Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness month? Did you know that in Alaska, 38% of high school students report feeling sad or hopeless almost every day? Did you know that farmers are more likely to die by suicide, in comparison to other occupations, according to the CDC? If these statistics make you uncomfortable, you are not alone. I don’t like thinking about it, but much like every person who takes the time to read this newsletter, my life has been directly impacted by mental health crisis and suicide. Two items that each of us can act on are:
- adding the “Suicide Prevention Hotline” into our phones. If a loved one, friend or colleague expresses signs or symptoms of a mental health crisis, you can receive assistance by dialing 988.
- adding the Farm Aid hotline into your phone. 1 (800) FARM-AID The Farm Aid hotline can assist in referring farmers to an extensive network of resources specifically available to farmers and ranchers across the country.
I hope you’re never in the position to need either of those numbers, but by adding them to your phone, you’ll be more prepared, just in case.
May means Farmers Markets are opening across the State and I can’t wait to shop local. Flower baskets and ornamentals for my deck; the tastiest pickled and fermented foods; new items like kelp seasoning or bee pollen – there is always something delicious to be found at your local Farmers Market. You can find a complete list of markets across the State at www.alaskafarmersmarkets.org
Speaking of local food access, I was thrilled to hear the news that the Alaska Food Policy Council (AFPC) was selected to partner on creating a USDA Regional Food Business Center. This project will bring valuable resources focused on building food system resiliency to Alaska – what a win! Congratulations to Robbi Mixon, Executive Director at AFPC on the selection. Visit www.akfoodpolicy.org to learn more.
The Alaska Division of Agriculture is hosting Nenana Ag Education Day on Friday, June 2nd. Contact Erik Johnson (907) 761-3863 or erik.johnson@alaska.gov for more information.
USDA has announced two different grant programs focused on the red meat industry. The Indigenous Animals Harvesting and Meat Processing Grant Program will provide up to $50 million to improve tribal nations’ food and agricultural supply chain resiliency by developing and expanding value-added infrastructure related to meat from indigenous animals like bison, reindeer or salmon. The program will fund projects that focus on expanding local capacity for the harvesting, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling or distribution of indigenous meats. More information at https://www.usda.gov/iag
The second red meat focused grant is the Local Meat Capacity Grant Program. This grant program is targeted to support meat and poultry processors with smaller-scale projects, with a goal to increase processing availability and variety for local and regional livestock producers. More details at https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/localmcap
Important Dates:
May 26: Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)- Grasslands Signup Deadline
May 29: Memorial Day- Office's Closed
June 2: Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program (PARP) Deadline
June 2: Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase Two Deadline
June 14: Alaska Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP) Deadline
June 19: Juneteenth Day- Office's Closed
July 4: Independence Day- Office's Closed
July 17: Acreage Reporting Deadline
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced nearly $3 million will be issued to almost 1,100 producers through the 2022 Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment (RTCP) program beginning on May 22, 2023. The RTCP reimburses eligible farmers and ranchers outside the contiguous U.S., including those in Alaska, for a portion of the cost of transporting agricultural products or inputs used to produce an agricultural commodity over long distances. Over 200 Alaskan producers will receive more than $600,000 to help mitigate the increased transportation costs.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 reauthorized RTCP and allows farmers and ranchers in Alaska, Hawaii and insular areas including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands of the United States, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands and Republic of Palau, to recover costs to transport agricultural commodities or inputs used to produce an agricultural commodity.
RTCP payments are calculated based on the costs incurred for transportation of the agricultural commodity or inputs during a fiscal year, subject to an $8,000 per producer cap per fiscal year. Claims for fiscal year 2022 exceeded available funding; therefore, payments to recipients will be reduced by a payment factor of 0.93.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) is committed to providing our farm loan borrowers the tools necessary to be successful. FSA staff will provide guidance and counsel from the loan application process through the borrower’s graduation to commercial credit. While it is FSA’s commitment to advise borrowers as they identify goals and evaluate progress, it is crucial for borrowers to communicate with their farm loan staff when changes occur. It is the borrower’s responsibility to alert FSA to any of the following:
- Any proposed or significant changes in the farming operation
- Any significant changes to family income or expenses
- The development of problem situations
- Any losses or proposed significant changes in security
If a farm loan borrower can’t make payments to suppliers, other creditors, or FSA on time, contact your farm loan staff immediately to discuss loan servicing options.
For more information on FSA farm loan programs, contact your Northern County USDA Service Center at (907)895-4242 ext 150 or the Southern County FSA Office at (907)761-7773 or visit fsa.usda.gov.
USDA announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin signing up for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) starting today and running through May 26, 2023. Among CRP enrollment opportunities, Grassland CRP is a unique working lands program, allowing producers and landowners to continue grazing and haying practices while conserving grasslands and promoting plant and animal biodiversity as well as healthier soil.
More than 3.1 million acres were accepted through the 2022 Grassland CRP signup from agricultural producers and private landowners. That signup—the highest ever for the program—reflects the continued success and value of investments in voluntary, producer-led, working lands conservation programs. The current total participation in Grassland CRP is 6.3 million acres, which is part of the 23 million acres enrolled in CRP opportunities overall.
Since 2021, USDA’s FSA, which administers all CRP programs, has made several improvements to Grassland CRP to broaden the program’s reach, including:
- Creating two National Priority Zonesto put focus on environmentally sensitive land such as that prone to wind erosion.
- Enhancing offers with 10 additional ranking points to producers and landowners who are historically underserved, including beginning farmers and military veterans.
