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- August 11 - EXTENSION: Deadline to apply for Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP)
- August 14 - EXTENSION: Deadline to file Acreage Reports for most annual crops
- October 2 - Deadline to apply for NAP Coverage for Value-Loss Type Crops: (Aquaculture, Christmas Trees, Floriculture, Mushrooms, Nursery Seed Stock, Turf grass Sod, etc.)
- October 2 - Deadline to file Acreage Reports for Value-Loss Type Crops
- October 31 - Deadline to apply for the Inflation Reduction Act Section 22007 – Discrimination Financial Assistance Program
- October 31 - Deadline to apply for Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP)
Greetings from the State Office in Amherst. This summer has been a difficult one for many of us, if not all of us. The rains that we have experienced in Massachusetts have left fields flooded from the excessive bouts of rain themselves, and from major flooding from overflowing rivers. Our County Offices have received numerous reports of damage to crops throughout the state. The information gathered during these reports assisted in obtaining sufficient data to have our County Emergency Boards recommend that a disaster designation request be submitted by the State Emergency Board. On July 20, 2023, our office was able to secure a disaster designation for Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Bristol, Norfolk, and Worcester Counties as primary counties, while Middlesex, Plymouth, Dukes, and Suffolk were approved as contiguous counties.
What does this mean for the producers of Massachusetts? This disaster designation has opened numerous programs that can assist with this disaster. The Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) can be utilized to remove any debris that was brought in by flood waters, including the removal of any silt deposits that may be affecting your land. ECP can also assist with restoring farmland back to its original state if damaged by soil erosion from these excessive rains. The disaster designation also opens up our Emergency Loan Program which enables producers with qualifying losses to apply for operating-type loans, including for refinancing of existing operating debt that is not currently mortgaged by real estate. The interest rate for Emergency Loans is currently at 3.75%, and the loan can be written for up to a 7-year term. A third program that can be utilized is our Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP) for Honeybees. This program can assist with damage to beehives and colonies affected by the flooding. Please inquire with your local office to learn more about how these programs, and others, can assist you.
For our current Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), please be sure to contact your local County Office to report damages to your crops covered under this program. Our County Offices will make arrangements for a loss adjuster to come out to your farm to inspect the damage.
Our FSA County Offices throughout the state have been, and will remain, collecting data on the rains that continue to fall. We recognize that this weather pattern will cause additional crop damage, and I encourage you to keep reporting and crop losses to your FSA office. I know that farmers are experiencing some tremendous losses here in Massachusetts, and I ask that you contact your local FSA Office to inquire about programs that may be able to assist you.
Lastly, I want to reemphasize the programming that FSA has in place for Farm Loan borrowers under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). For borrowers who took extraordinary measures to make their payments, or those who might not have sufficient cash flow to make their next payment, FSA may be able to help. Please contact your County Office or visit this Farmers.gov webpage for more information. And for persons who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021, contact the local Office or visit this website for more information.
I recognize the challenges facing our Massachusetts producers, and my staff and I are committed to serving you all. Please reach out to your local County Office for assistance.
Sincerely,
DANIEL A. SMIAROWSKI
Massachusetts Farm Service
State Executive Director
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There are 2 active Disaster Designations in Massachusetts:
- Freeze occurring from 5/17/2023 – 5/18/2023: impacting Berkshire, Bristol, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Worcester as primary counties; and Barnstable, Dukes, Suffolk as contiguous counties.
- Rain and Flooding from 07/09/2023 – 07/16/2023: impacting Berkshire, Bristol, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Norfolk, Worcester as primary counties; and Dukes, Middlesex, Plymouth, Suffolk as contiguous counties.
These Secretarial natural disaster designations allow the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.
Cash Flow-Based Assistance
USDA has begun implementing a process to identify whether an operation has sufficient cash flow to make their next scheduled loan payment. Through this procedure, qualifying borrowers can request FSA to cover their next installment due or a recently missed installment. All FSA direct loan borrowers should have received a letter in February 2023 detailing the process for seeking this type of assistance even before they become delinquent.
Borrowers who are within two months of their next installment may seek a cash flow analysis from FSA using a recent balance sheet and operating plan to determine their eligibility.
