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August 6, 2021: Deadline to submit re-enrollment offers for the CRP Continuous Signup, which includes the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and the Clean Lakes, Estuaries, and Rivers initiative signup (CLEAR30)
August 15, 2021: Deadline for partners to submit proposals for the NRCS Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP) program
August 16, 2021: Acreage Reporting Deadline for Cabbage, Processing Snap Beans
August 20, 2021: Deadline to submit offers for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands Signup
September 6, 2021: USDA Service Centers closed in Observance of Labor Day
September 17, 2021: Deadline to apply for the Pandemic Livestock Indemnity Program (PLIP)
September 30, 2021: Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) Deadline for Value Loss Crops including Flowers, Christmas Trees, Fin Fish, Ginseng, and Turfgrass Sod; Garlic; Perennial Forages; Rhubarb; Triticale; Wheat and Rye (winter and spring); and Wild Rice
September 30, 2021: Acreage Reporting Deadline for Value Loss and Controlled Environment Crops (except Nursery)
Livestock and poultry producers who suffered losses during the pandemic due to insufficient access to processing can apply for assistance for those losses and the cost of depopulation and disposal of the animals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Vilsack announced the Pandemic Livestock Indemnity Program (PLIP) in recorded remarks at the National Pork Industry Conference in Wisconsin Dells, WI. The announcement is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Livestock and poultry producers can apply for assistance through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) July 20 through Sept. 17, 2021.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, authorized payments to producers for losses of livestock or poultry depopulated from March 1, 2020 through December 26, 2020, due to insufficient processing access as a result of the pandemic. PLIP payments will be based on 80% of the fair market value of the livestock and poultry and for the cost of depopulation and disposal of the animal. Eligible livestock and poultry include swine, chickens and turkeys.
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.
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.
Applying for Assistance
Eligible livestock and poultry producers can apply for PLIP starting July 20, 2021, by completing the FSA-620, Pandemic Livestock Indemnity Program 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.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing up to $200 million to provide relief to timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses that have experienced losses due to COVID-19 as part of USDA's Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Loggers and truckers can apply for assistance through USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) July 22 through Oct. 15, 2021. The Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers program (PATHH) is administered by FSA in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, authorized this critical assistance for the timber industry. 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.
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%. FSA will issue an initial payment equal to the lesser of the calculated payment amount or $2,000 as applications are approved. A second payment will be made after the signup period has ended based upon remaining PATHH funds.
The maximum amount that a person or legal entity may receive directly is $125,000.
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. 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.
Producers with grazing land physically located in Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine, Rock, and Walworth Counties are eligible to apply for 2021 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) benefits on native pasture, full season improved pasture, and forage sorghum.
LFP provides compensation if you suffer grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or cash leased land or fire on federally managed land.
County committees can only accept LFP applications after notification is received by the National Office of qualifying drought or if a federal agency prohibits producers from grazing normal permitted livestock on federally managed lands due to qualifying fire.
Producers must complete and submit a CCC-853 (Livestock Forage Disaster Program Application) and the required supporting documentation to their County FSA Office no later than January 31, 2022, for 2021 losses.
USDA uses the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) to determine a producer’s eligibility for certain drought assistance programs, like the Livestock Forage Disaster Program and Emergency Haying or Grazing on Conservation Reserve Program acres. Additionally, the Farm Service Agency uses the Drought Monitor to trigger and “fast track” Secretarial Disaster Designations which then provides producers impacted by drought access to emergency loans that can assist with credit needs.
The USDM is an online, weekly map showing the location, extent, and severity of drought across the United States. It categorizes the entire country as being in one of six levels of drought. The map is released on Thursdays and depicts conditions for the week.
Current loan rates as of August 1, 2021
Farm Loan Interest Rates:
| Farm Operating - Direct |
1.750% |
| Farm Operating - Microloan |
1.750% |
| Farm Ownership - Direct |
3.250% |
| Farm Ownership - Microloan |
3.250% |
| Farm Ownership - Direct, Joint Financing |
2.500% |
| Farm Ownership - Down Payment |
1.500% |
| Emergency - Amount of Actual Loss |
2.750% |
Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL):
| 3-year FSFL |
0.500% |
| 5-year FSFL |
0.875% |
| 7-year FSFL |
1.125% |
| 10-year FSFL |
1.375% |
| 12-year FSFL |
1.500% |
Please visit the Farm Loan Program webpage for more information.
