Farm Service Agency  |  Natural Resources Conservation Service  |  Risk Management Agency

In This Issue:

• Register To Vote For County Committee Elections
• Interested in Urban Agriculture? Get in touch with our Urban Ag CED!
• Important Dates
• Interest Rates - August 2023
• USDA Offers Wildfire Recovery Assistance
• Photos Needed for the USDA in Oregon 2024 Calendar

Register To Vote For County Committee Elections

County Committee Elections are here! Find out if your LAA is up for election and make sure you are registered to vote. Ballots will be mailed to eligible voters on November 6, 2023. For more information please see the County Committee website or contact your local USDA Service Center.

Interested in Urban Agriculture? Get in touch with our Urban Ag CED!

Are you an urban/suburban/ or tribal producer interested in our Urban Agriculture initiative? You can learn more about Urban Agriculture here or get in touch with our Urban Agriculture CED.  Amanda Welker, CED Phone: 503-210-6037 Email: amanda.welker3@usda.gov Visit in Person: 22055 S. Beavercreek Rd. Suite 2 Beavercreek, Oregon 97004

Important Dates

• August 18, 2023: Applications due for Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
• September 4, 2023: Labor Day Holiday, Offices Closed. 
• September 30, 2023: RMA Margin Protection Insurance Plan sales closing date.
• October 31, 2023: Applications due for Organic Certification Cost Share Program. 
• November 6, 2023: COC election ballots will be mailed to eligible voters 
• January 31, 2024: Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program deadline.
• NAP (Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program): Report losses within 15 days of event. Notify FSA of event within 72 hours for hand-harvested crops.
  
  Click here to learn more about local deadlines and ongoing programs.
  

Interest Rates - August 2023

Farm Operating Loans – Direct, 4.875%
Farm Operating – Microloans, 4.875%
Farm Ownership Loans – Direct, 5.000%
Farm Ownership – Microloan, 5.000%
Farm Ownership-Direct, Joint Financing, 3.000%
Farm Ownership-Down Payment, 1.500%
Emergency Loans Actual Loss, 3.750%
Farm Storage Facility Loans - 3 Years, 4.375% 
Farm Storage Facility Loans - 5 Years, 4.125%
Farm Storage Facility Loans - 7 Years, 4.000%
Farm Storage Facility Loans - 10 Years, 3.875%

See Oregon FSA's website/News Releases for information on USDA's Secretarial natural disaster designations to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans.

FSA also offers guaranteed loans through commercial lenders at rates set by those lenders. You can find out which of these loans may be right for you by using our 
Farm Loan Discovery Tool.

USDA Offers Wildfire Recovery Assistance

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers disaster assistance and low-interest loan programs to assist you in your recovery efforts following wildfires or other qualifying natural disasters.

Available programs and loans include:

• Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) - provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters including excessive wind and qualifying drought (includes native grass for grazing).
• Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) - offers payments to eligible producers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather.
• Tree Assistance Program (TAP) – provides assistance to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers for qualifying tree, shrub and vine losses due to natural disasters including excessive wind and qualifying drought.
• Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) - provides emergency relief for losses due to feed or water shortages, disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, which are not adequately addressed by other disaster programs.
• Emergency Loan Program – available to producers with agriculture operations located in a county under a primary or contiguous Presidential or Secretarial disaster designation. These low interest loans help producers recover from production and physical losses.
• Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) - provides emergency funding for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate land severely damaged by natural disasters; includes fence loss.

For more information on these programs, contact your USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov/disaster.

Photos Needed for the USDA in Oregon 2024 Calendar

We need your photos for the 2024 USDA in Oregon calendar!  If you would like to submit a photo for possible use in our 2024 USDA in Oregon calendar, please submit it by e-mail to EmmaLee.Demianew@usda.gov by September 30.  See the flyer on the Oregon FSA webpage also!  The 2023 USDA in OREGON calendars are still available! Stop by your local USDA Service Center to pick up your copy!

7620 SW Mohawk St.
Tualatin, Oregon 97062
Phone: 503-692-3688 Fax: 855-824-6185

You can sign up for Urban Ag email alerts by visiting farmers.gov/subscribe (select “ORUrbanAG-Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production”) or text alerts by texting USDAFSARMERS_4113.

Sign up for important text message alerts from your local county FSA office! 
To subscribe, text FSANOW (372-669).