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While the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) accepts easement applications on a continuous basis, applications for the 2024 fiscal year Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) funding consideration must be submitted to NRCS by December 8, 2023. Any applications that are received after December 8, 2023, will be considered in future funding opportunities. Application package information may be found on the Texas NRCS Easement Program webpage.
ACEP Agricultural Land Easements provide financial assistance to eligible partners for purchasing easements that protect the agricultural use and conservation values of eligible land. In the case of working farms, the program helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture. The program also protects grazing uses and related conservation values by conserving valuable grasslands in Texas.
Eligible partners include Indian tribes, state and local governments and non-governmental organizations that have farmland or grassland protection programs.
ACEP Wetlands Reserve Easements allow landowners to successfully restore, enhance and protect habitat for wildlife on their lands, reduce damage from flooding, recharge groundwater and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. Tribal landowners also have the option of enrolling land in 30-year contracts.
To learn about ACEP and other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS, call your local USDA Service Center or visit www.nrcs.usda.gov.
The 2023 Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections began on Nov. 6, 2023, when ballots were mailed to eligible voters. The deadline to return ballots to local FSA offices, or to be postmarked, is Dec. 4, 2023.
County committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and USDA. Farmers and ranchers elected to county committees help deliver FSA programs at the local level, applying their knowledge and judgment to make decisions on commodity price support programs; conservation programs; incentive, indemnity and disaster programs for some commodities; emergency programs and eligibility. FSA committees operate within official regulations designed to carry out federal laws.
To be an eligible voter, farmers and ranchers must:
- Be of legal voting age or, if not of legal voting age, supervise and conduct the farming operation of an entire farm.
- Have an interest in a farm or ranch as either:
- An individual who meets one or more of the following:
- Is eligible and capable to vote in one’s own right.
- Is a partner of a general partnership.
- Is a member of a joint venture.
- Is an authorized representative of a legal entity.
- Participates or cooperates in any FSA program that is provided by law. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information to FSA about their farming or ranching operation(s) but may not have applied or received program benefits.
Eligible voters in Local Administrative Area 2 (Houston County), 4 (Leon County) and 2 (Anderson County) who do not receive a ballot can obtain one from their local FSA county office. Customers can identify which LAA they or their farming operation is in by using a GIS locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections.
Newly elected committee members will take office Jan. 1, 2024.
The candidates in this year’s election are:
Robert Bass is nominated in LAA 2, Anderson County, to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Bass resides in Palestine, TX and has produced Sheep for several years.
Barrett Riess is nominated in LAA 2, Houston County, to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Riess resides in Grapeland and has produced cattle and Boer-Spanish Goats for 30 years. Riess also produces honeybees and hay. Riess holds a National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification and is a member of the Houston County Farm Bureau and Texas Independent Cattlemen's Association.
Kent Willis has also been nominated to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Willis resides in Grapeland and has produced Cattle and hay for 45 years. Willis is a member of the Houston County Farm Bureau.
More information on county committees can be found at fsa.usda.gov/elections or by contacting the Houston/Leon/Madison County FSA office or Anderson County FSA office.
In this Ask the Expert, Jack Carlile, Farm Loan Manager for the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), answers questions about farm operating loans and when producers should apply in order to secure funds for the current crop year.
As the Farm Loan Manager for the Cherokee County Service Center, Jack is responsible for managing the loan making and loan servicing activities for five counties in northeast Oklahoma. His office provides services for over 650 farm loan customers. Jack was raised on a cross bred cow/calf operation that his grandparents started. Over the years, each generation has added to the operation by purchasing additional pasture. The operation also grows and bales their own hay. Jack’s agriculture background and degree in agriculture economics from Oklahoma State University help him better understand the financing needs of his producers.
Anyone can apply for FSA’s loan programs. Applications will be considered on basic eligibility requirements. To apply for a loan, you must meet the following general eligibility requirements including:
- Be a U.S. citizen or qualified alien.
- Operator of a family farm or ranch.
- Have a satisfactory credit history.
- Unable to obtain credit elsewhere at reasonable rates and terms to meet actual needs.
- Not be delinquent on any federal debts.
To read the full blog visit farmers.gov/blog/ask-the-expert-farm-operating-loan-qa-with-jack-carlile.
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