Borrowers can submit requests for cash flow-based assistance in person at their local FSA office or by sending in a direct request using the farmers.gov 22006 assistance request portal at farmers.gov/ira22006cashflow.
For more information, see the steps in the cash flow-based assistance review process.
Extraordinary Measures Assistance
In May 2023, USDA sent a letter to all FSA direct loan borrowers detailing a new opportunity to receive assistance if they took extraordinary measures to avoid delinquency between February 28, 2020 and October 18, 2022, such as taking on more debt, selling property, or cashing out retirement accounts. The letter provides the specific types of actions that may qualify for assistance and the documentation needed to receive assistance.
Borrowers can submit requests for extraordinary measures assistance in person at their local FSA office or by sending in a direct request using the farmers.gov 22006 assistance request portal at farmers.gov/ira22006request.
All requests for assistance must be received by December 31, 2023. Assistance is subject to funding availability.
For more information, see the steps in the extraordinary measures assistance review process.
The application period is open for a new financial assistance program under Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), for farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021. The application process 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.
If you want to get weekly updates on the program’s events and progress, you can go to https://22007apply.gov, and subscribe to a weekly newsletter.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is establishing a new urban county committee in Boston, joining 26 other cities with a committee focused on delivery of USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs to urban producers. County committee members make important decisions on how federal farm programs are administered locally, and this new urban county committee in Boston is part of USDA’s broad support for urban and innovative agriculture.
“Producers serving on FSA county committees play a critical role in the day-to-day operations of the Agency, and they serve as the eyes and ears for the producers who elected them,” said Dan Smiarowski, FSA State Executive Director in Massachusetts. “We’ve successfully launched urban county committees in other urban agriculture locations, and we’re excited to establish one here in Boston to improve how we deliver critical farm loan, conservation, safety net and disaster assistance programs to urban agricultural producers.”
Urban agricultural producers who participate in USDA programs in these cities or cooperate with USDA programs by providing information about their farming operation are encouraged to participate by nominating and voting in their local urban county committee elections. FSA will share more information on the nomination process and elections for this new urban county committee.
Support for Urban Agriculture
To help strengthen urban county committees and other urban agriculture investments, USDA is investing $40 million, made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, into partnerships with community-based organizations. Two of those partnerships include:
- Virginia State University’s Small Farm Outreach Program and Cornell University’s Small Farm Center, which will support local partner organizations and urban county committee members across the country by providing guidance and training on the practices and assistance most needed by urban agricultural producers, holding regular meetings to assess successes and barriers in each location, and gathering data to analyze the effectiveness of programs and provide recommendations to increase future participation.
- To Improve Mississippi Economics, Inc. (TIME, Inc.), whose mission is to provide outreach, training, and technical assistance to urban agricultural producers and organizations that provide access to healthy food in impoverished communities. TIME, Inc. will work in collaboration with FSA and local leaders across the nation to fund partnerships with organizations in the 10 cities where USDA will create new urban county committees in 2024.
More Information
The new urban county committee is part of USDA’s broader USDA investment in urban agriculture in Boston. Other efforts include:
To learn more about county committees, including urban county committees, visit our County Committees webpage. Visit farmers.gov/urban for more information on programs and services for urban producers.
This urban county committee in Boston was announced on July 25th by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small as part of a significant investment in urban agriculture. The announcement included a total of 10 new urban county committees and 17 new Urban Service Centers. Other cities with new urban county committees include:
- Columbia, S.C.
- Denver, CO
- Houston, TX
- Jackson, MS
- Kansas City, MO
- Las Vegas, NV
- Little Rock, AR
- Memphis, TN
- Pittsburgh, PA
The first 10 years of a farming or ranching operation are tough. USDA recognizes you need dedicated support to help make sense of all the information coming your way. Now each state has a Beginning Farmer and Rancher team headed up by a state coordinator. The coordinator helps producers who have operated a farm or ranch for less than 10 years navigate USDA and partner resources.
To find your Massachusetts coordinator, visit farmers.gov/newfarmers/coordinators/. For more beginning farmer and rancher information, visit farmers.gov/newfarmers.
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