S. or a territory of the U.S. at the time of depopulation.
Eligible livestock owners include persons or legal entities who, as of the day the eligible livestock was depopulated, had legal ownership of the livestock. Packers, live poultry dealers and contract growers are not eligible for PLIP.
PLIP payments compensate participants for 80% of both the loss of the eligible livestock or poultry and for the cost of depopulation and disposal based on a single payment rate per head. PLIP payments will be calculated by multiplying the number of head of eligible livestock or poultry by the payment rate per head, and then subtracting the amount of any payments the eligible livestock or poultry owner has received for disposal of the livestock or poultry under the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) or a state program. The payments will also be reduced by any Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 1 and 2) payments paid on the same inventory of swine that were depopulated.
Payment rates per head are outlined by category in the table below. Expected PLIP payment can be calculated using this table and the following equation:
Expected PLIP Payment = (PLIP Payment Rate Per Head X # Head Depopulated) – Previous Payments
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Eligible Livestock or Poultry Category
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PLIP Payment Rate per Head (After 80% Factor)
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Swine: Boars and Sows; 451 pounds or greater
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$258.57
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Swine: Sows, Boars, Barrows, and Gilts; 251-450 pounds
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$158.88
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Swine: Sows, Boars, Barrows, and Gilts; 151-250 pounds
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$122.10
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Swine: Lightweight Barrows and Gilts; 50-150 pounds
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$88.70
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Swine: Suckling Nursery Pigs; Less than 50 pounds
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$55.31
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Chickens: Chicks
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$0.32
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Chickens: Pullets, Cornish Hens; less than 4.26 pounds
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$2.16
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Chickens: Broilers, Pullets; 4.26-6.25 pounds
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$3.18
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Chickens: Roasters; 6.26-7.75 pounds
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$4.04
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Chickens: Super Roasters and Parts; 7.76 pounds or greater
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$5.31
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Chickens: Layers
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$4.94
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Turkeys: Poults
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$2.15
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Turkeys: Toms, Fryers, and Roasters
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$15.57
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There is no per person or legal entity payment limitation on PLIP payments. To be eligible for payments, a person or legal entity must have an average adjusted gross income (AGI) of less than $900,000 for tax years 2016, 2017 and 2018 as certified on a CCC-941 form. Eligible PLIP applicants must comply with provisions of the “Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation” regulations, often called the conservation compliance provisions, certified on an AD-1026 form.
Applying for Assistance
Eligible livestock and poultry producers can apply for PLIP now by completing the FSA-620, Pandemic Livestock Indemnity Program (PLIP) application, and submitting it to any FSA county office. Additional documentation may be required. Visit farmers.gov/plip for a copy of the Notice of Funding Availability and more information on how to apply.
Applications can be submitted to the FSA office at any USDA Service Center nationwide by mail, fax, hand delivery or via electronic means. To find your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/service-locator. Livestock and poultry producers can also call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance.
With the Western U.S. experiencing drought conditions, many farmers and ranchers are seeing drought related damage or loss of their NAP covered crops. If you have NAP coverage and notice weather related damage to your 2021 crops, including drought damage, remember that you must report this to your local FSA county office timely in order to be eligible for a NAP benefit.
NAP notices of loss can be initiated by phone, email, or fax, but must be submitted in writing, to your local FSA county office for weather related events or adverse natural occurrences that cause damage to or loss of the NAP covered crop. To report crop damage or loss you must complete, sign, and file the loss portion of form CCC-576 with your FSA office by the earlier of either of the following:
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15 calendar days after the disaster occurrence or date of loss or damage to the crop or commodity first becomes apparent or
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15 calendar days after the normal harvest date.
Please note, producers of hand-harvested crops and certain perishable crops must notify FSA within 72 hours of when a loss becomes apparent.
While some FSA county offices have limited access to the public, offices will take initial NAP notice of loss notifications via phone, email, or fax. Offices will assist producers in completing the official CCC-576 Notice of Loss Form as best as possible, sending the form to producers via email, fax, or mail for final review and signature. The completed and signed CCC-576 should then be returned to the county office as soon as possible via email, fax, or mail.
As the 2021 crop year progresses, it is imperative that a notice of loss is filed (for all affected NAP covered crops) within the timeframe noted above for each weather-related event or adverse natural occurrence. This will ensure FSA is notified that your NAP covered crop or crops have been damaged or lost. If the loss event is approved, remember to provide your crop production to your local FSA county office within 60 days after harvest or request an appraisal within 60 days of the normal harvest date so that the payment portion of form CCC-576 can be filed timely.
