In This Issue:
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is establishing a new urban county committee in Little Rock, Arkansas. Little Rock is joining 26 other cities with a committee focused on delivery of 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 Little Rock is part of USDA’s broad support for urban and innovative agriculture. 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.
The application period is now 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. Applicants can also call the free call center at 1-800-721-0970, or visit one of the offices. It is important to note that filing an application is FREE and does not require an attorney. If you would like weekly updates go to https://22007apply.gov, and subscribe to a weekly newsletter.
USDA is investing $7.4 million in 25 selected grants that support urban agriculture and innovative production. These grants build on $40 million in projects funded since 2020 and are part of USDA’s broad support for urban agriculture through its Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP). OUAIP, established through the 2018 Farm Bill, works in partnership with numerous USDA agencies that support urban agriculture and innovative production. OUAIP coordinates across USDA to help agencies identify, priorities and resolve internal barriers to service with urban, small-scale and innovative customers. UAIP grants are part of a broad USDA investment in urban agriculture.
Again, for more information on USDA and FSA, contact your local USDA service center or visit www.farmers.gov.
Until next time…
Feral hogs are a non-native, invasive species that present a significant risk to human and livestock health, agriculture, and natural resources. Found in approximately 38 states and three U.S. territories, feral hogs cause an estimated $1.5 billion in damages annually, with more than half of the total attributed to direct damage to agriculture. In Arkansas, damage from feral hogs has been estimated at approximately $19 million annually.
Arkansas was one of ten states to receive funding through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (Pilot Program) in 2019. The Pilot Program was a collaborative effort between the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) (Wildlife Services), Arkansas Department of Agriculture (ADA), Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension, local conservation districts and other partners. The Pilot Program consists of four projects areas: West Arkansas River Valley, North Central, Southeast, Southwest. Through the pilot, 12 counties with significant feral swine populations were selected to participate in the project.
ADA DNR partnered with the conservation districts in those counties to provide a dedicated trapper and equipment to aid in trapping feral swine. The USDA’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service – Wildlife Services (APHIS) were also a critical partner to provide technical assistance, training and support for the pilot.
To date, 5,924 feral swine have been trapped and dispatched through conservation districts and an additional 11,257 removed through APHIS. In counties participating in the pilot, a reduction in the damage caused by feral swine has been noted by landowners.
The Arkansas Feral Hog Handbook is available as a guide to resources available in Arkansas to assist with feral hog control and eradication. The handbook includes contact information, websites, and brief explanations of the resources offered by state and federal agencies and other entities. An online version is available here: Arkansas Feral Hog Handbook Online. For additional information, contact State Resource Conservationist Helen Denniston at helen.denniston@usda.gov or contact your district conservationist at your local USDA Service Center.
The USDA Arkansas Farm Service Agency (FSA) is committed to educating producers on available programs and loans. FSA representatives will be available at the following workshops and conferences. Producers interested in attending these conferences/workshops should follow the registration or RSVP instructions listed below.
Aug 23rd – Linkage Requirements - Crop insurance and NAP – 3:00-4:00 pm cst
Flower Hill Institute will be hosting “Office Hours” with Farm Service Agency (FSA), to answer questions regarding Linkage Requirements - Crop insurance and NAP. This one-hour Q&A session will be held through Zoom and is open to the general public. Interested attendees can use the following link to register: Meeting Registration - Zoom
Please remember anyone can attend but must preregister.
Aug 29th & 30th – 3rd Annual Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) Joint Conference
Please join the 3rd Annual Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) Joint Conference in partnership with the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Prairie View A&M University. The FREE Virtual Conference supports the SFLR mission, which focuses on assisting African American forest landowners with addressing heir’s property issues and forest management planning to retain land and build wealth. This conference will host prominent speakers, including local, state, and USDA officials. The conference will be held on August 29, 2023 from 9am – 4pm and on August 30, 2023 from 9am – 1:30pm. To register please visit the following link: Webinar Registration - Zoom. Should you experience difficulty registering for the SFLR Joint Regional Conference, please contact Ms. Angela Moore at almoore@pvamu.edu or Ms. Kandi Williams at Kandi Williams at williamska@uapb.edu.
 Did you know you can subscribe to receive free email and text message updates from USDA related to the new urban county committee in Little Rock, Arkansas?
