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Sign Up for Text Messages: In addition to email alerts, you can also subscribe to receive text messages on your cell phone from the Rice County USDA Service Center. To subscribe to text message alerts, text KSRice to (372-669). Standard text messaging rates apply, and you can unsubscribe at any time. On average, we will send you no more than two text messages each month.
 The Rice County Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in Lyons is hiring a full time Program Technician (PT). The deadline to apply is July 11th, 2023.
Duties include general office activities supporting FSA programs administered at the field level. Successful applicants must be reliable, have a professional attitude and enjoy working with the public.
If you are interested or know of someone who might be interested, please share this information with them. Here is the direct link to the position with information on how to apply:
FSACO-12024954-23-KS-RW - County Program Technician
Applications must be completed through USAJOBs no later than July 11th, 2023.
Contact Renee Giesenhagen at 620-257-5184 if you have specific questions regarding the position.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
 A drought has caused severe damage in Rice County.
If you’ve suffered severe damage, you may be eligible for assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) administered by the Rice County Farm Service Agency (FSA)
For land to be eligible, the natural disaster must create new conservation problems that, if untreated, would:
- be so costly to rehabilitate that Federal assistance is or will be needed to return the land to productive agricultural use
- is unusual and is not the type that would recur frequently in the same area
- affect the productive capacity of the farmland
- impair or endanger the land
If you qualify for ECP assistance, you may receive cost-share levels not to exceed 75 percent of the eligible cost of restoration measures. Eligible socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers and ranchers can receive up to 90 percent of the eligible cost of restoration. No one is eligible for more than $500,000 cost sharing per natural disaster occurrence.
If you’ve suffered a loss from a natural disaster may contact the local FSA County Office and request assistance from 05/30/2023 to 7/30/2023.
To be eligible for assistance, practices must not be started until all of the following are met:
- an application for cost-share assistance has been filed
- the local FSA County Committee (COC) or its representative has conducted an onsite inspection of the damaged area
- the Agency responsible for technical assistance, such as the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), has made a needs determination, which may include cubic yards of earthmoving, etc., required for rehabilitation
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), FSA must complete an environmental compliance review prior to producers taking any actions.
For more information about ECP, contact your Rice County USDA Service Center at 620-257-5184 or visit fsa.usda.gov.
 Maps are now available at the Rice County FSA Office for acreage reporting purposes. If you wish to receive your maps by e-mail, please call our office at 620-257-5184 or email Rice County staff at kslyons-fsa@usda.gov.
If you wish to come into the office to certify please call or email to make an appointment. Appointment times fill up quickly, please to not delay in making an appointment.
Please see the crop acreage reporting deadlines for Rice County:
- July 17, 2023:
- Corn
- Soybeans
- Grain Sorghum
- Cotton
- Native Grass
- Improved Grasses
- Alfalfa
- Spring planted cover crops
- CRP
- Fallow
- anything planted since December 15th, 2022
- Also, any acres enrolled in NRCS programs such as: CSP, EQUIP – DRI,
In order to maintain program eligibility and benefits, you must file timely acreage reports. Failure to file an acreage report by the crop acreage reporting deadline may cause ineligibility for future program benefits. FSA will not accept acreage reports provided more than a year after the acreage reporting deadline.
Producers are encouraged to file their acreage reports as soon as planting is completed.
FSA is now accepting nominations for a person to serve a 3-year term on the Rice County FSA Committee for the Local Administrative Area (LAA) #3. This includes townships: Galt, Odessa, Mitchell, Union, Wilson, Rockville & East Washington.
FSA is now accepting nominations for a person to serve a 3-year term on the Rice County FSA Committee for the Local Administrative Area (LAA) #1 and finish the last year of a previous term currently being served by Mike Behnke whom is retiring after this year. This includes townships: Farmer, Eureka, Victoria, Pioneer, Lincoln & Harrison.
County Committee currently meets every other month to apply their knowledge and judgement to help FSA make important decisions on the commodity support, conservation, indemnity and disaster programs, as well as emergency programs and eligibility. Producers living and farming in this area, including minorities, women, and new farmers are encouraged to consider running for this position.
Farmers and ranchers may nominate themselves or others. Organizations representing minorities and women also may nominate candidates. To become a candidate, an eligible individual must sign a FSA-669A nomination form. All nomination forms for the 2023 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA Service Center by August 1, 2023.
Please contact our office if you would like more information about serving on our county Committee or you can also visit fsa.usda.gov/elections for more information.
July 4 - Office Closed - Independence Day
July 17 - Spring planted crop certification deadline
July 30 - ECP application deadline
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