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2024 Farm Program (ARC/PLC) Sign-up: Producers can now enroll in Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC), and Agricultural Risk Coverage-Individual (ARC-IC). Our office would like to get this completed early. However, producers have until March 15, 2024 to enroll in those options. On February 14th, 2024, Minnesota FSA along with the University of Minnesota Extension will be hosting a webinar to allow producers to learn more about the different options. Use the link below to access the webinar.
Complete information about the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Programs can be found at the ARC/PLC website.
Click HERE to join the February 14, 12:00 p.m. Minnesota Webinar
Continuous CRP Signup: We just received word that the signup for the continuous CRP signup for 2024 started Friday January 12, 2024, review the CRP press release here. This year's signup is a bit different than usual so if you are interested in reenrolling acreage that expires September 30, 2024 or have new land you would like to enroll please contact our office as soon as possible to review your options and work with our team to get an offer submitted. This year's signup will be processed in batches to ensure nationwide we do not go above the cap on CRP acreage allowed by the Farm Bill. If you want to have your 2024 expiring contact re-enrolled, please act NOW to get it completed and in one of the up coming batching periods.
CRP Mid Contract Management- Now is a good time to work on your Mid Contract Management plans (MCM). Lining up vendors can be difficult, so we recommend getting them arranged now, contact the Yellow Medicine County NRCS / SWCD office if you are needing vendors list. Please refer to your paperwork or contact the office to determine which activity is in your Conservation Plan of Operations (CPO).
Livestock Losses: With the cold weather coming this weekend please make sure to contact our office if you have livestock losses due to the weather events that some of you may experience. As you go throughout the calendar year it is important to keep track of good documentation of livestock lost to weather events and also ones that die due to normal mortality. We can help you evaluate if your weather event meets the requirements of the Livestock Indemnity Program. Good documentation helps the program application and processing go much smoother if the County Committee can see rendering receipts or photos with a date.
Please contact the office at (320) 669-4492 ext 2, regarding any questions pertaining to the information within this bulletin, or any other concerns you may have.
Larry Thielen, CED
Important Dates and Deadlines
January 31 – Deadline to Apply for Loan or LDP for Mohair, Unshorn Pelts (LDP Only) or Wool
February 19 – Office closed in observance of Presidents Day
March 15 - Deadline to sign-up in the 2024 Farm program (ARC/PLC)
March 15 - 1st CRP batching period closes
Farm Loan Program (FLP) Interest Rates
5.625% - Farm Operating Loans, Direct
5.875% - Farm Ownership Loans, Direct
3.875% - Farm Ownership, Joint Financing
1.875% - Farm Ownership Loans, Beginning Farmer Down Payment
January 2024 Commodity Loan (MAL) Interest Rate
6.125% - Commodity Loans
2023 Yellow Medicine County Grain Loan Rates
Corn - $2.10
Soybeans - $6.04
Wheat HRS - $3.82
Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) Program Interest Rates
4.375% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 3-Year
4.125% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 5-Year
4.250% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 7-Year
4.125% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 10-Year
4.250% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 12-Year
Get a Text From FSA: As we continue to transition to more and more electronic pathways of communication, I encourage you to sign up for our text message alerts. This will assist you with staying on top of all FSA program deadlines. FSA provides text message alerts (no more than 2 per month) for important reminders and deadlines. Don’t miss out on getting these effortless reminders. Let’s get you signed up right now!
- Take out your cell-phone
- Create a new text message, sending "MNYellowMedicine" to 372-669
If you did these 2 easy steps, you are signed up to receive text alerts, thank you!
If you have experienced delays in receiving Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payments, Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) and Market Gains on Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs), it may be because you have not filed form CCC-941, Adjusted Gross Income Certification.
If you don’t have a valid CCC-941 on file for the applicable crop year you will not receive payments. All farm operator/tenants/owners who have not filed a CCC-941 and have pending payments should IMMEDIATELY file the form with their recording county FSA office. Farm operators and tenants are encouraged to ensure that their landowners have filed the form.
FSA can accept the CCC-941 for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Unlike the past, you must have the CCC-941 certifying your AGI compliance before any payments can be issued.
Many Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs require all program participants, either individuals or legal entities, to be “actively engaged in farming.” This means participants provide a significant contribution to the farming operation, whether it is capital, land, equipment, active personal labor and/or management. For entities, each partner, stockholder or member with an ownership interest, must contribute active personal labor and/or management to the operation on a regular basis that is identifiable and documentable as well as separate and distinct from contributions of any other member. Members of joint operations must have a share of the profits or losses from the farming operation commensurate with the member’s contributions to the operation and must make contributions to the farming operation that are at risk for a loss, with the level of risk being commensurate with the member’s claimed share on the farming operation.
Joint operations comprised of non-family members or partners, stockholders or persons with an ownership in the farming operation must meet additional payment eligibility provisions. Joint operations comprised of family members are exempt from these additional requirements. For 2016 and subsequent crop years, non-family joint operations can have one member that may use a significant contribution of active personal management exclusively to meet the requirements to be determined “actively engaged in farming.” The person or member will be defined as the farm manager for the purposes of administering these management provisions.
Non-family joint operations may request to add up to two additional managers for their farming operation based on the size and/or complexity of the operation. If additional farm managers are requested and approved, all members who contribute management are required to complete form CCC-902MR, Management Activity Record. The farm manager should use the form to record management activities including capital, labor and agronomics, which includes crop selection, planting decisions, acquisition of inputs, crop management and marketing decisions. One form should be used for each month and the farm manager should enter the number of hours of time spent for each activity under the date of the month the actions were completed. The farm manager must also document if each management activity was completed on the farm or remotely.
The records and supporting business documentation must be maintained and timely made available for review by the appropriate FSA reviewing authority, if requested.
If the farm manager fails to meet these requirements, their contribution of active personal management to the farming operation for payment eligibility purposes will be disregarded and their payment eligibility status will be re-determined for the applicable program year.
In some instances, additional persons or members of a non-family member joint operation who meet the definition of farm manager may also be allowed to use such a contribution of active personal management to meet the eligibility requirements. However, under no circumstances may the number of farm managers in a non-family joint operation exceed a total of three in any given crop and program year.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) makes loans to youth to establish and operate agricultural income-producing projects in connection with 4-H clubs, FFA and other agricultural groups. Projects must be planned and operated with the help of the organization advisor, produce sufficient income to repay the loan and provide the youth with practical business and educational experience. The maximum loan amount is $5,000.
Youth Loan Eligibility Requirements:
- Be a citizen of the United States (which includes Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) or a legal resident alien
- Be 10 years to 20 years of age
- Comply with FSA’s general eligibility requirements
- Be unable to get a loan from other sources
- Conduct a modest income-producing project in a supervised program of work as outlined above
- Demonstrate capability of planning, managing and operating the project under guidance and assistance from a project advisor. The project supervisor must recommend the youth loan applicant, along with providing adequate supervision.
For help preparing the application forms, contact your local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
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