When a covered crop is lost or damage is significant, replanting is required if feasible and the final planting date has not passed. When you determine that the crop will be destroyed, abandoned, or not taken to harvest as intended, you must report this to your local FSA office so a field visit can be conducted by a certified loss adjuster. Once the crop appraisal has been completed, the loss adjuster will release the field and you can destroy the covered crop acres and replant to a different crop or harvest the acres for a different use.
Remember, failure to timely notify your FSA county office of NAP covered crop damage or loss will result in denial of NAP payment benefits. Destroying NAP covered crop acres or harvesting for a different use without a loss adjuster appraisal will result in those acres being determined ineligible for NAP payment benefits.
If you have any questions about NAP policy requirements, contact your local county FSA office for more information.
For the 2021 and subsequent crop years, NAP forage producers with the intended use of grazing who elect to use independent assessments or other approved alternative loss percentage methods to establish their loss are no longer required to file a CCC-576 Notice of Loss with FSA. However, a CCC-576 Application for Payment form must be submitted to FSA no later than 60 calendar days after the coverage period ends.
Producers that elect to have the grazing loss determined using similar mechanically harvested units still must timely file a CCC-576 Notice of Loss within the earlier of 15 days of the disaster event or damage to the crop first becomes apparent or within 15 days of harvest.
If you have any questions about NAP policy requirements, contact your local county FSA office for more information.
For crops that are not insurable with catastrophic level coverage (CAT) through your crop insurance agent, Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage is an available tool to help mitigate financial risk. NAP covers non-insurable crops damaged, lost or prevented from being planted due to a natural weather-related disaster condition.
There are several coverage level options through this program. NAP provides a catastrophic level (CAT) of coverage for losses that exceed 50 percent of the expected yield at 55 percent of the approved NAP price for the crop. The 2018 Farm Bill reinstated higher levels of coverage, from 50 to 65 percent of expected production in 5 percent increments, at 100 percent of the approved NAP price. Producers who elect a higher level of coverage must “buy-up” and pay a premium in addition to the service fee. Producers with an organic certification can select the organic option when requesting NAP coverage at either CAT or buy-up levels of coverage at 100 percent of the approved organic NAP price. Buy-up coverage is not available for crops intended for grazing.
Premium cost for buy-up coverage on yield-based crops will be calculated based on the lesser of either of the following:
- The applicable payment limitation ($300,000 for buy-up) X 5.25% premium fee = $15,750 maximum premium per individual or legal entity, or
- The sum of acres X APH yield X share X coverage level X NAP price X 5.25% premium fee for each NAP crop with buy-up coverage selected.
NAP payment limitation for basic coverage remains at $125,000 per individual or legal entity. Beginning, limited resource, and targeted underserved farmers or ranchers remain eligible for a NAP premium reduction.
NAP service fee is $325 per crop per county, up to $825 per county, not to exceed $1,950 per producer with NAP covered crops in multiple counties. A waiver of the NAP service fee is available to beginning, limited resource, and traditionally underserved farmers and ranchers.
NAP coverage for eligible 2022 crops should be purchased at least 1 day before the crop is planted, but no later than the established NAP application for coverage closing date for the crop or crops listed as follows:
August 31, 2021 – 2022 cabbage (for seed or fresh); canola; carrots (for seed); cauliflower (for seed or fresh); onions (for seed, fresh, or processing); rapeseed; rutabaga (for seed or fresh); turnips (for seed or fresh); and any other fall planted crops not mentioned in other closing dates.
September 30, 2021 – 2022 aquaculture; beets (for stecklings); Christmas trees; floriculture; garlic; mint; mushrooms; turf grass sod; biennial/perennial forages and mixed forages for hay, seed, or grazing.
November 20, 2021 – 2022 asparagus, berries, grapes, hops, tree fruits, nuts, and other perennial crops not listed under the 9/30 category.
December 31, 2021 – 2022 honey.
March 15, 2021 – 2022 artichokes, beets (for seed or fresh), buckwheat, camelina, carrots (for fresh or processing), hemp, mustard, radish (for seed or fresh), small grain forage (wheat, barley, oats, peas), and any other spring planted crops not mentioned in other closing dates.
NAP application for coverage deadlines are also posted on the Washington State FSA website located here. Contact your local county FSA office if you are interested in applying for NAP coverage, or if you have any questions regarding NAP availability or application closing dates.