Whether you’re scrolling through emails on your break or checking a text message between tasks, USDA wants to keep you posted on the latest news related to the new urban county committee and how it can help your farm. Information will include updates about nominations, elections and the work being done by the committee to help farmers like you in your local areas. Subscribe now to receive emails and text messages about important program information related to the new urban county committee in Little Rock, Arkansas.
You can sign up for email alerts and text alerts by visiting farmers.gov/subscribe (“AR–Little Rock-Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production”; Code: USDAFARMERS_4141; Service Center Keyword “ARLittleRockUrbanAg”). Urban agriculture is one of the many topics available to producers. If you subscribe online, you can also sign up for information on other topics, including disaster assistance, conservation programs, crop insurance and farm loans. Participants may unsubscribe at any time.
FSA plans to roll out $3.7 billion in Emergency Relief Program (ERP) and Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) assistance to crop and livestock producers who sustained losses due to a qualifying natural disaster event in calendar year 2022. USDA is sharing early information to allow producers time to gather documents in advance of program delivery. Through distribution of remaining funds, USDA is also concluding the 2021 ELRP program by sending payments in the amount of 20% of the initial ELRP payment to all existing recipients.
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328) that provides about $3.7 billion in financial assistance for agricultural producers impacted by wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, winter storms and other eligible disasters occurring in calendar year 2022.
Additionally, the Act specifically targets up to about $500 million to livestock producers for losses incurred due to drought or wildfire in calendar year 2022.
ERP 2022 for Crop Producers
FSA intends to deploy the lessons learned from the development and implementation of ERP and ELRP for previous years’ losses to ensure expedited assistance for 2022 losses.
Based on positive feedback from producers, stakeholder groups and FSA county office staff, USDA intends to provide an ERP track for producers who had coverage through Risk Management Agency’s federal crop insurance or FSA’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). Through a streamlined application process, USDA intends to be in a position to send pre-filled applications directly to eligible producers in early summer.
For producers who have not been able to avail themselves of risk management coverage or whose losses were not covered, USDA intends to offer a program track to access ERP assistance with assistance provided to producers who suffered a decrease in allowable gross revenue in 2022 due to necessary expenses related to losses of eligible crops from a qualifying natural disaster event.
Instead of implementing these program tracks as two separate phases on different timelines, FSA intends to make both tracks available to producers at the same time, noting that the first track will follow a streamlined process with less paperwork burden, based on existing, available risk management data. The second ERP track would require that producers provide FSA with certain information related to revenue.
ELRP 2022 for Livestock Producers and Close Out of ELRP for 2021
For impacted ranchers, USDA intends to leverage FSA’s Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) data to deliver ELRP assistance for increases in supplemental feed costs in 2022.
To be eligible for an ELRP payment for 2022 losses, livestock producers will need to have suffered grazing losses from wildfire or in a county rated by the U.S. Drought Monitor as having a D2 (severe drought) for eight consecutive weeks or a D3 (extreme drought) or higher level of drought intensity during the 2022 calendar year and have applied and been approved for 2022 LFP. Additionally, otherwise eligible producers whose permitted grazing on federally managed lands was disallowed due to wildfire will also be eligible for ELRP payments if they applied and were approved for 2022 LFP.
In a continued effort to streamline and simplify the delivery of ELRP benefits, eligible producers will not be required to apply for payment.
Meanwhile, FSA also intends to provide additional assistance to ranchers for qualifying livestock losses from drought and wildfire in 2021. More information will be announced in the coming months.
How Producers Can Prepare
To participate in ERP and ELRP for 2022 losses, both crop and livestock producers should have or be prepared to have the following forms on file with FSA:
• Form AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet (as applicable to the program participant);
• Form CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan for an individual or legal entity;
• Form CCC-901, Member Information for Legal Entities (if applicable); and
• Form AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification.
Most producers, especially those who have previously participated in FSA programs, will likely have these required forms on file. However, those who are uncertain or want to confirm should contact FSA at their local USDA Service Center.
In addition to the forms listed above, underserved producers are encouraged to register their status with FSA, using Form CCC-860, Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification, as certain existing permanent and ad-hoc disaster programs provide increased benefits or reduced fees and premiums.
