Cool crisp fall mornings. Rustic colored leaves everywhere. Harvested corn and soybean fields. Farm equipment slowly making its way back to the homestead. Yes – it’s almost Thanksgiving.
As we reflect on this past year, I know I am thankful for EACH OF YOU, who every day, works tirelessly to feed and fuel our growing world. Thank you for saying yes to the call of being a producer. American agriculture does a remarkable job of navigating uncertain weather conditions and the unpredictability of markets – year after year. But YOU continue to serve our country –year after year – by providing the bounty we are thankful for -especially this time of year.
As we await Congress to act on a Farm Bill, our county offices stand ready to assist you with questions you may have about your operations. Until we have a new Farm Bill, producers cannot sign up for any programs that expired on September 30, 2023. There are several programs currently available such as Marketing Assistance Loans, Farm Storage Facility Loans and Disaster Programs. Also, we continue to process farm ownership and farm operating loan requests. We are excited about new legislation that will provide FSA direction regarding the programs we can offer farmers.
Until then, we hope you enjoy this special season with your family and friends. Savor the moments of togetherness and reflect on your year of thankfulness.
Forever Grateful for Farmers,
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 State Executive Director
Looking for a Rewarding Career in Agriculture?
Allen, Bartholomew, Grant, Greene, Howard, Monroe, Rush and Wells County FSA Offices Are Hiring Program Technicians
The Farm Service Agency works for the American farmer. If you're ready to serve our nation's farmers, consider the opportunities with FSA. FSA offers many rewarding opportunities. What sets us apart? It all starts with who we work for ... The American Farmer!
To read the full bulletin article and for individual office contact information, please visit: content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAFARMERS/bulletins/379400f
These Program Technician vacancies are being advertised under
Job Announcement number: FSACO-12195505-24-IN-KM. This announcement is open from November 6 through November 20, 2023.
To read the vacancy announcement and apply for a position with Indiana FSA,
please visit: usajobs.gov/job/758876500.
USDA began mailing ballots this week for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county and urban county committee elections to all eligible agricultural producers and private landowners across the country. Elections are occurring in certain Local Administrative Areas for these committee members who make important decisions about how Federal farm programs are administered locally. Producers and landowners must return ballots to their local FSA county office or have their ballots postmarked by December 4, 2023, for those ballots to be counted.
Producers must participate or cooperate in an FSA program to be eligible to vote in the county committee election. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation to FSA, even if they have not applied or received program benefits. Additionally, producers who are not of legal voting age, but supervise and conduct farming operations for an entire farm, are eligible to vote in these elections.
For purposes of FSA county committee elections, every member of an American Indian Tribe is considered an agricultural landowner if the land on which the tribal member’s voting eligibility is based is tribally owned or held in trust by the U.S. for the Tribe, even if the individual does not personally produce a crop on that land. Tribal agricultural landowners 18 years and older can contact their local FSA county office to register to vote.
Each committee has from three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms, and at least one seat representing a Local Administrative Area is up for election each year. Committee members help ensure inclusive representation on committees and equitable administration of FSA farm programs in their jurisdiction.
Ballots must be postmarked or delivered in person by close of business December 4, 2023, to be counted. Newly elected committee members will take office January 1, 2024. Producers can find out if their Local Administrative Area is up for election and if they are eligible to vote by contacting their local FSA county office. Eligible voters who do not receive a ballot in the mail can request one from their local FSA county office.
Visit fsa.usda.gov/elections for more information on county committee elections.
Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs) and Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) provide financing and marketing assistance for wheat, feed grains, soybeans, and other oilseeds, pulse crops, rice, peanuts, cotton, wool and honey. MALs provide you with interim financing after harvest to help you meet cash flow needs without having to sell your commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. A producer who is eligible to obtain a loan, but agrees to forgo the loan, may obtain an LDP if such a payment is available. Marketing loan provisions and LDPs are not available for sugar and extra-long staple cotton.
FSA is now accepting requests for 2023 MALs and LDPs for all eligible commodities after harvest. Requests for loans and LDPs shall be made on or before the final availability date for the respective commodities.
Commodity certificates are available to loan holders who have outstanding nonrecourse loans for wheat, upland cotton, rice, feed grains, pulse crops (dry peas, lentils, large and small chickpeas), peanuts, wool, soybeans and designated minor oilseeds. These certificates can be purchased at the posted county price (or adjusted world price or national posted price) for the quantity of commodity under loan, and must be immediately exchanged for the collateral, satisfying the loan. MALs redeemed with commodity certificates are not subject to Adjusted Gross Income provisions.