With the start of 2021 crop harvest, keep in mind that FSA Marketing Assistance Loans are available for harvested commodities. A loan can provide you with interim financing to meet cash flow needs without selling your harvested crop at a time when market prices are at harvest-time lows. Your 2021 harvested farm-stored or warehouse-stored commodity is used as collateral for the loan. Marketing Assistance Loans typically mature 9 months after the month loan funds are disbursed to you, with repayment due at loan maturity. Due to the pandemic, all open nonrecourse commodity loans in good standing requested by September 30, 2021 will mature 12 months after loans funds are disbursed, unless a 9-month maturity is requested. Before moving farm-stored loan collateral, you must contact the county FSA office and obtain an authorization to move the collateral. Producers who have a commodity pledged as collateral for a marketing assistance loan can purchase a commodity certificate that can be immediately exchanged for the outstanding loan collateral in situations when the loan rate exceeds the exchange rate. Producers who are eligible for marketing assistance loans can obtain a loan deficiency payments (LDPs) in lieu of a loan. LDP’s are available when the posted county price for a crop falls below the county loan rate. You can check the daily LDP rates online at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/price-support/Index .
For a commodity to be eligible for a loan, loan deficiency payment, or certificate, you must have beneficial interest in the commodity which is defined as having title, possession, and control of the commodity. The quality of stored collateral must be maintained, and you are responsible for loss or damage to the commodity through the term of the loan. To retain eligibility for an LDP when beneficial interest in your harvested crop will be lost upon delivery, you must file form CCC-633 EZ Page 1 with your local FSA office prior to loss of beneficial interest.
Marketing assistance loans or loan deficiency payments are available for wheat, barley, oats, corn, dry peas, lentils, small chickpeas, large chickpeas, grain sorghum, soybeans, sunflower seed, rapeseed, canola, safflower seed, flaxseed, mustard seed, crambe, sesame seed, graded and non-graded wool, mohair, and honey. Unshorn pelts are available for an LDP only. If you are interested, please contact your local FSA county office to learn more about Marketing Assistance Loans.
Wool producers may be eligible for Loan Deficiency Payments (LDP) through the Farm Service Agency. LDPs are direct payments made in lieu of a marketing assistance loan when the Commodity Credit Corporation determined value, based on the current local price, is below the applicable loan rate. For wool, the local prices and loan rates are set at a national level. The payment is the difference between the price and loan rate times the eligible quantity. Wool LDP rates are updated on a weekly basis and can be found online here. Use the Weekly Commodity Rates icon to open the dropdown which includes the “Wool and Mohair LDP Rates” spreadsheet.
Unsold wool shorn during the 2021 calendar year may be eligible for a 2021 LDP. For a commodity to be eligible for an LDP, the producer must have beneficial interest in the commodity, defined as having title, possession, and control of the commodity, and responsible for loss of or damage to the commodity. All related application forms must be completed at the local FSA office prior to loss of beneficial interest. Additional eligibility requirements must be met before an LDP payment can be paid. This includes a 2021 FSA-578 acreage report for all crop acres, a CCC-941 Adjusted Gross Income Certification, a CCC-902 Farm Operating Plan, an AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Certification, and a direct deposit form or waiver.
In order to request an LDP for wool, producers must complete a CCC-633 EZ Loan Deficiency Payment Agreement and Request form. Page 1 is the agreement which signifies an intent to request an LDP and must be completed before a producer loses beneficial interest of the eligible commodity. Page 4 is the wool request for LDP benefits and must be submitted after page 1 is completed. Once signed and approved, page 4 cannot be cancelled and payments cannot be deferred. Payments are processed after page 4 has been submitted and approved.
For more information on LDPs, visit https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/price-support/Index or visit your local FSA office.
Are you an organic producer or handler who received an organic certification from a USDA-accredited certifying agent? If so, you can request cost-share assistance through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). Cost share funds are available for eligible certification expenses paid between Oct. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021. Eligible paid expenses must be submitted with supporting documentation on a 2021 OCCSP application. 2021 OCCSP applications are due Oct. 31, 2021.
OCCSP provides cost-share assistance to producers and handlers of agricultural products for the costs of obtaining or maintaining organic certification under the USDA’s National Organic Program. Eligible producers include any certified producers or handlers who have paid organic certification fees to a USDA-accredited certifying agent. Eligible expenses for cost-share reimbursement include application fees, inspection costs, fees related to equivalency agreement and arrangement requirements, travel expenses for inspectors, user fees, sales assessments and postage.
Producers and handlers certified organic by Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) should automatically receive cost-share reimbursement from WSDA while funding is available. If cost-share is paid through WSDA, producers and handles are not eligible to receive duplicate cost-share reimbursement from USDA-FSA. For more information on applying for organic certification and cost-share reimbursement through WSDA, visit this website.
For 2021 OCCSP, certified producers and handlers are eligible to receive reimbursement for up to 50 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $500 per scope. In Washington State, eligible certification scopes remain the same – crops, livestock, wild crops, and processing/handling. The payment calculation and maximum payment amount are applicable to all certified organic operations, regardless of whether they apply through an FSA county office or through WSDA.