The Farm Service Agency is committed to providing our farm loan borrowers the tools necessary to be successful. FSA staff will provide guidance and counsel from the loan application process through the borrower’s graduation to commercial credit. While it is FSA’s commitment to advise borrowers as they identify goals and evaluate progress, it is crucial for borrowers to communicate with their farm loan staff when changes occur. It is the borrower’s responsibility to alert FSA to any of the following:
- Any proposed or significant changes in the farming operation
- Any significant changes to family income or expenses
- The development of problem situations
- Any losses or proposed significant changes in securityIf a farm loan borrower can’t make payments to suppliers, other creditors, or FSA on time, contact your farm loan staff immediately to discuss loan servicing options.
For more information on FSA farm loan programs, contact your local USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing up to $17 million for conservation partners to help protect and restore critical wetlands on agricultural lands through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP). USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is prioritizing proposals that focus on assisting historically underserved producers conserving wetlands. Proposals from partners are due August 15, 2021.
Restored wetlands help to improve water quality downstream, enhance wildlife habitat, reduce impacts from flooding and provide recreational benefits. “Our goal is to support agricultural producers in their efforts to conserve natural resources on their land,” said Angela Biggs, State Conservationist in Wisconsin. “Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnerships help partners and producers work together to protect wetland ecosystems on working lands.”
Through WREP projects, eligible conservation partners protect, restore and enhance high-priority wetlands on agriculture lands. WREP enables effective integration of wetland restoration on working agricultural landscapes, providing meaningful benefits to farmers and ranchers who enroll in the program and to the communities where the wetlands exist.
Eligible partners include Tribes, state and local governments and non-government organizations. WREP funding is for fiscal year 2022 which begins on October 1, 2021.
How to Apply
Partners interested in applying should contact their NRCS state office for more information. Proposals are due by August 15, 2021.
More Information
Funding will be provided through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP), part of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), a Farm Bill conservation program. Through WREP, states, local units of governments, non-governmental organizations and American Indian tribes collaborate with NRCS through cooperative and partnership agreements. These partners work with tribal and private landowners who voluntarily enroll eligible land into easements to protect, restore and enhance wetlands on their properties.
Wetland reserve easements enable landowners to successfully reduce impacts from flooding, recharge groundwater, enhance and protect wildlife habitat and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. Partners benefit from WREP by targeting outreach and enrollment priorities supported by NRCS, including places impacted by natural disasters.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is engaged in a whole-of-government effort to combat the climate crisis and conserve and protect our nation’s lands, biodiversity and natural resources including our soil, air and water. Through conservation practices and partnerships, USDA aims to enhance economic growth and create new streams of income for farmers, ranchers, producers and private foresters. Successfully meeting these challenges will require USDA and our agencies to pursue a coordinated approach alongside USDA stakeholders, including State, local and Tribal governments.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced a one-month extension of the CDC Eviction Moratorium expiring on July 31, 2021. USDA recognizes the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an almost unprecedented housing affordability crisis in the United States. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) provided billions of dollars to support distressed tenants and landlords and USDA continues to collaborate with federal partners to ensure Rural America receives ample relief. Provided below is information on several federal resources designed to help those facing rental hardship or eviction.
U.S. Treasury
Even as the American economy continues its recovery from the devastating impact of the pandemic, millions of Americans face deep rental debt and fear evictions and the loss of basic housing security. To meet this need, the U.S. Treasury’s Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program makes funding available to assist households that are unable to pay rent or utilities. The funds are provided directly to grantees such as states, U.S. territories, local governments, and (in the case of the first round of funding) Indian tribes. Grantees use the funds to provide assistance to eligible households through existing or newly created rental assistance programs. To learn more about how to apply for emergency rental assistance in your state, please visit this link. Information in Spanish for renters can be found here, and information in Spanish for landlords can be found here.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
The Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program will provide 70,000 housing choice vouchers to local Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) in order to assist individuals who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability. For more information on eligibility and how to apply, please visit this link. HUD and USDA have also partnered on developing a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) fact sheet, which can be found here. Information in Spanish can be found here.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
CFPB provides additional resources to inform renters of potential options to help them stay in their homes. Please visit CFPB’s Renter Protections resource webpage for more information. Information in Spanish can be found here.
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