To be considered eligible for an LDP, you must have form CCC-633EZ, Page 1 on file at your local FSA Office before losing beneficial interest in the crop. Pages 2, 3 or 4 of the form must be submitted when payment is requested.
Marketing loan gains (MLGs) and loan deficiency payments (LDPs) are no longer subject to payment limitations, actively engaged in farming and cash-rent tenant rules.
Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) provisions state that if your total applicable three-year average AGI exceeds $900,000, then you’re not eligible to receive an MLG or LDP. You must have a valid CCC-941 on file to earn a market gain of LDP. The AGI does not apply to MALs redeemed with commodity certificate exchange.
For more information and additional eligibility requirements, contact your local USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
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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.
If loan grain has been disposed of through feeding, selling or any other form of disposal without prior written authorization from the county office staff, it is considered unauthorized disposition. The financial penalties for unauthorized dispositions are severe and your name will be placed on a loan violation list for a two-year period. Always call before you haul any grain under loan.
Farm loan borrowers who have pledged real estate as security for their Farm Service Agency (FSA) direct or guaranteed loans are responsible for maintaining loan collateral. Borrowers must obtain prior consent or approval from FSA or the guaranteed lender for any transaction that affects real estate security. These transactions include, but are not limited to:
- Leases of any kind
- Easements of any kind
- Subordinations
- Partial releases
- Sales
Failure to meet or follow the requirements in the loan agreement, promissory note, and other security instruments could lead to nonmonetary default which could jeopardize your current and future loans.
It is critical that borrowers keep an open line of communication with their FSA loan staff or guaranteed lender when it comes to changes in their operation. For more information on borrower responsibilities, read Your FSA Farm Loan Compass.
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A Professional Farm and Ag Business Consulting Service
The Indiana Small Business Development Center Agribusiness Initiative offers Hoosiers in the agriculture sector access to no-cost, confidential specialty business advising and training, including finance options, projections, loan packaging, succession planning, value-added product development and exporting, among others.
The Agribusiness Initiative is made available in partnership with the Purdue Center for Regional Development, Purdue Extension, and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture with financial support from The Indiana Soybean Alliance.
Eligible Agribusinesses Include: Farmers & Producers, Processors, and value-added Manufacturers.
The advising team is a consortium of Purdue Center for Regional Development, Purdue Extension, and Indiana State Department of Agriculture agribusiness professionals.
You may request our services here: Agribusiness Initiative | Indiana Small Business Development Center (isbdc.org) You can also call 765.454.7922 for more information.
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When changes in farm ownership or operation take place, these changes should be promptly reported to your local USDA Service Center. You should also report any changes to your operation in which you reorganize to form a Trust, LLC or other legal entity. Also, please report any changes of address, zip code, phone number, email address or an incorrect name or business name on file to our office.
Dependent upon the situation a farm reconstitution may necessary when there is a change in ownership or operation. The reconstitution — or recon — is the process of combining or dividing farms or tracts of land based on the farming operation.
To be effective for the current Fiscal Year (FY), farm combinations and farm divisions must be requested by August 1 of the FY for farms subject to the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program. A reconstitution is considered to be requested when all of the required signatures are on FSA-155 and all other applicable documentation, such as proof of ownership, is submitted.
Total Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and non-ARC/PLC farms may be reconstituted at any time.
The following are the different methods used when doing a farm recon:
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Estate Method — the division of bases, allotments and quotas for a parent farm among heirs in settling an estate
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Designation of Landowner Method — may be used when (1) part of a farm is sold or ownership is transferred; (2) an entire farm is sold to two or more persons; (3) farm ownership is transferred to two or more persons; (4) part of a tract is sold or ownership is transferred; (5) a tract is sold to two or more persons; or (6) tract ownership is transferred to two or more persons. In order to use this method, the land sold must have been owned for at least three years, or a waiver granted, and the buyer and seller must sign a Memorandum of Understanding
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DCP Cropland Method — the division of bases in the same proportion that the DCP cropland for each resulting tract relates to the DCP cropland on the parent tract
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Default Method — the division of bases for a parent farm with each tract maintaining the bases attributed to the tract level when the reconstitution is initiated in the system.
To update your records or for any questions on your farm reconstitution, contact your local USDA Service Center.
