|
Agricultural producers who have not yet completed their fall crop acreage reports after planting of small grains should make an appointment with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) before the November 15, 2022 deadline.
An acreage report documents a crop grown on a farm and its intended uses. Filing an accurate and timely acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed acreage and prevented planted acreage, can prevent the loss of benefits.
Fall crop reporting is required for fall seeded small grains such as wheat and rye. FSA also urges producers to report fall-seeded cover crops.
Call the Fond du Lac County Farm Service Agency at 920-923-3033 with any questions regarding crop reporting, to request maps, or to schedule an appointment prior to the November 15th deadline.
Landowners in the Glacial Habitat Restoration Area (GHRA) are encouraged to attend a meeting to learn more about opportunities for creating and enhancing wildlife habitat on November 1. The GHRA Meeting will take place on Tuesday November 1 from 9am until noon at the Waupun Town Hall located at N4369 County Road M in Brandon.
Landowners in attendance will learn about technical and financial resources available to GHRA landowners. Local conservation experts will be on hand to answer questions about wildlife habitat and present information on available public resources. A landowner panel will also take place with an open question and answer session.
The GHRA consists of the following townships:
Winnebago County: Poygan, Winneconne, Rushford, Omro, Nepeuskun, and Utica
Fond du Lac County: Ripon, Rosendale, Eldorado, Metomen, Springvale, Lamartine, Alto, Waupun, and Oakfield
Dodge County: Fox Lake, Trenton, Chester, Leroy, Westford, Beaver Dam, Calamus
Columbia County: Courtland, Fountain Prairie
This event is sponsored by NRCS along with Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, Ducks Unlimited, the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association, Wisconsin DNR, the Green Lake Sanitary District, and the Fond du Lac County Land and Water Department.
Registration is required for the event. Register online at https://pfgf.myeventscenter.com/ or call 920-709-3010.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has implemented pre-authorized debit (PAD) for Farm Loan Program (FLP) borrowers. PAD is a voluntary and alternative method for making weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual payments on loans.
PAD payments are pre-authorized transactions that allow the National Financial and Accounting Operations Center (NFAOC) to electronically collect loan payments from a customer’s account at a financial institution.
PAD may be useful if you use nonfarm income from regular wages or salary to make payments on loans or adjustment offers or for payments from seasonal produce stands. PAD can only be established for future payments.
To request PAD, customers, along with their financial institution, must fill out form RD 3550-28. This form has no expiration date, but a separate form RD 3550-28 must be completed for each loan to which payments are to be applied. A fillable form can be accessed on the USDA Rural Development (RD) website at rd.usda.gov/publications/regulations-guidelines. Click forms and search for “Form 3550-28.”
If you have a “filter” on the account at your financial institution, you will need to provide the financial institution with the following information: Origination ID: 1220040804, Agency Name: USDA RD DCFO.
PAD is offered by FSA at no cost. Check with your financial institution to discuss any potential cost. Preauthorized debit has no expiration date, but you can cancel at any time by submitting a written request to your local FSA office. If a preauthorized debit agreement receives three payment rejections within a three-month period, the preauthorized debit agreement will be cancelled by FSA. The payment amount and due date of your loan is not affected by a cancellation of preauthorized debit. You are responsible to ensure your full payment is made by the due date.
For more information about PAD, contact the Farm Loan Team at the Fond du Lac County USDA Service Center at 920-923-3033 or visit fsa.usda.gov.
Dairy producers can now enroll for 2023 coverage through the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program, an important safety net program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that helps producers manage changes in milk and feed prices. Last year, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) took steps to improve coverage, especially for small- and mid-sized dairies, including offering a new Supplemental DMC program and updating its feed cost formula to better address retroactive, current and future feed costs. These changes continue to support producers through this year’s signup, which ends Dec. 9, 2022.
DMC is a voluntary risk management program that offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed price (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer.
