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Greetings from your county FSA office. Like you, we have a great deal keeping us busy as we move into the official start of summer. Here are a few key things that we need our farmer and rancher customers to be aware of and responsive to:
· We might sound like a broken record, but if you haven’t yet certified your acres with us for the 2023 production season, we need to see you now. It’s crunch time, with only a few weeks until the July 15th certification deadline for spring-planted crops, as well as perennial forage (pastures) and Conservation Reserve Program acres. If you haven’t done this yet, call us at (620) 241-1836 2, as soon as possible to schedule an appointment.
If you do not have an appointment before July 15th, you will have to pay a $46 late fee per farm!
· While we know you work hard to care for your livestock, please remember that if you do have losses due to extreme heat and humidity, or tornadoes or lightning or other natural disaster, those losses need to be reported to us within 30 days if you plan to access Livestock Indemnity Program benefits.
That’s all for this month. Talk to you in July!
-Cheyenne Veatch, CED
To comply with program eligibility requirements, producers are encouraged to contact the McPherson County Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to file an accurate acreage certification report by the applicable deadline. This includes reporting any prevented plant and failed acreage. Reporting prevented plant and failed acres ensures maintenance of acreage history and is important to maintain eligibility for potential program benefits.
The acreage reporting deadline for all spring-seeded crops, Conservation Reserve Program acres, perennial grass acres and cover crop acres is July 15, 2023.
- Prevented planting is the inability to plant the intended crop acreage with proper equipment by the final planting date for the crop type because of a natural disaster.
- Failed acreage is acreage that was timely planted with the intent to harvest, but because of disaster-related conditions, the crop failed before it could be brought to harvest.
Prevented planted acres must be reported within 15 days of the final planting date of the crop. If reported more than 15 days after the final plant date, prevent plant can still be filed if FSA staff perform a field visit to verify the disaster conditions. The acreage must have been prevented from being planted as a result of a natural disaster and not a management decision. Failed acres must be reported to the county FSA office before destruction of the crop. The acreage must have been planted under normal conditions but failed as a result of the natural disaster and not a management decision.
Contact the county FSA office for additional information regarding the reporting of prevented plant and failed crop acres.
The McPherson County Conservation District is seeking a SOIL CONSERVATION TECHNICIAN: Responsibilities include visiting landowners, evaluating field conditions and conservation best management practices, designing practices, overseeing construction, checkout, and related field and office duties.
This position offers an opportunity to explore a career in conservation stewardship. Working for the conservation district and alongside NRCS staff this position will train and prepare an individual for many opportunities that exist in the conservation arena.
The position will be offered until a qualified candidate is hired. For more information contact the McPherson County Conservation district for a complete job description, salary information and job qualifications. The conservation district phone number is (620) 241-1836 ext. 3 or stop by the office located next door to the FSA office.
Accessing capital to begin, extend or support an agriculture operation can be especially challenging to new producers. Farm Service Agency offers a variety of resources to assist those who are just starting out, including “Beginning Farmer” direct and guaranteed loan programs that have funding targeted for qualified applicants. To access these programs, beginning farmers/ranchers must meet these basic qualifiers:
· Has operated a farm/ranch for not more than 10 years
· Will materially and substantially participate in the operation of the farm/ranch
· Agrees to participate in a loan assessment, borrower training and financial management program required by FSA
· Does not own a farm in excess of 30 percent of the county’s average size farm.
Individuals interested in learning more should contact their county FSA office. A couple of loan programs to inquire about include:
· Direct Farm Ownership Down Payment Loan – this type of loan may be used by beginning farmers/ranchers to purchase a farm or ranch. It requires a 5% cash down payment, but also offers a low interest rate that can be as low as 1.5%.
· Direct Farm Ownership Loan – Joint Financing - this type of loan may be used by any qualified borrower but is often used by beginners to purchase a farm or ranch with no down payment required. Financing is provided jointly by FSA and another lender. This program also offers a low interest rate, which can be as low as 2.5%.
· Microloans – this type of loan may be used by any qualified borrower but is designed to meet the needs of small and beginning farmers/ranchers by easing some requirements and offering less paperwork. It can be used for purchasing a farm or ranch (ownership), but also for operational expenses (operating) and other needs. It does have a $50,000 loan limit for each type of loan.
Other loan programs may be appropriate, depending on individual needs. Potential customers are encouraged to check out the Farm Loan Discovery Tool to review the various loan options. There also is an online Loan Assistance Tool, which takes potential applicants through an eligibility checklist and provides line-by-line guidance on the FSA loan paperwork.
There are FSA farm programs that have specific provisions for individuals meeting the beginning farmer/rancher definition, and producers are encouraged to ask about these programs at their FSA office. For example, the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) helps producers manage risk for both crop losses and crop plantings that were prevented due to natural disaster. NAP is available for crops not covered by federal crop insurance and basic coverage is available at no cost to qualified beginning farmers/ranchers. Other programs with beginning farmer/rancher provisions include the Emergency Conservation Program and the Dairy Margin Coverage Program, among others.
For additional information about these and other FSA resources for beginning farmers/ranchers, contact the Saline County USDA Service Center at 785-825-8269
USDA is extending the deadline for the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase Two and Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program (PARP) to July 14, 2023, to give producers more time to apply for assistance. The original deadline was June 2. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is partnering with nine organizations to provide educational and technical assistance to agricultural producers and provide assistance in completing an ERP Phase Two application. The extended deadline will give producers more time to work with these partner organizations and apply for assistance. Cooperative Agreements for ERP Phase Two Application Assistance Through cooperative agreements with FSA, the following organizations are providing free assistance to producers across the United States and territories.
Depending on a producer’s location, these nine partners can provide assistance either by phone or through online meeting software like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. There is never a charge for technical assistance provided by FSA employees or cooperative agreement recipients. These organizations will assist producers with completing the application and any follow-up future insurance coverage requirements. Producers who receive ERP payments are statutorily required to purchase crop insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage for the next two available crop years. These organizations will not collect producer records, complete or sign the application form, or act on the producer’s behalf in any way throughout this process. Find more information on FSA cooperative agreements and contact information for the nine organizations please visit fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/cooperative-agreements/index.
Eligibility To be eligible for ERP Phase Two, producers must have suffered a decrease in allowable gross revenue in 2020 or 2021 due to necessary expenses related to losses of eligible crops from a qualifying natural disaster event. Assistance will be primarily to producers of crops that were not covered by Federal Crop Insurance or NAP, since crops covered by Federal Crop Insurance and NAP were included in the assistance under ERP Phase One.
To be eligible for PARP, an agricultural producer must have been in the business of farming during at least part of the 2020 calendar year and had a 15% or greater decrease in allowable gross revenue for the 2020 calendar year, as compared to a baseline year. FSA offers an online ERP tool and PARP tool that can help producers determine what is considered allowable gross revenue for each respective program.
Producers should contact their local FSA office to make an appointment to apply for ERP Phase Two and PARP assistance. Producers should also keep in mind that July 15 is a major deadline to complete acreage reports for most crops.
More Information For more information, view the ERP Phase Two Fact Sheet, PARP Fact Sheet, the ERP Phase Two-PARP Comparison Fact Sheet, ERP Phase Two application video tutorial, PARP application video tutorial, myth-buster blog or contact your local USDA Service Center.
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