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In this Edition of the Putnam County USDA News Bulletin:
Farmers can sign up to receive notifications from their county office through text messages on their cell phone.
Whether producers are in the field, or on a tractor, this service enables FSA customers and stakeholders to receive notifications while on the go. Producers will receive text messages regarding important program deadlines, reporting requirements and program updates.
To enroll, producers must text a keyword consisting of the 2 letter state abbreviation and the county name from which they want to receive alerts to FSANOW or the numeric keys (372669) on your cell phone. For example, producers wishing to receive alerts from Putnam County FSA would text the keyword OHPUTNAM to 372669. Producers interested in enrolling in a different county would need to text OH and the county name to 372669 to begin to receive alerts from their FSA County office. Producers will receive a system generated reply if they have successfully enrolled. Standard text messaging rates apply. Contact your wireless carrier for details associated with your particular data plan. Participants may unsubscribe at any time.
Please contact our FSA office if you have questions regarding FSA’s email news service or the new text message option.
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The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) encourages all participants to follow local guidance in maintaining Prevent Plant and acres enrolled in any type of USDA program. While FSA is not the local authority, which varies by area, when addressing matters concerning Noxious Weed control – local authorities could potentially notify FSA that benefits may be subject to compliance, which includes penalties or benefits forfeited. For further information on state noxious weed guidelines please visit: https://agri.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/oda/divisions/plant-health/grain-warehouse-feed-and-seed/noxious-weed-seeds
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) division of plant health provides a list of “prohibited noxious weeds” and “restricted noxious weeds seeds”. As defined by the ODA plant and health division, "prohibited noxious weeds" are weeds that reproduce by seed, spread by roots, underground stems, or other reproductive parts, and, when established, are highly destructive and difficult to control. These are different from "restricted noxious weeds", which are weeds that are objectionable in fields, lawns, or gardens, but that can be controlled by good cultural practices.
The director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture conducts rulemaking to designate a plant as a prohibited noxious weed. The list of plants that the director has formally designated as noxious weeds is in the Ohio Administrative Code and is available at http://codes.ohio.gov/oac/901:5-37-01. For the current list of prohibited and restricted weed seeds, see http://codes.ohio.gov/oac/901:5-27-06v1. Additionally, The Ohio State University has an online guidebook that identifies noxious weeds in Ohio, available at: https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/ohionoxiousweeds/.
Contact the FSA office for more information on proper maintenance and management of CRP practice cover.
FSA’s Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program provides low-interest financing to producers to build or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used) structures, equipment and storage and handling trucks (including semi-trucks).
The low-interest funds can be used to build or upgrade permanent facilities to store commodities. Eligible commodities include corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, oats, wheat, barley, minor oilseeds harvested as whole grain, pulse crops (lentils, chickpeas and dry peas), hay, honey, renewable biomass, fruits, nuts and vegetables for cold storage facilities, floriculture, hops, maple sap, rye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultry (unprocessed), eggs, and aquaculture (excluding systems that maintain live animals through uptake and discharge of water), malted small grains and maple sap or syrup. Eligible malted small grains include barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. Qualified facilities include grain bins, hay barns and cold storage facilities for eligible commodities.
Loans up to $50,000 can be secured by a promissory note/security agreement and loans between $50,000 and $100,000 may require additional security. Loans exceeding $100,000 require additional security. For instance, the 7-year FSFL interest rate is 4.000% for August 2023.
Producers do not need to demonstrate the lack of commercial credit availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse range of farming operations, including small and mid-sized businesses, new farmers, operations supplying local food and farmers markets, non-traditional farm products, and underserved producers.
To learn more about the FSA Farm Storage Facility Loan, contact your FSA County office.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed a simplified direct loan application to provide improved customer experience for producers applying for loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The simplified direct loan application enables producers to complete a more streamlined application, reduced from 29 to 13 pages. Producers will also have the option to complete an electronic fillable form or prepare a traditional, paper application for submission to their local FSA farm loan office. The paper and electronic versions of the form will be available starting March 1, 2023.
Approximately 26,000 producers submit a direct loan application to the FSA annually, but there is a high rate of incomplete or withdrawn applications, due in part to a challenging and lengthy paper-based application process. Coupled with the Loan Assistance Tool released in October 2022, the simplified application will provide all loan applicants access to information regarding the application process and assist them with gathering the correct documents before they begin the process. This new application will help farmers and ranchers submit complete loan applications and reduce the number of incomplete, rejected, or withdrawn applications.
In October 2022, USDA launched the Loan Assistance Tool, an online step-by-step guide that provides materials to help an applicant prepare their farm 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. The tool is built to run on any modern browser like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or the Safari browser. A version compatible with mobile devices is expected to be available by the summer. It does not work in Internet Explorer.
The simplified direct loan application and Loan Assistance Tool are the first of multiple farm loan process improvements that will be available to USDA customers on farmers.gov in the future. Other improvements that are anticipated to launch in 2023 include:
- 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.
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 took action in October 2022 to provide relief to qualifying distressed borrowers 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.
