Emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres is available in Otoe County in response to ongoing drought conditions. CRP contract holders who would like to use this option must contact the Otoe County FSA office prior to conducting any haying or grazing activity and receive written approval.

There are some restrictions to CRP emergency haying and grazing.

EMERGENCY GRAZING

CRP emergency grazing is eligible on all practices and at 100 percent of contract acreage. Grazing duration can be utilized for up to 90 consecutive days or a total of 90 days before or after the Primary Nesting Season (if the county is still eligible for emergency grazing at that time).  Grazing must be stopped when the minimum grazing height is reached, as established within the CRP conservation plan for the acres.

EMERGENCY HAYING

CRP emergency haying is eligible on all practices and at 100 percent of contract acreage, as long as the stand is in condition to support such activity. Haying is limited to one cutting and must be completed within 60 days from receiving the approved conservation plan modification to allow haying. Bales must be removed to ensure there is no long-term damage to cover.

OTHER PROVISIONS

• CRP emergency haying and grazing is not allowed during the Primary Nesting Season, which for Nebraska is May 1-July 15.
• If the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) triggers for implementation in the county, the provisions for CRP emergency haying and grazing change, with restrictions on grazing carrying capacity and restrictions on the practices which can be hayed. The county FSA office will be able to outline these changes for CRP contract holders.
• CRP acreage cannot be both hayed and grazed within a time period from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022.
• CRP contract holders must specify the number of acres, and location of acres, to be hayed/grazed on a map.
• CRP acres must be considered fully established before haying or grazing under emergency provisions.

Producers can use the CRP acreage under the emergency grazing provisions for their own livestock or may grant another livestock producer use of the CRP acreage. Livestock producers accessing CRP acres held by someone other than themselves must notify the FSA county office prior to grazing.

The eligible CRP acreage is limited to acres located within the approved county. There will be no CRP annual rental payment reduction for emergency haying and grazing authorizations. 

All hayed and grazed acres are subject to FSA spot-check at any time during the authorization period.

It is important to contact your local FSA office prior to any haying or grazing activities on CRP acres to ensure your contract remains in compliance.

From more information, call the Otoe County FSA office at (402) 269-2361. You also can access additional information by clicking here for a fact sheet.

It’s the start of Fall, and I know most of you already are busy with the beginning of harvest for our crop producers and the weaning of calves for our cattle producers. Please keep safety in mind as you go about all your activities.

We also are busy at the Farm Service Agency office. We are working hard to put the finishing touches on new contracts for the General, Continuous, and Grasslands Conservation Reserve Programs (CRP). Now is also the time that we work on general records cleanup. If you’ve had any recent changes to your address, your banking information or in how your farm or ranch business is structured, please let us know. Up-to-date information is critical for distribution of any program benefits that you may be due.

If you are a producer who has Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage on any of your crops, please remember it’s important to file a timely notice of loss when a disaster occurs or when the losses from a natural disaster become apparent.  There are specific timelines for such reporting, depending on the crop covered by NAP. Please contact our office if you have any questions about the requirements associated with NAP coverage.

That’s all for this month. Best wishes for this harvest season.

-- Raela Brandt

NRCS Nebraska reminds producers that the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) 2022 contract enhancements, or activity records and supporting documentation, are due by Sept. 30, 2022, to be eligible to receive payment. Clients enrolled in the CSP program should make plans to schedule an appointment with their local NRCS office to certify activities completed in 2022. 

The practices or conservation activities must be implemented by the scheduled year printed in the Conservation Plan Schedule of Operations to remain in compliance with contract obligations.

Please notify your local NRCS office immediately if you are enrolled in the CSP program and any of the following changes have taken place on your operation:

• Loss of control of all or part of the land under contract,
• Changes to your operation, including management system changes, land use changes or enrollment in another program,
• Changes to your banking information that will affect direct deposit of program payments,
• Changes to the desired distribution of payment shares,
• A need to adjust your schedule of operations,
• Changes to the membership of a business entity, and
• Name changes and changes in business structure.

Contact your local NRCS office to schedule a meeting to certify the completed 2022 CSP activities. Remember to bring completed documentation and supporting information to the appointment with you. 

Farmers and ranchers can use the Farm Loan Discovery Tool on farmers.gov to find information on USDA farm loans that may best fit their operations.

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers a variety of loan options to help farmers finance their operations. From buying land to financing the purchase of equipment, FSA loans can help.

USDA conducted field research in eight states, gathering input from farmers and FSA farm loan staff to better understand their needs and challenges.

How the Tool Works

Farmers who are looking for financing options to operate a farm or buy land can answer a few simple questions about what they are looking to fund and how much money they need to borrow. After submitting their answers, farmers will receive information on farm loans that best fit their specific needs. The loan application and additional resources also will be provided.

Farmers can download application quick guides that outline what to expect from preparing an application to receiving a loan decision. There are four guides that cover loans to individuals, entities, and youth, as well as information on microloans. The guides include general eligibility requirements and a list of required forms and documentation for each type of loan. These guides can help farmers prepare before their first USDA service center visit with a loan officer.

Farmers can access the Farm Loan Discovery Tool by visiting farmers.gov/fund and clicking the “Start” button. Follow the prompts and answer five simple questions to receive loan information that is applicable to your agricultural operation. The tool is built to run on any modern browser like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or the Safari browser, and is fully functional on mobile devices. It does not work in Internet Explorer.

About Farmers.gov

In 2018, USDA unveiled farmers.gov, a dynamic, mobile-friendly public website combined with an authenticated portal where farmers will be able to apply for programs, process transactions, and manage accounts.

The Farm Loan Discovery Tool is one of many resources on farmers.gov to help connect farmers to information that can help their operations. Earlier this year, USDA launched the My Financial Information feature, which enables farmers to view their loan information, history, payments, and alerts by logging into the website.

USDA is building farmers.gov for farmers, by farmers. In addition to the interactive farm loan features, the site also offers a Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool. Farmers can visit farmers.gov/recover/disaster-assistance-tool#step-1 to find disaster assistance programs that can help their operation recover from natural disasters.

For more information, contact your Otoe County USDA Service Center at 402-269-2361 or visit farmers.gov.