Wicomico County USDA Service Center Updates - February 2022

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US Department of Agriculture

Wicomico County USDA Service Center Updates - February 2022


Wicomico County Office Updates

Cover Crop Reporting:  The deadline to report cover crop for RMA premium discount purposes is March 15, 2022.  Please call us if you are unsure if you have reported and/or signed your crop report.   

Office Visitation Policy:  As you make plans this winter/spring to visit the FSA office to sign ARC/PLC, NAP and Cover Crop reporting, please remember that COVID-19 protocols are still in place.  At this time, producers can make an appointment to conduct business in the FSA office.  Due to COVID-19 protocols we are limited to just 1 producer in the office at a time.  A mask must be worn at all times inside USDA facilities regardless of vaccination status.  To schedule an appointment please call 410-546-4777 ext. 2.  Scheduling an appointment is highly recommended. 

ARC/PLC:  The signup window for 2022 ARC/PLC contacts is quickly coming to a close. Taylor has contacted all eligible producers to sign 2022 contracts.  The deadline to sign 2022 ARC/PLC contracts is March 15, 2022. 

NAP:  The deadline to sign up for 2022 Non Insured Assistance Program (NAP) is also March 15, 2022.  Please call us with questions.

Upcoming Deadlines: 

  • March 15, 2022 – ARC/PLC, NAP, and RMA Cover Crop Reporting
  • May 15, 2022 - Deadline to report Potatoes and Green Peas
  • June 15, 2022 - Deadline to report Tomatoes (all types)
  • July 15, 2022 - Deadline to report all other spring seeded crops 
Calendar

Producers with Crop Insurance to Receive Premium Benefit for Cover Crops

cover crop on farm field

Agricultural producers who have coverage under most crop insurance policies are eligible for a premium benefit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) if they planted cover crops during the 2022 crop year. To receive the benefit from this year’s Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP), producers must report cover crop acreage by March 15, 2022.  

PCCP, offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), helps farmers maintain their cover crop systems, despite the financial challenges posed by the pandemic and is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, a bundle of programs to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions.  

PCCP provides premium support to producers who insured their crop with most insurance policies and planted a qualifying cover crop during the 2022 crop year. The premium support is $5 per acre, but no more than the full premium amount owed.


Requirements for Payments Received Under WHIP+

If you received a payment under the Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program+ (WHIP+) for crop production and/or quality losses occurring in 2018, 2019, or 2020 crop years, you are required to meet linkage requirements by obtaining federal crop insurance or Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage at the 60/100 level, or higher, for both the 2022 and 2023 crop years.

When applying for WHIP+, form FSA-895 (Crop Insurance and/or NAP Coverage Agreement) was submitted acknowledging the requirement to obtain federal crop insurance, if available, or NAP coverage if federal crop insurance is not available. The coverage requirement is applicable to the physical location county of the crop that received WHIP+.

Producers should not delay contacting their federal crop insurance agent or local county FSA Office to inquire about coverage options, as failure to obtain the applicable coverage by the sales/application closing date will result in the required refund of WHIP+ benefits received on the applicable crop, plus interest. You can determine if crops are eligible for federal crop insurance or NAP by visiting the RMA website.

For more information, contact Julie or Katie @ Wicomico County USDA Service Center at 410-546-4777 ext. 2 or visit fsa.usda.gov.


Streamlining How You Find Information on Farmers.gov

Image of a man holding an ipad showing farmers.gov website

If you’ve been to farmers.gov before, things may look a little different from the last time you were here. We’ve made some changes, to improve how you find information so that you can find what you need even more easily and efficiently.

The big, green navigation bar near the top of every page – it’s different now. It opens up, to show descriptions and subtopics, making it quicker and easier to figure out what’s where and reduce guessing. Why? Two reasons: First, farmers.gov has grown a lot over the years and the old navigation wasn’t designed for the load. Second, because you asked for it. We analyzed your comments through the “Feedback” button on the site and tested our new designs and information organization with real farmers and ranchers through surveys and live testing sessions.

Along with the new website navigation, we restructured how our pages and topics are grouped and organized to help you easily access the information you need. We also relabeled some of our existing pages using more direct language. This means that pages or information you’ve used before may have different labels or be in new places. Important changes:
• The old Fund page is now called Loans. The Loans page has information and resources about USDA loans, including the Farm Loan Programs.
• The Recover page is now Protection and Recovery. This page has information to help you prepare and recover from natural disasters, and to mitigate risk for your operation.
• The Conserve page is now Conservation. This page hasn’t changed much and still has information on how to implement conservation practices, improve and preserve natural resources, and address conservation concerns.
• The Manage page is now Working With Us. This page connects you with resources that tell you how USDA can help you start, expand, enhance, or improve your agricultural operation.
• The Connect page has been replaced with Your Business, a guide to USDA resources that cater to your specific operation. Information that was on the Connect page has been moved to the Contact Us page and the Get Involved page.

We are always updating farmers.gov based on your feedback and to stay up-to-date with important USDA announcements. We’ve recently created some new webpages, and updated some existing ones, to better equip you with the vital information you need. There are even more new pages coming soon, so stay tuned!

For farmers.gov, we don’t guess what farmers and ranchers want from a website. We start by asking, then test our designs with volunteers who are also farmers and ranchers. There’s a feedback button on every page of farmers.gov. Based on your feedback, we looked for ways to make our site easier to use and to build the information that you’re looking for. Live user testing sessions provide data, such as this heatmap, showing where testers tended to click during an exercise. You helped us create the new navigation design, the new information organization, and told us how to speak using your words, and not legalese.

Check out farmers.gov today!


Wicomico County Crop Loan Rates & Current Interest Rates - February 2022

2021 Wicomico County Crop Loan Rates (for Marketing Assistance Loans):

Corn - $2.36
Soybeans - $6.34
Wheat (SRW) - $3.56
Barley - $2.16
Grain Sorghum - $4.16

Marketing Assistance Loans, February 2022 Interest Rate:

1.375%

Farm Storage Facility Loans, February 2022 Interest Rates:

3 year - 1.125%
5 year - 1.375%
7 year - 1.625%
10 year - 1.625%
12 year - 1.750%


 

Wicomico USDA Service Center

2322B Goddard Pkwy
Salisbury, MD 21801

Phone:  410-546-4777
Fax: 855-401-6644

Farm Service Agency (FSA)
410-546-4777 ext. 2

County Executive Director:
Julie Pinto Schaub

Farm Loan Manager:
April Benton
Caroline County FSA Office
410-479-1202 ext. 2

Program Technicians:
Taylor Passwaters
Katie Cavalluzzo

County Committee:
Justin Day, Chairman
Danny Hammond, Vice-Chairman
Chris Riall, Regular Member
Susan Arnold, Advisor

Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
410-546-4777 ext. 3

District Conservationist:
Teresa Kampmeyer

 

 

 

Wicomico Soil Conservation District (SCD)
410-546-4777 ext. 3

District Manager:
Rick Glasgow