In This Issue:
With Covid-19 cases dropping throughout the country, all New Jersey Service Centers are now accepting in-office visitors with no appointment required, although still encouraged. 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.
Please visit our State Website for regulars updates on which offices are impacted at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/nj
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 This planting season let’s highlight the innovation and leadership demonstrated by conservation-minded farmers in our #Plant2022 campaign. We’ll share your photos and stories on social media, blogs, and a nationwide storymap.
Learn more (https://go.usa.gov/xuTqj)
Who can apply for FSA Farm Loans?
Anyone can apply for FSA’s loan programs. Applications will be considered on basic eligibility requirements. To apply for a loan, you must meet the following general eligibility requirements including:
- Be a U.S. citizen or qualified alien.
- Operator of a family farm or ranch.
- Have a satisfactory credit history.
- Unable to obtain credit elsewhere at reasonable rates and terms to meet actual needs.
- Not be delinquent on any federal debts.
What can I purchase with operating loans?
Farm Operating Loans are traditionally used for purchasing capital items such as farm machinery, equipment, or livestock. Loan funds can also be used to help pay typical operating expenses for farming and ranching operations. For example, a rancher may use an operating loan to purchase forage for his cattle to feed them through the winter or a row crop producer may use an operating loan for paying for inputs like seed or fertilizer.
What is the maximum loan amount and terms?
The maximum loan amount for a Direct Farm Operating Loan is $400,000. Direct loans are made and serviced by FSA.
Producers can also apply for Guaranteed Operating Loans that are made by your commercial lender, and guaranteed against loss by FSA. The maximum loan amount for a Guaranteed Farm Operating Loan is $1,825,000. Loan terms for operating loans range from one to seven years.
How do I apply?
If you’re interested in applying for a farm loan, you can pick up an application by visiting your local FSA office. Visit farmers.gov to find the USDA Service Center nearest you.
When applying for a loan, you will need a business plan, which must include:
- Your mission, vision, and goals for your farm or ranch.
- Your current assets and liabilities.
- Marketing Plan (what your operation will produce and where you will market and sell your products.)
- Whether the amount of income your operation generates will be enough to pay your business and family living expenses.
When should I apply for an operating loan?
I would recommend beginning the application process a few months in advance of needing the funds to allow time for the request to be processed, and for any necessary security checks and searches to be completed. That allows time for the funds to be available for your use when most needed.
Where can I find more information?
To learn more about FSA loans visit farmers.gov/loans or fsa.usda.gov/farmloans. Fact sheets and application packages are also available at your USDA Service Center. To learn more about other types of FSA loans or to find the right loan for your operation, use the Farm Loan Discovery Tool by visiting farmers.gov/loans/farm-loan-discovery-tool.
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On April 21st, in honor of Earth Day 2022, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development New Jersey State Director Jane Asselta, alongside Congressman Tom Malinowski visited Oak Grove Plantation to announce a $100,000 grant to North Jersey Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D). Rural Development has an ongoing partnership with RC&D to promote Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and Renewable Energy Development Assistance (REDA) grants.
“Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, USDA is making it a priority to improve energy independence by investing in rural businesses and farms,” Asselta said. “Rural Development recognizes the impact of these critical energy programs. We couldn’t be more excited to recognize these efforts in celebration of Earth Week.”
North Jersey RC&D will use the REAP REDA Grant in the amount of $100,000 from USDA Rural Development to provide farms and rural businesses in northern New Jersey the resources to create a renewable energy assessment. This allows applicants to confidently apply for renewable energy systems to be implemented on their farm or business.
Oak Grove Plantation utilized assistance provided by North Jersey RC&D through a previous REDA grant, which informed the family farm that solar energy would offset nearly $5,000 in the first year of operation.
Rural Development is at the forefront of renewable energy financing. It has energy programs to complete energy audits, provide renewable energy development assistance, make energy efficiency improvements, and install renewable energy systems.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans living in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas.
Contact USDA Rural Development:
Information on programs available through USDA Rural Development is available by visiting www.rd.usda.gov/nj or by calling (856)787-7700.