Producers with eligible crop losses who did not have federal crop insurance or NAP risk management coverage for 2022 and intend to apply for ERP assistance will need to pull together revenue information that is readily available from most tax records. FSA encourages producers to have their tax documents from the past few years and supporting materials ready including Schedule F (Form 1040) and Profit or Loss from Farming or similar tax documents. FSA will not require these forms to be submitted with the ERP application, but will require a certification, similar to Adjusted Gross Income certification that has been used for many years for Farm Bill programs. Applicants simply report and certify to the information required for the program.
Crop producers who have federal crop insurance coverage should ensure that information on file with their insurance agent is accurate and that any pending activities needed to file loss claims for 2022 losses are addressed as soon as possible. Producers who received ERP assistance last year or who will receive assistance for 2022 losses are required to purchase crop insurance or NAP for the next two crop years.
In the coming months, USDA intends to provide additional information on how to apply for assistance through ERP and ELRP for 2022 losses. Through proactive communications and outreach, USDA will keep producers and stakeholders informed as program eligibility, application and implementation details unfold.
Bins are ideally designed to hold a level volume of grain. When bins are overfilled and grain is heaped up, airflow is hindered and the chance of spoilage increases.
If you take out marketing assistance loans and use the farm-stored grain as collateral, remember that you are responsible for maintaining the quality of the grain through the term of the loan.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a new online tool to help farmers and ranchers better navigate the farm loan application process. This uniform application process will help to ensure all farm loan applicants receive equal support and have a consistent customer experience with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) regardless of their individual circumstances.
USDA experiences a high rate of incomplete or withdrawn applications, particularly among underserved customers, due in part to a challenging and lengthy paper-based application process. The Loan Assistance Tool is available 24/7 and gives customers an online step-by-step guide that supplements the support they receive when working in person with a USDA employee, providing materials that may help an applicant prepare their loan application in one tool.
Farmers can access the Loan Assistance Tool by visiting farmers.gov/farm-loan-assistance-tool and clicking the ‘Get Started’ button. From here they can follow the prompts to complete the Eligibility Self-Assessment and start the farm loan journey. The tool is built to run on any modern browser like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or the Safari browser, and is fully functional on mobile devices. It does not work in Internet Explorer.
The Loan Assistance Tool is the first of multiple farm loan process improvements that will be available to USDA customers on farmers.gov in the future. Other improvements and tools that are anticipated to launch in 2023 include:
• A streamlined and simplified direct loan application, reduced from 29 pages to 13 pages.
• An interactive online direct loan application that gives customers a paperless and electronic signature option, along with the ability to attach supporting documents such as tax returns.
• An online direct loan repayment feature that relieves borrowers from the necessity of calling, mailing, or visiting a local Service Center to pay a loan installment.
Background
USDA provides access to credit to approximately 115,000 producers who cannot obtain sufficient commercial credit through direct and guaranteed farm loans. With the funds and direction Congress provided in Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act, USDA is taking action to immediately provide relief to qualifying distressed borrowers whose operations are at financial risk while working on making transformational changes to loan servicing so that borrowers are provided the flexibility and opportunities needed to address the inherent risks and unpredictability associated with agricultural operations.
USDA will provide approximately $123 million in additional, automatic financial assistance for qualifying farm loan program borrowers who are facing financial risk, as part of the $3.1 billion to help distressed farm loan borrowers that was provided through Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The announcement builds on financial assistance offered to borrowers through the same program in October 2022.
The IRA directed USDA to expedite assistance to distressed borrowers of direct or guaranteed loans administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) whose operations face financial risk. For example, in the October payments, farmers that were 60 days delinquent due to challenges like natural disasters, the pandemic or other unexpected situations were brought current and had their next installment paid to give them breathing room.
In October 2022, USDA provided approximately $800 million in initial IRA assistance to more than 11,000 delinquent direct and guaranteed borrowers and approximately 2,100 borrowers who had their farms liquidated and still had remaining debt. USDA shared that it would conduct case-by-case reviews of about 1,600 complex cases for potential initial relief payments, including cases of borrowers in foreclosure or bankruptcy. These case-by-case reviews are underway.
At the same time in October 2022, USDA announced that it anticipated payments using separate pandemic relief funding totaling roughly $66 million on over 7,000 direct loans to borrowers who used the USDA Farm Service Agency’s disaster-set-aside option during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of these payments have been processed and USDA anticipates it will complete all such payments in April 2023.
