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The Service Center in Shelby County is now open to limited visitors by appointment. Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff also continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email, and other digital tools.
To make an in-person or phone appointment, call 937-492-6520.
To assist in the USDA/Farm Service Agency’s program administration the Shelby County Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in Sidney is hiring a part-time temporary office employee. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Duties include general office activities supporting FSA programs administered at the field level. Successful applicants must be reliable, have a professional attitude and enjoy working with the public.
This announcement is open through March 31, 2022. Applicants may apply by contacting the office or by submitting Form FSA-675, an “Application of FSA County Employment" and/or your professional resume. Applicants are required to submit college transcripts IF the applicant wishes to qualify based on education.
The office is located at 820 Fair Road, Sidney, Ohio. Please contact Annette Purkey at 937-492-6520 extension 2 for additional information.
If you are interested or know of someone who might be interested, please share this information with them. To apply, please e-mail your resume, Form FSA-675 to annette.purkey@usda.gov or mail it to the address listed above.
March 11 - Deadline to sign-up for General CRP.
March 15 - Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) election and enrollment application deadline for 2022 crop season.
March 15 - Deadline to report cover crops to FSA for Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP) through RMA.
March 15 - Deadline to obtain 2022 NAP coverage on spring planted crops.
March 15 - Deadline to purchase NAP coverage for hemp. NAP will be available for 2022 to provide insurance-type coverage due to adverse weather conditions. NAP provides coverage against loss for hemp grown for fiber, grain, seed, or cannabidiol (CBD) for the 2022 crop year where no permanent federal crop insurance program is available.
March 25 - Final date to enroll for 2022 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) and Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage (SDMC) as the program ends.
March 31 - Final Availability for 2021 crop wheat, barley, oats, honey loans and LDPs.
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Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) participants are responsible for ensuring adequate, approved vegetative and practice cover is maintained to control erosion throughout the life of the contract after the practice has been established. Participants must also control undesirable vegetation, weeds (including noxious weeds), insects and rodents that may pose a threat to existing cover or adversely impact other landowners in the area.
All CRP maintenance activities, such as mowing, burning, disking and spraying, must be conducted outside the primary nesting or brood rearing season for wildlife, which for Ohio is March 1 through July 15. However, spot treatment of the acreage may be allowed during the primary nesting or brood rearing season if, left untreated, the weeds, insects or undesirable species would adversely impact the approved cover. In this instance, spot treatment is limited to the affected areas in the field and requires County Committee approval prior to beginning the spot treatment. The County Committee will consult with NRCS to determine if such activities are needed to maintain the approved cover.
Annual mowing of CRP for generic weed control, or for cosmetic purposes, is prohibited at all times.
Producers enrolled in H2Ohio need to submit a Voluntary Nutrient Management Plan (VNMP) or a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) by March 31, 2022, to apply for the next phase of program incentives. Once the submitted nutrient management plan is approved, producers are eligible to sign up for phase two best management practices. Eligible practices and payment for this sign up include:
- Voluntary Nutrient Management Plan Implementation: $10/acre
- Overwintering Cover Crops: $25/acre
- Conservation Crop Rotation- Small Grains: $35/acre
- Conservation Crop Rotation- Forages: $35/acre
- Manure Incorporation- Poultry: $35/acre
- Manure Incorporation- All Others: $60/acre
- Subsurface Phosphorus Placement: $25/acre
- Variable Rate Phosphorus Application: $5/acre
- Drainage Water Management:
- With Main: $4,000 per site
- Without Main: $1,500 per site
- Implementation/ Management: $200/year
The deadline to sign up for these practices is April 30, 2022.
The USDA Rural Development Agency is accepting applications for the Rural Energy For America Program. The next grant application deadline is March 31, 2022. This grant application deadline is for projects which request $20,000 or less and for projects which request up to $500,000.
The REAP program is designed to assist rural, small, for-profit businesses and agricultural producers install renewable energy systems or make energy efficiency improvements to their operations. These improvements can help eligible applicants control energy costs and improve the overall profitability of their operations. The grant program can cover up to 25% of the eligible project costs while the loan guarantee can cover up to 75% of the eligible project costs. Federal participation cannot exceed 75% of eligible project costs.
Grants can range from $1,500 to $500,000 with loan guarantees up to $25,000,000.
This program has helped farmers replace grain dryers; replace fans and lights for livestock operations; and install solar PV arrays to help offset electrical consumption. Small businesses have benefited through the replacement of lighting with high efficiency LED lighting; improvements to HVAC systems; and the installation of a renewable energy system to help offset electrical consumption.
Additional information can be found at: Rural Energy for America Program.
Should you be interested in discussing a specific project or in receiving an application for your project, please contact one of the USDA Ohio Rural Development Specialists listed below:
Agricultural producers are reminded to consult with FSA and NRCS before breaking out new ground for production purposes as doing so without prior authorization may put a producer’s federal farm program benefits in jeopardy. This is especially true for land that must meet Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions.
Producers with HEL determined soils are required to apply tillage, crop residue and rotational requirements as specified in their conservation plan.
Producers should notify FSA as a first point of contact prior to conducting land clearing or drainage projects to ensure the proposed actions meet compliance criteria, such as clearing trees to create new cropland. These areas may need to be reviewed to ensure such work will not risk your eligibility for benefits.
Landowners and operators complete the form AD-1026 - Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification to identify the proposed action and allow FSA to determine whether a referral to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for further review is necessary
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