USDA Rural Development funds projects in New Jersey under the leadership of its State Office staff located in Mt. Laurel and supported by offices located in Hackettstown, Columbus, and Vineland.
If you’d like to subscribe to New Jersey USDA Rural Development updates visit our GovDelivery subscriber page or follow us on Twitter.
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The Farm Service Agency is seeking Loss Adjusters (LAs) for the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). Loss Adjusters are required to have knowledge of field crops and specialty crops, as well as a thorough understanding and execution of crop adjusting guidelines and program provisions, as applicable to FSA programs.
Loss Adjusters are self-employed; therefore, health and retirement benefits are not provided. LA’s are responsible for paying all taxes on earned income. LA’s are also responsible for obtaining equipment necessary to perform required inspection/appraisal duties. Some equipment such as cameras and GPS measuring devices may be available through the FSA county office.
Loss adjusters should expect that hours available are highly variable depending on season and frequency of weather related events during the growing season.
Required qualifications include, but are not limited to:
- A minimum of two years of college education or adequate agriculture-related experience
- Strong analytical skills and attention to details
- Excellent interpersonal communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills
- Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing to producers and FSA employees
- Ability to maintain confidentiality in daily operations
- Reliable means of transportation and ability to travel within assigned area. LA’s may be assigned work in several counties and may travel statewide.
Essential functions and responsibilities:
- Participate in yearly LA update training
- Complete field inspections
- Read maps and aerial photographs
- Measure fields
- Discuss findings of crop loss with farmers
- Perform fact-finding and investigate crop damage, thoroughly documenting findings
- Maintain knowledge of FSA’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and Tree Assistance Program (TAP) and RMA’s appraisals and inspections
- Schedule assignments to ensure timely service, returning producer forms to the FSA county office within 10 calendar days
- Accurately complete and timely submit all claim documents and LA pay vouchers
- Promote a good working relationship between the producer and FSA.
Required training Two phases of LA training must be completed before becoming a certified loss adjuster.
- Phase 1 is a minimum of 24 hours and can be as much as 120 hours of classroom training that covers general policy provisions in effect for appraisals, loss adjustment forms, crop handbooks, verification, and use of acreage and production to count.
- Phase II is a combination of classroom and field training for loss situations, including ineligible causes of loss and controversial cases. Phase II is a minimum of 24 hours.
- The LA trainee will work with a fully certified LA to become certified. A LA is not fully certified until two different crops are appraised without error.
- A minimum of 6 to 8 hours of annual update training is required to remain certified.
LA ethics and conflicts of interest LA’s must follow all applicable federal laws and ensure that there is no appearance or occurrence of conflict of interest. LA’s cannot:
- Solicit or accept money, gifts, or favors from any party that are designed to influence or give the appearance of influencing any loss adjustment findings or decisions
- Use position to gain favor, influence, or financial advantage
- Work in the county where he or she is the spouse of an FSA county executive director or county committee member
- Engage in sales or administration of any MPCI policy
- Adjust losses for:
- any family member (including but not limited to parents, brothers, sisters, children, spouse, in-laws, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents; relationship by adoption or similar extent is included)
- the family of an employee of the LA
- any party with whom the LA has a material or financial interest.
- Discriminate against any producer because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Eligibility A Loss Adjuster cannot be:
- A permanent, part-time, or intermittent FSA employee (A field reporter who performs only technical field services may be an LA; however, work cannot be performed for both positions on the same day.)
- An FSA State or county committee member
- An elected or appointed public officer
- A candidate for any elected or appointed public office.
Contact Contact Aly Dyson, NJ FSA Farm Program Disaster Specialist, Alyson.Dyson@usda.gov, with any questions
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages producers and landowners to enroll in the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) starting next week through May 13, 2022. Grassland CRP provides a unique opportunity for farmers, ranchers, and agricultural landowners to keep land in agricultural production and supplement their income while improving their soils and permanent grass cover. The program had its highest enrollment in history in 2021 and is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader effort to equip producers with the tools they need to help address climate change and invest in the long-term health of our natural resources.