So far in 2022, DMC payments to more than 17,000 dairy operations have triggered for August for more than $47.9 million. According to DMC margin projections, an indemnity payment is projected for September as well. At $0.15 per hundredweight for $9.50 coverage, risk coverage through DMC is a relatively inexpensive investment.
DMC offers different levels of coverage, even an option that is free to producers, aside from a $100 administrative fee. Limited resource, beginning, socially disadvantaged or a military veteran farmers or ranchers are exempt from paying the administrative fee, if requested. To determine the appropriate level of DMC coverage for a specific dairy operation, producers can use the online dairy decision tool.
Supplemental DMC
Last year, USDA introduced Supplemental DMC, which provided $42.8 million in payments to better help small- and mid-sized dairy operations that had increased production over the years but were not able to enroll the additional production. Supplemental DMC is also available for 2023.
Supplemental DMC coverage is applicable to calendar years 2021, 2022 and 2023. Eligible dairy operations with less than 5 million pounds of established production history may enroll supplemental pounds.
For producers who enrolled in Supplemental DMC in 2022, the supplemental coverage will automatically be added to the 2023 DMC contract that previously established a supplemental production history.
Producers who did not enroll in Supplemental DMC in 2022 can do so now. Producers should complete their Supplemental DMC enrollment before enrolling in 2023 DMC. To enroll, producers will need to provide their 2019 actual milk marketings, which FSA uses to determine established production history.
DMC Payments
Additionally, FSA will continue to calculate DMC payments using updated feed and premium hay costs, making the program more reflective of actual dairy producer expenses. These updated feed calculations use 100% premium alfalfa hay rather than 50%. The benefits of these feed cost adjustments were realized in the recent August 2022 margin payment as current high feed and premium hay costs were considered in payment calculations.
More Information
In addition to DMC, USDA offers other risk management tools for dairy producers, including the Dairy Revenue Protection (DRP) plan that protects against a decline in milk revenue (yield and price) and the Livestock Gross Margin (LGM) plan, which provides protection against the loss of the market value of livestock minus the feed costs. Both DRP and LGM livestock insurance policies are offered through the Risk Management Agency. Producers should contact their local crop insurance agent for more information.
For more information on DMC, visit the DMC webpage or contact FSA at 920-923-3033 with questions or to set up an appointment.
USDA is accepting applications from agricultural producers and forest landowners from Wisconsin for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which offers producers financial and technical assistance to address resource concerns on their land.
While USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) accepts EQIP applications year-round, Wisconsin producers and landowners should apply by November 4, 2022 to be considered for funding in the current cycle. Applications received after the ranking date will automatically be considered during the next funding cycle. Funding is provided through a competitive process.
State Technical Committees, composed of conservation and agricultural-related agency and organization representatives, work with NRCS to identify resource priorities and how best to address them. NRCS then sets state-specific, ranking dates to evaluate applications for funding that account for producer needs, staff workload and ensure potential participants have ample opportunities to apply. Find Wisconsin’s ranking dates for EQIP and other conservation programs at www.nrcs.usda.gov/staterankingdates.
EQIP offers agricultural producers financial and technical assistance to producers. EQIP offers conservation practices to help producers make improvements, including enhancing water and air quality, conserving ground and surface water, reducing soil erosion and sedimentation, or enhancing wildlife habitat.
If a producer’s application is funded, NRCS will offer an EQIP contract for financial assistance to help address the cost of implementing conservation practices. NRCS provides financial assistance for a wide variety of conservation practices through EQIP, but availability and amount of financial assistance can vary between states.
Find eligible practices in Wisconsin and practice payment amounts. Rates for conservation practices are reviewed and set each fiscal year for the state. Historically underserved producers are eligible for advance payments for all EQIP practices. This option provides historically underserved producers with funding up-front, for at least 50% of the payment rate for each practice. Historically underserved producers include producers who are beginning, socially disadvantaged, veteran, or limited resource.
To apply for EQIP, contact For more information, contact your Fond du Lac County USDA Service Center at 920-923-3033 or visit nrcs.usda.gov.
|
