Happy Holidays from the Motley County USDA staff! At the current time, the Matador Service Center is now open for business to the public, but appointments are encouraged to ensure the best quality service possible, however if you're dropping off a form or picking one up we do welcome walk ins.
The staff of Motley County would like to wish each and every one of you a safe and happy holiday season. May all the good things in life be yours, not only during this wonderful time of the year, but throughout the coming year.
Dates To Remember
December 26, 2022 - Office closed in observance of Christmas Day
January 2, 2023 - Office closed in observance of New Year's Day
January 17, 2023 - Deadline to report small grains
January 30, 2023 - 2022 LFP & ELAP Deadline
February 24, 2023 - Application cutoff date for CSP
March 15, 2023 - Deadline to sign up for ARC/PLC
Reporting Changes
If you have made or will be making any changes to your farming operation, please let us know. Types of changes include:
* Address, contact number, email address
* Banking information (including routing number change due to change in bank ownership)
* Leases - please provide the office with a current copy of your lease(s) each year as soon as possible.
* Land ownership - purchase or sale (we require a copy of the deed to change ownership)
* Change of operation - Example: Trust, Estate, Joint Operation, LLP, LLC, Corporation
We require all documents for the joint operation or legal entity for our records
* Death of owner or operator - we require a death certificate and a copy of the will
Please report any changes immediately to avoid any disruption or loss of benefits.
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Motley County U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that County Committee elections are over, and ballots have been counted.
Josh Lee was elected to represent local administrative area (LAA) 1.
County committee members are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA. They help deliver programs at the county level and work to serve the needs of local producers. All recently elected county committee members will take office in January 2023 and will be joining the existing committee. Every FSA office is required to have a county committee, and they are made up of local farmers, ranchers and foresters who are elected by local producers.
Nearly 7,800 FSA county committee members serve FSA offices nationwide. Each committee has three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms of office. One-third of county committee seats are up for election each year. County committee members impact the administration of FSA within a community by applying their knowledge and judgment to help FSA make important decisions on its commodity support programs, conservation programs, indemnity and disaster programs, emergency programs and eligibility.
County committee members impact producers through their decision making and help shape the culture of a local FSA office. They also ensure the fair and equitable administration of FSA farm programs in their counties and are accountable to the Secretary of Agriculture. Members conduct hearings and reviews as requested by the state committee, ensure underserved farmers, ranchers and foresters are fairly represented, make recommendations to the state committee on existing programs, monitor changes in farm programs and inform farmers of the purpose and provisions of FSA programs. They also assist with outreach and inform underserved producers such as beginning farmers, ranchers and foresters, about FSA opportunities.
For more information, visit the FSA Website: fsa.usda.gov/elections or contact the Motley County FSA Office at (806)347-2263.
Agricultural producers can now change election and enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage programs for the 2023 crop year, two key safety net programs offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Signup began in October, and producers have until March 15, 2023, to enroll in these two programs. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has started issuing payments totaling more than $255 million to producers with 2021 crops that have triggered payments through ARC or PLC.
2023 Elections and Enrollment
Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2023 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Also, if a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm and makes an election change for 2023, they must sign a new contract.
If producers do not submit their election by the March 15, 2023 deadline, their election remains the same as their 2022 election for crops on the farm. Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the farm.
Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium and short grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.
Web-Based Decision Tools
In partnership with USDA, the University of Illinois and Texas A&M University offer web-based decision tools to assist producers in making informed, educated decisions using crop data specific to their respective farming operations. Tools include:
- Gardner-farmdoc Payment Calculator, a tool available through the University of Illinois allows producers to estimate payments for farms and counties for ARC-CO and PLC. ARC and PLC Decision Tool, a tool available through Texas A&M that allows producers to obtain basic information regarding the decision and factors that should be taken into consideration such as future commodity prices and historic yields to estimate payments for 2022.
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Accessing capital to begin, extend or support an agriculture operation can be especially challenging to new producers. Farm Service Agency’s “Beginning Farmer” direct and guaranteed loan programs provide an opportunity for qualified applicants to secure loans from funding set aside for producers who meet the following conditions:
- Has operated a farm for not more than 10 years
- Will materially and substantially participate in the operation of the farm
- Agrees to participate in a loan assessment, borrower training and financial management program sponsored by FSA
- Does not own a farm in excess of 30 percent of the county’s average size farm.
For more information contact, contact your Floyd County USDA Service Center at 806-983-2352 or visit fsa.usda.gov
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Natural Resources Conservation Service in Texas is announcing the Fiscal Year 2023 funding signup for Conservation Incentive Contracts (CIC), a new option available through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP).
EQIP-CIC expands resource benefits for Texas producers through incentive conservation practices such as wildlife management, cover crops, nutrient management, conservation crop rotations, and prescribed grazing. Additionally, EQIP-CIC allows producers to target priority resource concerns on their property by offering incentive payments for a five-year contract without needing to enroll the entire operation into the program. EQIP-CIC is designed to be a stepping-stone between EQIP and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), to help producers improve their level of conservation and earn benefits of longer-term conservation enhancements.
While applications for EQIP are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should submit applications to their local NRCS office by January 6, 2023, to be considered for the 2023 ranking funding period.
Texas NRCS will offer funding through two separate initiatives. A Piney Woods Restoration Initiative is available for applicants in East Texas to help restore declining Piney Woods Habitat. A Climate Smart Agriculture and Wildlife Initiative available statewide prioritizing applications that address wildlife habitat and climate smart agriculture practices as well as addressing resource concerns on expired Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands. Individuals interested in applying for the EQIP-CIC should contact their local NRCS conservationist as soon as possible.
Visit the Texas NRCS website for more details about EQIP or other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs or contact your local USDA Service Center.
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