Grassland CRP is a federally funded voluntary working lands program. Through the program, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides annual rental payments to landowners to maintain and conserve grasslands while allowing producers to graze, hay, and produce seed on that land. Maintaining the existing permanent cover provides several benefits, including reducing erosion, providing wildlife habitat and migration corridors, and capturing and maintaining carbon in the soil and cover.
FSA provides participants with annual rental payments and cost-share assistance. The annual rental rate varies by county with a national minimum rental rate of $13 per acre for this signup. Contract duration is 10 or 15 years.
Grassland CRP National Priority Zones
Because Grassland CRP supports not only grazing operations but also biodiversity and conserving environmentally sensitive land such as that prone to wind erosion, FSA created two National Priority Zones in 2021: the Greater Yellowstone Migration Corridor and Dust Bowl Zone. As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s focus on conservation in important wildlife corridors and key seasonal ranges, for this year’s signup, FSA is expanding the Greater Yellowstone Wildlife Migration Corridor Priority Zone to include seven additional counties across Montana, Wyoming, and Utah, to help protect the big-game animal migration corridor associated with Wyoming elk, mule deer, and antelope.
Offers within one of these National Priority Zones will receive an additional 15 ranking points and $5 per acre if at least 50% of the offer is located in the zone.
Alongside Grassland CRP, producers and landowners can also enroll acres in Continuous CRP under the ongoing sign up, which includes projects available through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE).
Broadening Reach of Program
As part of the Agency’s Justice40 efforts, producers and landowners who are historically underserved, including beginning farmers and military veterans, will receive 10 additional ranking points to enhance their offers.
Additionally, USDA is working to broaden the scope and reach of Grassland CRP by leveraging the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to engage historically underserved communities. CREP is a partnership program that enables states, Tribal governments, non-profit, and private entities to partner with FSA to implement CRP practices and address high priority conservation and environmental objectives. Interested entities are encouraged to contact FSA.
More Information on CRP
Landowners and producers interested in Grassland CRP should contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply for the program before the May 13 deadline. Additionally, fact sheets and other resources are available at fsa.usda.gov/crp.
Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest voluntary private-lands conservation programs in the United States. The working lands signup announced today demonstrates how much it has evolved from the original program that was primarily intended to control soil erosion and only had the option to take enrolled land out of production. The program has expanded over the years and now supports a greater variety of conservation and wildlife benefits, along with the associated economic benefits.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under 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 safe, 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 usda.gov.
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 Next week is National Small Business Week, and we want to recognize America’s farmers and ranchers who are part of the small business community. USDA is partnering with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to hold a virtual summit from May 2-5.
The event will feature access to critical federal resources, educational workshops, and networking to help our Nation’s entrepreneurs pivot and grow in the face of challenges, seize new opportunities, and put the dream of starting a small business in reach.
This interactive, online event will help you collect new ideas for your small business. You will also hear practiced advice on current business strategies, meet other business owners, and chat with industry experts.
Register here.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on February 7 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is delivering on its promise to expand markets by investing $1 billion in partnerships to support America’s climate-smart farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. The new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities opportunity will finance pilot projects that create market opportunities for U.S. agricultural and forestry products that use climate-smart practices and include innovative, cost-effective ways to measure and verify greenhouse gas benefits. USDA is now accepting project applications for fiscal year 2022.
For the purposes of this funding opportunity, a climate-smart commodity is defined as an agricultural commodity that is produced using agricultural (farming, ranching or forestry) practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon.
Funding will be provided to partners through the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation for pilot projects to provide incentives to producers and landowners to:
- implement climate-smart production practices, activities, and systems on working lands,
- measure/quantify, monitor and verify the carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits associated with those practices, and
- develop markets and promote the resulting climate-smart commodities.
Funding will be provided in two funding pools, and applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on:
- May 6, for the first funding pool (proposals from $5 million to $100 million)
- June 10, 2022, for the second funding pool (proposals from $250,000 to $4,999,999).
A wide range of organizations may apply, but the primary applicant must be an entity, not an individual.
USDA is committed to equity in program delivery and is specifically seeking proposals from entities serving all types of producers, including small or historically underserved producers.
Visit usda.gov for additional information including Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities and resources to support your application. See how to apply.
Fact Sheet
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