Soon, all direct loan borrowers will receive a letter from USDA describing the circumstances under which additional payments will be made to distressed borrowers and how they can work with their FSA local office to discuss these options. Producers can explore all available options on all FSA loan options at fsa.usda.gov or by contacting their local USDA Service Center.
For decades, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has supported producers and landowners in addressing their nutrient management and water quality concerns. We continue to refine our strategies as we learn more, including from data in a recent report on cropland conservation outcomes from our Conservation Effects Assessment Project.
This report showed that despite many wins in conservation outcomes, there was an increase in soluble nitrogen and phosphorus lost to the environment nationally over a ten-year period. This increase was due to many factors, including changing trends in production, climate, and technology. Preventing nutrients from fertilizers and other sources from entering local waters ensures that they can be utilized by crops and benefits both water quality and farmer finances.
These findings can help NRCS more effectively support farmers nationwide by refining applied conservation to address site-specific risk for nutrient losses. In 2022, we developed a strategic operational plan to address these changing trends, enhancing our existing nutrient management conservation efforts. This plan includes promoting SMART Nutrient Management planning and highlighting the importance of comprehensive, site-specific assessment of nutrient loss risks.
The plan also includes several science-based nutrient management and water quality strategies for improving conservation outcomes, and NRCS continues to move this work forward. To date NRCS has:
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Updated how producers can be paid for utilizing nutrient management related practices. NRCS has allowed payments to producers for soil, source nutrient, and water testing. Testing is key to determine the proper rate of nutrient application. NRCS has also created new payment scenarios to more closely align with the technology that farmers are encouraged to adopt, including enhanced efficiency fertilizers and precision application technology, which can help ensure nutrients are available at the right time, the right rate and in the right place.
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Initiated development of a new mapping tool to help conservation planners identify areas on the land that can be more sensitive to nutrient loss. The Sensitive Area Analysis Tool uses soil survey data to show the areas of a field at risk for nutrient loss that can benefit from site-specific nutrient management plans and other practices that can help mitigate nutrient losses. The tool will be available for use in early 2023. Ask NRCS at your local USDA Service Center for details.
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Updated manure testing protocols through an agreement with the University of Minnesota (Recommended Methods of Manure Analysis, Second Edition). These new testing protocols for manure testing take management practices into account and deliver more accurate values specific to the farm. These protocols will be used to update NRCS nutrient management policy including laboratory testing procedures and determination of accredited laboratories.
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Led an effort to create four new, long-term assessments to better understand the importance of legacy (historical) sources of nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrate, as well as sediment. Effective conservation options for addressing legacy sources are being evaluated. For example, NRCS is supporting a stakeholder-driven study of a perennial grass buffer to enhance plant uptake of legacy nutrients, reduce losses and improve on-farm nutrient cycling.
These and many other efforts are continuing in 2023 and beyond. The Inflation Reduction Act is providing NRCS with an additional $19.5 billion over the next four years to help support climate-smart agricultural practices. NRCS is targeting funding for nutrient management, increasing program flexibilities, and expanding partnerships to support the development and implementation of nutrient management plans. NRCS will keep partners and producers informed as we make further improvements and updates.
Please join the Putnam Soil and Water Conservation District & Putnam OSU Extension, as they host a Women for the Land workshop on Saturday September 16th. Escape to the Forest: Do you own a woodlot and/or want to know how to identify some common invasive in them? Join us for a field day where we will visit different woodlots of different ages. Our forester will share how to manage woodland in different stages of growth. The workshop will start at 9 am. at the Putnam Co. Ag Complex. Please bring $10 for lunch.
For questions and to RSVP please contact Mary Wilhelm at 419-523-5159, mary.wilhelm@putnamcountyohio.gov by September 8th, 2023. Additionally, if you need to request an accommodation (dietary restrictions, seating, etc.) please let Mary know when you RSVP.
August 15 - Deadline for producers to request enrollment into Transition Incentives Program (TIP).
August 31 - Deadline to obtain 2024 NAP coverage for Aquaculture, Christmas trees, Floriculture, Ginseng, Mushrooms, Turf grass Sod and Watercress.
September 4 ---- Labor Day Holiday. USDA Service Center is Closed.
September 30 -- Deadline to obtain 2023 NAP coverage for Winter Wheat, Rye, Barley and Speltz.
October 9 ------- Columbus Day Holiday. FSA Offices Closed.
October 31 ----- Final Date to Apply for Reimbursement through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) for expenses incurred from 10-01-2022 through 09-30-2023.
Ongoing Reminders:
- Reports of Failed Acreage must be filed with the County Office before disposition of the crop.
- Reports of Prevented Planting Acreage must be filed with the County Office no later than 15 calendar days after the final planting date for that county and producers of hand-harvested crops and certain perishable crops must notify FSA within 72 hours of when a loss becomes apparent.
- Contact FSA right away for notice of loss deadlines and disaster program requirements.
- New applications for Farm Service Agency Loan Programs.
- Inform the office of bank account changes.
- Inform the office if you have picked up or dropped any farm(s).
- Inform the office of farm and cropland boundary changes.
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