To learn more about organic certification cost share, please visit the OCCSP webpage or contact your local USDA Service Center. All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some that are open to visitors to conduct business in person by appointment only. Please call ahead to schedule an appointment.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Small nonfarm businesses in 24 Washington counties and neighboring counties in Idaho and Oregon are now eligible to apply for low‑interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, announced Director Tanya N. Garfield of SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West. These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought in the following primary counties that began April 1, 2021.
Primary Washington counties: Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman and Yakima;
Neighboring Washington counties: Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, King, Lewis, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Pierce and Skamania;
Neighboring Idaho counties: Benewah, Bonner, Kootenai, Latah and Nez Perce;
Neighboring Oregon counties: Gilliam, Hood River, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Wallowa and Wasco.
“SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster,” Garfield said.
Small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred.
“Eligibility for these loans is based on the financial impact of the disaster only and not on any actual property damage. These loans have an interest rate of 3 percent for businesses and 2 percent for private nonprofit organizations, a maximum term of 30 years and are available to small businesses and most private nonprofits without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship,” Garfield said.
By law, SBA makes Economic Injury Disaster Loans available when the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture designates an agricultural disaster. The Secretary declared this disaster on June 22, 2021.
Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency about the U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration. However, nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance in drought disasters.
Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. Individuals who are deaf or hard‑of‑hearing may call (800) 877-8339. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
The deadline to apply for economic injury is Feb. 22, 2022.
Landowners and agricultural producers currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) now have a wider opportunity to enroll in a 30-year contract through the Clean Lakes, Estuaries, And Rivers initiative, called CLEAR30. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding CLEAR30 – a water-quality focused option available through CRP – to be nationwide now.
Interested producers with CRP contracts expiring September 30, 2021, should sign up by August 6, 2021. CLEAR30 provides an opportunity for producers to receive incentives for a 30-year commitment to water quality practices on their CRP land, building on their original 10- to 15-year CRP contracts.
These long-term contracts ensure that practices remain in place for 30 years, which improves water quality through reducing sediment and nutrient runoff and helping prevent algal blooms.
About CLEAR30
CLEAR30 was created by the 2018 Farm Bill to better address water quality concerns. Originally, CLEAR30 was only available in the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. Now, access is expanded to agricultural producers nationwide.
Eligible producers must have certain water quality benefitting practices currently enrolled under continuous CRP or through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), under contracts that are expiring on September 30, 2021.
These long-term contracts will help ensure that conservation impacts and benefits remain in place for 30 years, reducing sediment and nutrient runoff and, ultimately, algal blooms. Conservation in riparian areas also provides important carbon sequestration benefits. Traditional CRP contracts run from 10 to 15 years.
Annual rental payments for landowners who enroll in CLEAR30 will be equal to the current Continuous CRP annual payment rate plus a 20% water quality incentive and annual rate adjustment of 27.5%.
How to Sign Up
To sign up for CLEAR30, contact your local USDA Service Center by August 6, 2021. While USDA offices may be closed to visitors because of the pandemic, Service Center staff continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email, and other digital tools. To conduct business, please contact your local USDA Service Center. Contact information can be found at www.farmers.gov/service-locator.
More Information
CLEAR30 is an option available through CRP, which is one of the world’s largest voluntary conservation programs with a long track record of preserving topsoil, sequestering carbon and reducing nitrogen runoff, as well providing healthy habitat for wildlife.
To enroll in CLEAR30, please contact your local USDA Service Center. For more information on CRP, visit the Conservation Reserve Program.
August 2, 2021 – County Committee election nominations due.
August 6, 2021 – Deadline to submit completed and signed offers to re-enroll land in continuous CRP, CLEAR30, and CREP.
August 20, 2021 – Deadline to sign up for CRP Grasslands.
August 31, 2021 – Deadline to obtain 2022 crop year NAP coverage for cabbage (for seed or fresh); canola; carrots (for seed); cauliflower (for seed or fresh); onions (for seed, fresh, or processing); rapeseed; rutabaga (for seed or fresh); turnips (for seed or fresh); and any other fall planted crops not mentioned in other closing dates (full list of Washington State NAP dates posted here).
September 6, 2021 – Labor Day. USDA service centers will be closed.
September 17, 2021 – Deadline to apply for PLIP for pandemic-related swine, chicken, and turkey depopulation.
September 30, 2021 – Deadline to obtain 2022 crop year NAP coverage for aquaculture; beets (for stecklings); Christmas trees; floriculture; garlic; mint; mushrooms; turf grass sod; biennial/perennial forages and mixed forages for hay, seed, or grazing.
October 11, 2021 – Columbus Day. USDA service centers will be closed.
October 15, 2021 – Deadline to apply for PATHH for pandemic assistance for timber harvesters and haulers.
October 31, 2021 – Deadline to apply for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). Cost share funds available for organic certification expenses paid from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.
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