New Assistance for Distressed Borrowers
FSA intends to provide the new round of relief starting in April to additional distressed borrowers. This will include approximately $123 million in automatic financial assistance for qualifying Farm Loan Program (FLP) direct loan borrowers who meet certain criteria. Similar to the automatic payments announced in October 2022, qualifying borrowers will receive an individual letter detailing the assistance as payments are made. Distressed borrowers’ eligibility for these new categories of automatic payments will be determined based on their circumstances as of today. More information about the new categories that make up the $123 million in assistance announced today and the specific amount of assistance a distressed borrower receives can be found described in this fact sheet, IRA Section 22006: Additional Automatic Payments, Improved Procedures, and Policy Recommendations.
To continue to make sure producers are aware of relief potentially available to them, all producers with open FLP loans will receive a letter detailing a new opportunity to receive assistance if they took certain extraordinary measures to avoid delinquency on their FLP loans, such as taking on more debt, selling property or cashing out retirement accounts. The letter will provide details on eligibility, the specific types of actions that may qualify for assistance, and the process for applying for and providing the documentation to seek that assistance.
These steps are part of a process USDA announced along with the October payments that is focused on assisting borrowers unable to make their next scheduled installment. Earlier this year, all borrowers should have received a letter 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 cashflow analysis from FSA using a recent balance sheet and operating plan to determine their eligibility.
Tax Resources
USDA will continue to work with the Department of Treasury to help borrowers understand the potential tax implications from the receipt of an IRA payment, including that options may be available to potentially avoid or alleviate any tax burden incurred as a result of receiving this financial assistance.
In early April, USDA set a specific set of revised tax documents, educational materials and resources to borrowers that received assistance in 2022, including a link to a webinar hosted by a group of farm tax experts to provide education on the options available. USDA cannot provide tax advice and encourages borrowers to consult their own tax professional, but FSA is providing educational materials for borrowers to be aware of the options. USDA has tax-related resources available at farmers.gov/taxes.
Improved Procedures and Policy Recommendations
FSA is finalizing changes to its policy handbooks to remove unnecessary hurdles, improve loan making and loan servicing and provide more flexibility on how loans are structured to maximize the opportunities for borrowers. Additional details on those changes can be found in the linked fact sheet and are the start of a broader set of process enhancements. The fact sheet also provides information on the eight, no-cost legislative proposals included in the Fiscal Year 2024 President’s Budget that are designed to improve the borrower experience.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is asking for proposals for the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership to improve forest health on public and private lands. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Forest Service are seeking the proposals by Sept. 4, 2023, for fiscal year 2024.
The Joints Chiefs’ program seeks to reduce wildfire threats to communities and landowners, protect water quality and supply and improve wildlife habitat for at-risk species. Tree planting activities through the Joint Chiefs’ program are another valuable recovery tool in post-fire areas and supports USDA’s priority for reforestation. The 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law codified the initiative, showing broad backing for the effort because of its inclusion in the historic investment to improve infrastructure and support rural communities.
“The Joint Chiefs’ will align with USDA’s shared stewardship strategy by selecting projects that demonstrate a cross-boundary effort, work at the appropriate scale and have mutually defined priorities that support local communities,” said NRCS Chief Terry Cosby. “Partnerships at all levels – federal, state, Tribal and local—lead to well-developed, successful and continued conservation with large scale impacts. Joint Chiefs’ has a proven record of success, as further reflected in the program’s inclusion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”
Fiscal year (FY) 2024 projects will build on the FY 2022 and FY 2023 investments in projects that will mitigate wildfire risk, protect water quality, improve wildlife habitat, restore forest ecosystems and ultimately contribute to USDA’s efforts to combat climate change. Since 2014, USDA has invested $385 million in 124 projects.
“Joint Chiefs’ funding is an invaluable tool to help confront the wildfire crisis across all lands,” said Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. “Working with our partners through the Joint Chiefs’ program is an important element that supports the agency’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy by increasing the scale of our wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts while restoring the health of forests, watersheds and habitats across the country.”
Opportunities to Collaborate
Joint Chiefs’ project proposals are developed at the local level through a collaborative process between NRCS, Forest Service, communities and partners. Proposals may address one, two, or all three program objectives: reduce the risk of wildfire; protect water quality and supply; or improve wildlife habitat for at-risk species. Proposals are submitted by the local NRCS and Forest Service offices to the national agency offices. They are then reviewed and vetted at multiple levels in the agencies based on Tribal, local, state, and regional priorities.