 USDA encourages urban producers, innovative producers and other stakeholders to submit comments for and virtually attend the upcoming public meeting of the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production on November 29, 2023.
The Committee is part of USDA’s efforts to support urban and innovative agriculture, creating a network for feedback. Members include agricultural producers and representatives from higher education or extension programs, non-profits, business and economic development, supply chains and financing. The committee last met in August 2023.
About the Meeting
Topics for the upcoming meeting will include addressing public comments and discussing the following recommended topics:
- Federal crop insurance for innovative producers
- Research, extension and education in innovative production
- Access to technical assistance
- Urban soil health and safety
- Scholarship and education support
The Committee will deliberate and vote on proposed recommendations and address public comments during the meeting. USDA will share the agenda between 24 to 48 hours prior to the meeting on the Committee’s webpage.
The virtual meeting will run from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern on November 29, 2023. To attend virtually, register by November 29, 2023, on the Committee’s webpage. To submit comments, send by 11:59 p.m. ET on December 13, 2023, through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Docket NRCS-2023-0019.
For special accommodations, contact Markus Holliday at UrbanAgricultureFederalAdvisoryCommittee@usda.gov.
Additional details are available in the Federal Register notice.
Are you gardening or farming in an urban environment or involved in controlled environment agriculture, rooftop farms, hydroponic aeroponic, aquaponic facilities or other types of innovative production?
Agencies across USDA including the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) have programs and resources available for you, and many are listed in this Urban Agriculture Programs at a Glance brochure.
USDA offers resources to help you:
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Marketing and Selling: FSA, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) can help you reach customers in new ways and open additional revenue streams when selling products. The Women, Infants, Children (WIC) Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program and Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program issues coupons for eligible foods from state-approved farmers, farmers' markets, or roadside stands. Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSA) provide low-interest loans to build, upgrade, or purchase permanent or portable facilities to store commodities, including fruit and vegetable cold storage, washing, packing, and handling buildings and equipment.
Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) funds projects that develop, coordinate and expand direct producer-to-consumer markets like farmers markets. Agricultural businesses and cooperative are among the eligible entities.
A first step is to contact your local USDA Service Center, including our new Urban Service Centers, to meet face to face with our staff from FSA and NRCS. If you’re a new farmer, you can also reach out to your state Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinator.
We also invite you to get involved with your FSA Urban County Committee, which provides local input on USDA urban agriculture policy, and the Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, which advises the Secretary of Agriculture and holds public meetings.
Sign up for e-mail updates on Urban Agriculture and learn more at farmers.gov/urban or usda.gov/urban.
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USDA announced loan interest rates for November 2023, which were effective November 1, 2023. USDA’s FSA loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures, or meet cash flow needs.
FSA also offers guaranteed loans through commercial lenders at rates set by those lenders.
Check your eligibility for FSA loans by utilizing the Farm Loan Assistance Tool. Find out which of these loans may be right for you by using our Farm Loan Discovery Tool.
Producers can explore available options on all FSA loan options at fsa.usda.gov or by contacting your local USDA Service Center.
2023 Indiana FSA Important Deadline Dates
November 15 - Final date to Submit a Prevented Planting Claim for Fall Wheat with 10/31 Final Plant Date (Indiana Wheat Annual Reporting Deadline Map is located at fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/Indiana/resources/index)
November 15 - NAP Sales Closing Date for Perennial Grazing & Forage Crops (Alfalfa, Grass, Mixed Forages, Clover, Etc.)
November 20- NAP Sales Closing Date for Apples, Apricots, Aronia (Chokeberry), Asparagus, Blueberries, Caneberries, Cherries, Grapes, Hops, Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Strawberries
November 23- Offices Closed in Observance of Thanksgiving Day
December 4 - Deadline to Return COC Election Voted Ballots - Postmarked or Delivered to the Local FSA Office
December 15 - Final Reporting Date for Fall Mint and Fall-Seeded Small Grains
December 25 - Offices Closed in Observance of Christmas Day
December 31 - NAP Sales Closing Date for Hives (Honey) and Maple Sap
Ongoing - Signup for Continuous CRP
Ongoing – Submit an Application for a Farm Storage Facility Loan
Continuous - Submit an Application for FSA Farm Loans
Continuous - Signup for Local County Office FSA Text Alerts - Text Your Service Center Keyword to FSANOW (372-669)
Continuous – Sign up for GovDelivery Newsletters, Bulletins and Indiana Press Releases (Subscribe to USDA Emails for Farmers | Farmers.gov)
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