- Leveraging the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to engage historically underserved communities within Tribal Nations in the Great Plains.
How to Sign Up for Grassland CRP
Landowners and producers interested in Grassland CRP, or any other CRP enrollment option, should contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply for the program before the deadlines.
Producers with expiring CRP acres can enroll in the Transition Incentives Program (TIP), which incentivizes producers who sell or enter into a long-term lease with a beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher who plans to sustainably farm or ranch the land.
Other CRP Signups
Under Continuous CRP, producers and landowners can enroll throughout the year. Offers are automatically accepted provided the producer and land meet the eligibility requirements and the enrollment levels do not exceed the statutory cap. Continuous CRP includes a Climate-Smart Practice Incentive to increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by helping producers and landowners establish trees and permanent grasses, enhance wildlife habitat, and restore wetlands.
FSA offers several additional enrollment opportunities within Continuous CRP, including the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) Initiative, the Farmable Wetlands Program (FWP), and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Also available is the Clean Lakes Estuaries and Rivers (CLEAR30) Initiative, which was originally piloted in twelve states but has since been expanded nationwide, giving producers and landowners across the country the opportunity to enroll in 30-year CRP contracts for water quality practices.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has authorized policy exceptions to the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) for Alaska livestock producers. These exceptions extend ELAP feed and forage transportation eligibility to counties that were impacted by an early growing season drought, followed by excessive moisture at harvest in 2022, resulting in an increased need for feed or forage transportation.
ELAP assistance provided through the policy exceptions is limited to specific counties in Alaska that suffered from the drought like conditions, followed by excessive moisture in 2022 and for which there was a shortage of local or regional feed availability.
Eligible boroughs: All Alaskan Boroughs
ELAP provides assistance to owners of livestock, and producers of honeybees and farm-raised fish for feed and death losses due to an eligible natural disaster event.
Eligibility and Loss Documentation
Eligible livestock producers will be reimbursed for 60% of feed transportation costs above what would have been incurred in a normal year. Producers qualifying as underserved (socially disadvantaged, limited resource, beginning or military veteran) will be reimbursed for 90% of the feed transportation cost above what would have been incurred in a normal year. To be eligible for ELAP assistance, livestock must be intended for grazing.
Although producers will self-certify losses and expenses to FSA, producers are encouraged to maintain good records and retain receipts and related documentation associated with the costs of transporting feed and forage to eligible livestock in the event these documents are requested for review by the local FSA County Committee.
Important ELAP Deadlines
The deadline for producers to file a notice of loss and application for payment with FSA for calendar year 2022 and 2023 feed or forage transportation due to the 2022 eligible events is June 14, 2023.
For general ELAP details, view the ELAP Livestock Fact Sheet.
More Information
On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet (PDF, 1.4 MB) and Farm Loan Discovery Tool can help producers and landowners determine program or loan options. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent. For FSA and NRCS programs, they should contact their local USDA Service Center.
Severe weather events create significant challenges and often result in catastrophic loss for agricultural producers. Despite every attempt to mitigate risk, your operation may suffer losses. USDA offers several programs to help with recovery.
Risk Management
For producers who have risk protection through Federal Crop Insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), we want to remind you to report crop damage to your crop insurance agent or the local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office.
If you have crop insurance, contact your agency within 72 hours of discovering damage and be sure to follow up in writing within 15 days. If you have NAP coverage, file a Notice of Loss (also called Form CCC-576) within 15 days of loss becoming apparent, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be reported within 72 hours.
Disaster Assistance
USDA also offers disaster assistance programs, which is especially important to livestock, fruit and vegetable, specialty and perennial crop producers who have fewer risk management options.
First, the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybee and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) reimburses producers for a portion of the value of livestock, poultry and other animals that died as a result of a qualifying natural disaster event or for loss of grazing acres, feed and forage. And, the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) provides assistance to producers of grazed forage crop acres that have suffered crop loss due to a qualifying drought. Livestock producers suffering the impacts of drought can also request Emergency Haying and Grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres.
Next, the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) provides cost share assistance to rehabilitate and replant tree, vines or shrubs loss experienced by orchards and nurseries. This complements NAP or crop insurance coverage, which cover the crop but not the plants or trees in all cases.
For LIP and ELAP, you will need to file a Notice of Loss for livestock and grazing or feed losses within 30 days and honeybee losses within 15 days. For TAP, you will need to file a program application within 90 days.
Documentation
It’s critical to keep accurate records to document all losses following this devastating cold weather event. Livestock producers are advised to document beginning livestock numbers by taking time and date-stamped video or pictures prior to after the loss.
Other common documentation options include:
- Purchase records
- Production records
- Vaccination records
- Bank or other loan documents
- Third-party certification
Other Programs
The Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners and forest stewards with financial and technical assistance to restore damaged farmland or forests.
Additionally, FSA offers a variety of loans available including emergency loans that are triggered by disaster declarations and operating loans that can assist producers with credit needs. You can use these loans to replace essential property, purchase inputs like livestock, equipment, feed and seed, or refinance farm-related debts, and other needs.
Meanwhile, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides financial resources through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help with immediate needs and long-term support to help recover from natural disasters and conserve water resources. Assistance may also be available for emergency animal mortality disposal from natural disasters and other causes.
Additional Resources
Additional details – including payment calculations – can be found on our NAP, ELAP, LIP, and TAP fact sheets. On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool can help you determine program or loan options.
While we never want to have to implement disaster programs, we are here to help. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local USDA Service Center. All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including those that restrict in-person visits or require appointments because of the pandemic.
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