NRCS and Forest Service national offices will evaluate the proposals and an announcement for the selected projects is planned for late fall 2023. Landowners should contact their local NRCS and Forest Service office for more information.
USDA has invested more than $385 million across 124 projects in 10 years through Joint Chiefs’ projects, which focus on areas where public forests and grasslands intersect with privately-owned lands. Since 2014, these projects have delivered important forest and rangeland funding to 42 states, Puerto Rico and Guam.
Projects in Arkansas include:
Western Woodland Project:
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-11/Arkansas.pdf
Woodland Restoration Project:
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/AR%26OK_JCLRP_Woodland_Restoration_V7_Strough_FINAL.pdf
Arkansas and Oklahoma - Arklahoma Ozark Watershed Restoration: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/joint-chiefs-landscape-restoration-partnership/summary-of-fy23-selected-joint
NRCS and the Forest Service also work together to advance shared priorities through other programs and funding mechanisms and will continue to build on this collaboration to respond to disasters, address climate change, improve forest health and resiliency, and advance equity.
To learn more, visit usda.gov.
It’s been five years since USDA launched the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP), which helps agricultural producers and private landowners combat the costly impacts of feral swine. Through 34 pilot projects across 12 states highly impacted by feral hogs, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services’ (APHIS) Wildlife Services (WS) partnered through the FSCP to control the threat of feral swine to agricultural landscapes and natural ecosystems.
Now, in its final year, the program has delivered on its goals of managing feral swine to reduce the damage caused to agriculture, property, natural resources, and human health, which is detailed in its newly released National Feral Swine Damage Assessment Preliminary Findings report: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2023-04/USDANationalDamageAssessmentPreliminaryFindings_03_27_23.pdf.
The FSCP has worked for five years to help producers and landowners in 12 states, including Arkansas, benefit from feral swine reductions. They can now expand the use of their agricultural lands, harvesting crops in areas that were previously devastated by feral swine and have reported being able to plant crops with higher economic returns: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/Feral_Swine2021Updates.pdf.
Since last October, the program had successfully assisted over 4,300 landowners on almost 3 million acres. In addition, training and outreach events were held to educate landowners on feral swine issues and trapping techniques and reached more than 100,000 people across all pilot project areas.
The program also formed new partnerships and promoted projects and research that helped protect agricultural resources, native ecosystems, and human and animal health in areas hard hit by feral swine.
Working with 14 grant partners, NRCS provided financial assistance to producers for on-farm trapping and technology related to capturing and removing feral swine and restoring damaged lands. In addition, NRCS partner organizations provided other services, including pre- and post-project damage assessments and other means to assess control efforts.
APHIS worked through the program to continue direct control activities using well-established feral swine management methods and advanced innovative approaches to reduce feral hog populations, working with landowners to suppress and eliminate feral swine in project areas where agricultural and other natural resources were severely damaged.
Using innovative technologies such as unmanned aerial systems, remotely managed traps using telemetry, and science-based camera monitoring techniques, feral swine were eliminated in several areas and dramatically reduced in others. Due to this success, some landowners and resource managers who were previously skeptical about successfully managing feral swine damage, have changed their minds and now advocate for continued control efforts.
In addition, financial support from local partners has resulted in over $10 million in cost share support to APHIS WS activities in Farm Bill-funded states.
APHIS and NRCS worked jointly to develop guidance for identifying pilot project areas, based on several biological factors that contributed to successful operational control, including the presence of natural boundaries that limited rapid feral swine reinvasion from surrounding areas. In consultation with state technical committees, thirty-four pilot project areas were identified across 12 states including Arkansas.
The Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP) was authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill and provided $75 million to be split evenly between NRCS and APHIS-WS, to reduce severe damage of feral swine, over a five-year span (2019-2023).
For more information on feral swine efforts, visit the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program web page: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feral-swine-eradication-and-control-pilot-program or contact Arkansas NRCS Biologist James Baker at james.baker2@usda.gov.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of $500 million in funding to advance partner-driven solutions to conservation on agricultural land through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). RCPP leverages a voluntary approach to conservation that expands the reach of conservation efforts and climate-smart agriculture through public-private partnerships. Increased funding for fiscal year 2023 is made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, and this year’s funding opportunity reflects a concerted effort to streamline and simplify the program. Program improvements will enable USDA to efficiently implement the $4.95 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding for the program while improving the experience for partners, agricultural producers, and employees.
