The most important announcement of this months’ newsletter is making sure you have highlighted 9/8/23 on your calendar. That is the deadline for applying for the 2023 Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment (RTCP) program. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 authorized $4 million dollars for the program in 2023 and I would love to see every Alaskan farmer, rancher and/or producer receive a portion of that funding. Our team at FSA is available to answer questions regarding eligibility, covered costs and how to apply. We would also love your help in spreading the word about the program. If your Farm Bureau or Farmers Union chapter, Soil & Water Conservation District, farmers market vendor group – or any other group(!) is meeting in the next month we’d love to join you via Zoom or in person to answer questions and help you meet the application deadline. Please shoot me a message to discuss scheduling.
It's National Farmers Market week! A friendly reminder that if every Alaskan spent just $5 a week on an Alaska Grown product, it would have a $187 million dollar impact on the economy. Consider visiting a farmers market to spend your $5 this week and every week throughout the remainder of the season.
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Northern County Office
Robert Garcia will be in the Fairbanks area August 16-17. He will have office hours in the Fairbanks NRCS office August 17th from 7:30am-12pm. Please contact him for appointments or farm visits while he is in the area!
roberto.garcia2@usda.gov
(907)895-4242 ext.101
Southern County Office
Hazen Kazaks and Chris Dickinson will be visiting the Kenai Peninsula September 12-16. Their office hours are TBD. Please contact Hazen to schedule an appointment or field visit.
hazen.kazaks@usda.gov
(907)761-7773
Statewide Virtual Office Hours
Please join us for virtual open office hours every Tuesday at 4PM and Thursday at 8AM. We will discuss the ins and outs of RTCP and how to participate. Come with any questions you may have concerning the RTCP Program and our staff will be happy to help!
You can join by clicking the following links:
Tuesdays at 4PM
Thursdays at 8AM
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Alaska opened enrollment for the Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment Program (RTCP) for fiscal year 2023. The enrollment period begins July 10 and will run through Sept. 8. The deadline for producers to provide supporting documentation is Nov. 3, 2023.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 authorized $4 million for RTCP and allows farmers and livestock producers 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. Nearly $3 million was issued to almost 1,100 producers through the 2022 Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment program.
RTCP payments are calculated based on the costs incurred for transportation of agricultural commodities or inputs during a 12-month period, subject to an $8,000 per producer cap per fiscal year. If claims for payments exceed the funds available from the program for a fiscal year, payments will be reduced on a pro-rata basis.
Farmers and livestock producers interested in participating in RTCP can obtain applications and other documents by calling toll-free 1-866-794-1079.
To find their local FSA county office, producers can visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.
On July 7, USDA and its partner vendors announced the opening of the application period for Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which directs USDA to provide financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021. The opening of the application process is an important step in delivering on USDA’s commitment of providing financial assistance to those who have faced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs. The application process is open now and will close on October 31. Borrowers will have the option to apply for assistance online via 22007apply.gov or through a paper-based form.
Details about the program, including an application and e-filing portal, are available at 22007apply.gov. The website includes an English and Spanish language application that applicants can download or submit via an e-filing portal, information on how to obtain technical assistance in-person or virtually, and additional resources and details about the program. Applicants can also call the free call center at 1-800-721-0970, or visit one of several dozen brick-and-mortar offices the program has set up around the country. Locations are provided on the program website and vendors will update the local events schedule with more information as it becomes available. It is important to note that filing an application is FREE and does not require a lawyer.
Farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination by USDA in its farm loan programs prior to January 1, 2021, and/or are currently debtors with assigned or assumed USDA farm loan debt that was the subject of USDA discrimination that occurred prior to January 1, 2021, are eligible for this program.
Under the planned timeline, applications will be reviewed in November and December, with payments reaching recipients soon thereafter. Importantly, applicants should know that the application process is not on a first come, first served, basis. All applications received or postmarked before the October 31 deadline will be considered.
To support producers throughout the application process, USDA is ensuring that organizations with extensive experience conducting outreach to farm organizations are able to support individuals who may be eligible for the program. These groups include AgrAbility, the Farmer Veteran Coalition, Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Intertribal Agriculture Council, Land Loss Prevention Program, National Young Farmers Coalition, and Rural Coalition.
In standing up this program, USDA has become aware of some lawyers and groups spreading misleading information about the discrimination assistance process, pressuring people to sign retainer agreements, and asking people to fill out forms with private and sensitive information. The official application process and filling out an application is free and does not require a lawyer.
For more information, please visit 22007apply.gov. If you want to get weekly updates on the program’s events and progress, there’s a button there to subscribe to a weekly newsletter.
Farmers and ranchers rely on crop insurance to protect themselves from disasters and unforeseen events, but not all crops are insurable through the USDA’s Risk Management Agency. The Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provides producers another option to obtain coverage against disaster for these crops. NAP provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops impacted by natural disasters that result in lower yields, crop losses, or prevents crop planting.
Commercially produced crops and agricultural commodities for which crop insurance is not available are generally eligible for NAP. Eligible crops include those grown specifically for food, fiber, livestock consumption, biofuel or biobased products, or value loss crops such as aquaculture, Christmas trees, ornamental nursery, and others. Contact your local FSA office to see which crops are eligible in your state and county.
Eligible causes of loss include drought, freeze, hail, excessive moisture, excessive wind or hurricanes, earthquake and flood. These events must occur during the NAP policy coverage period, before or during harvest, and the disaster must directly affect the eligible crop. For guidance on causes of loss not listed, contact your local FSA county office.
Interested producers apply for NAP coverage using FSA form CCC-471, “Application for Coverage,” and pay the applicable service fee at the FSA office where their farm records are maintained. These must be filed by the application closing date, which varies by crop. Contact your local FSA office to verify application closing dates and ensure coverage for eligible NAP crops.
At the time of application, each producer acknowledges they have received the NAP Basic Provisions, which describes NAP requirements for coverage. NAP participants must report crop acreage shortly after planting and provide verifiable or reliable crop production records when required by FSA.
Producers are required to pay service fees which vary depending on the number of crops and number of counties your operation is located in. The NAP service fee is the lesser of $325 per crop or $825 per producer per administrative county, not to exceed a total of $1,950 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties. Premiums also apply when producers elect higher levels of coverage with a maximum premium of $15,750 per person or legal entity.
A producer’s certification on Form CCC-860 Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification may serve as an application for basic NAP coverage for all eligible crops beginning with crop year 2022. These producers will have all NAP-related service fees for basic coverage waived, in addition to a 50 percent premium reduction if higher levels of coverage are elected.
For more detailed information on NAP, download the NAP Fact Sheet. To get started with NAP, we recommend you contact your local USDA service center.
Farmers can use USDA farm ownership microloans to buy and improve property. These microloans are especially helpful to beginning or underserved farmers, U.S. veterans looking for a career in farming, and those who have small and mid-sized farming operations. Microloans have helped farmers and ranchers with operating costs, such as feed, fertilizer, tools, fencing, equipment, and living expenses since 2013.
Microloans can also help with farmland and building purchases and soil and water conservation improvements. FSA designed the expanded program to simplify the application process, expand eligibility requirements and expedite smaller real estate loans to help farmers strengthen their operations. Microloans provide up to $50,000 to qualified producers and can be issued to the applicant directly from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).
To learn more about the FSA microloan program, contact Northern County USDA Service Center at (907)895-4242 ext. 150 or Southern County USDA Service Center at (907)761-7773 or visit fsa.usda.gov/microloans.
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