Arkansas has a successful history of RCPP, boasting 20 approved RCPP projects since the program inception in 2014. These projects have brought to the State a combined federal investment of more than $84 million leveraged by $77 million in non-federal resources.
Notice of Funding Opportunity
The application period is open for RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities, in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP AFA, the lead partner must work directly with agricultural producers to support the development of new conservation structures and approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic.
This RCPP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) showcases a number of program improvements including the increase of project funding ceilings, the simplification of financial assistance and technical assistance structures, a stronger emphasis on locally led conservation, and easement deed flexibilities.
Projects selected under this NOFO may be awarded funding through either the Inflation Reduction Act or Farm Bill 2018. Applications for RCPP climate-related projects will receive priority consideration for Inflation Reduction Act funding. The 2023 RCPP priorities are climate-smart agriculture, urban agriculture and projects and, as a Justice40 covered program, projects that serve underserved farmers and ranchers.
NRCS will accept applications through August 18, 2023, via the RCPP portal. Please note that to request access to the portal, you must have a level Two verified eAuthentication account with USDA. This can be obtained by following the instructions on the USDA eAuthentication page. For more information about RCPP and a list of frequently asked questions, visit the NRCS website.
USDA published a Request for Information, announcing public listening sessions and soliciting public comments on possible changes to prevented planting crop insurance coverage. Coinciding with the public comment period, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) will hold in-person and virtual listening sessions June through August. This includes in-person listening sessions in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas. Meanwhile, RMA will accept written comments through its request for information until September 1.
The request for information on prevented planting requests input on prevented planting topics to include:
- Harvest Price Option – Feedback on whether to allow the prevented planting payment calculations to be based on the higher of projected price or harvest price under the revenue protection plan of insurance.
- “1 in 4” Rule – Input on the challenges or experiences since the rule (to be eligible for a prevented planting coverage acreage must have been planted to a crop, insured, and harvested in at least 1 out of the previous 4 crop years) was implemented nationwide.
- 10 percent additional coverage option – Input on if RMA should reinstate the option to buy-up prevented planting coverage by 10 percent.
- Contract price – Whether prevented planting costs are higher for contracted crops and how prevented planting payments should be calculated for contract crops.
- General – Willingness to pay additional premium for expanded prevented planting benefits, recommendations on other prevented planting limitations, etc.
RMA will hold at least a dozen in-person sessions over the next few months. Additional details on the listening sessions are available on the RMA website.
The request for information, which includes details for submitting feedback, is available in this Federal Register notice.
Prevented planting insurance provisions provide valuable coverage when extreme weather conditions prevent expected plantings. Prevented planting is when a producer is unable to plant an insured crop due to an insurable cause of loss in time to grow a viable crop. Final planting dates and late planting periods are detailed in a producer’s crop insurance policy, and they vary by crop and location. Prevented planting coverage is intended to assist with normal costs associated with preparing the land up to the point of seed going into the ground (pre-plant costs).
USDA is expanding its Margin Protection insurance plan, adding more than a thousand counties to the insurance option that provides coverage against an unexpected decrease in operating margin for corn and soybean producers. This expansion, which is in direct response to growing interest among producers, will be available by June 30, 2023. Interested producers will need to purchase their coverage by Sept. 30, 2023, to be eligible for the 2024 crop year.
Margin Protection, first implemented for the 2016 crop year, protects against decreases in margin caused by reduced county yields, reduced commodity prices, increased price of certain inputs or any combination of these issues. It is area-based, using county-level estimates of average revenue and input costs to establish the amount of coverage and indemnity payments.
RMA’s expansion of the Margin Protection plan will add 1,255 counties for soybeans and 1,729 counties for corn. This will add coverage in 22 states for soybeans with 34 states being covered in total. It will also make Margin Protection available for corn in the contiguous United States (see maps). The plan is available in select counties for rice (Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas), and wheat (Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota).
In the 2022 crop year, there were 1.7 million acres of corn and 1 million acres of soybeans insured under the Margin Protection insurance plan.
Margin Protection can be purchased by itself, or in conjunction with a Yield Protection or Revenue Protection policy purchased from the same Approved Insurance Provider that issued the Margin Protection policy. Margin Protection cannot be purchased with the Supplemental Coverage Option or the Enhanced Coverage Option.
Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting your RMA Regional Office.
 
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