In This Issue:
Greetings
USDA touches the lives of all Arkansans each day in so many positive ways. Arkansas agriculture benefits greatly from the tireless efforts of our dedicated employees and locally elected County Committees. Arkansas Farm Service Agency (FSA) delivered more than $900.7 million in federal program payments and loans to Arkansas farmers and ranchers during fiscal year 2023.
Below is a closer look at the impact of FSA in Arkansas:
Agricultural Risk Coverage & Price Support Loss Coverage (ARC/PLC) - $598,288.00
Emergency Relief Program (ERP) - $159,238,461.00
Farm Stored Facility Loans (FSFL) - $558,920.00
Marketing Assistance Loans (MAL) - $446,132,162.00
Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) - $1,042,185.00
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) - $1,379,519.00
Non-Insured Assistance Program (NAP) - $69,066.00
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, & Fish (ELAP) - $1,153,439.00
Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) - $1,732,767.00
Direct Operating Loans - $44,376,531.00
Direct Ownership Loans - $58,298,620.00
Guaranteed Operating Loans - $59,856,883.00
Guaranteed Ownership Loans - $125,601,261.00
Emergency Loans - $687,800.00
This also would not have been doable without our Outreach Partners and Stakeholders. Thank you for your participation in FSA’s success. Together we are making a difference.
February is Black History Month (also referred to as African American History Month) and this is an opportunity for our country to celebrate generations of Black Americans whose courage, advocacy, and patriotism have enriched our communities and strengthened our country. This year, USDA’s 2024 Black History Month theme “African Americans and the Arts: A Legacy Steeped in Civil Rights and Social Justice,” allows us to reflect on the tremendous contributions and strides made by Blacks in America and simultaneously acknowledges that there is still much work to be done. As Americans, we must recognize that Black history is American history and pay homage to Black culture and triumphs that create so much of what we stand for as a Nation. Historians and academics, and most Americans know and acknowledge that the United States would not be the Nation it is without the contributions of Black Americans to our economy, our defense, and our culture. Please take some time to appreciate and learn more about the contributions of Black Americans and their artistic legacy.
Farm loan borrowers can now make payments to their direct loans online through the Pay My Loan feature on farmers.gov in early February. Pay My Loan gives most borrowers an online repayment option and relieves them from needing to call, mail, or visit a Service Center to pay their loan installment. Farm loan payments can now be made at the borrower’s convenience, on their schedule and outside of FSA office hours. Pay My Loan also provides time savings for FSA’s farm loan employees by minimizing manual payment processing activities. This new service for producers means that farm loan employees will have more time to focus on reviewing and processing new loans or servicing requests. The Pay My Loan feature can be accessed at www.farmers.gov/loans.
FSA encourages agricultural producers and landowners in Arkansas who are interested in conservation opportunities for their land in exchange for yearly rental payments to consider the enrollment options available through Continuous CRP, which also includes the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) offered by FSA partners. Additionally, producers participating in CRP can now apply to re-enroll, if their contracts will expire this year. To submit an offer, producers should contact the FSA at their local USDA Service Center by July 31, 2024, in order to have an offer effective by Oct. 1, 2024. To ensure enrollment acreages do not exceed the statutory cap, FSA will accept offers from producers on a first-come, first-served basis and will return offers for approval in batches throughout the year.
The Forest Management Incentive is available to participants with active CRP contracts with forest cover that are not within two years of expiring. The incentive is a payment to eligible CRP participants who properly completed authorized forest management practice activities to improve the condition of resources, promote forest management and enhance wildlife habitat. Forest management practices include brush management, herbaceous weed control, prescribed burning, firebreaks, development of early successional habitat and forest stand improvement. Additional information is available in our Forest Management Incentive fact sheet. Participants can now submit offers and should contact the FSA at their local USDA Service Center.
FSA is issuing final Emergency Relief Program (ERP) payments to eligible commodity and specialty crop producers who incurred losses due to natural disasters in 2020 and 2021. Recipients of the additional payment are limited to those producers who received ERP Phase One payments from FSA that were calculated based on crop insurance indemnities. Initially, ERP Phase One payments to producers who were indemnified through Federal crop insurance, were subject to a 75% payment factor. FSA has since determined that adequate funding exists to provide an additional 3.5% ERP Phase One payment to producers who had crop insurance increasing the overall payment factor to 78.5%. These additional ERP Phase One payments are subject to FSA payment limitation provisions as outlined in the ERP Phase One fact sheet. Because ERP Phase One payments to producers of noninsured crops covered by FSA NAP policies were originally paid at 100%, there will be no additional payments issued to these producers for 2020 and 2021 losses.
For more information on Farm Service Agency (FSA), contact your local USDA service center or visit www.farmers.gov.
Our goal is to serve all farmers, ranchers, and agricultural partners; equitably; through the delivery of effective and efficient agricultural programs.
Greetings!
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) assists farmers, ranchers and foresters with conservation practices on their operations. Now that the new year has begun, this could be a good time to review your farm’s conservation plan. A conservation plan identifies your conservation objectives and assesses and analyzes the natural resources issues on your land.
The conservation plan includes tools and resources customized specifically for you, like a land use map, soils information, photos, inventory of resources, economic costs and benefits, schedule of recommended practices, maintenance schedules, and engineering notes — all based on your goals and the resource needs.
This technical assistance from NRCS is free, and it can help you reduce soil loss from erosion, solve issues with soil, air and water quality, reduce potential damage from excess water and drought, enhance the quality of wildlife habitat, address waste management concerns, and improve the long-term sustainability.
How does conservation planning work? NRCS is here to provide one-on-one support to our customers at our 61 USDA Service Centers statewide. NRCS staff can help guide farmers to the best USDA assistance based on their conservation goals. You will meet with your local NRCS district conservationist, or conservation planning technician, for a science-based evaluation of the problems and opportunities on your land. NRCS staff members then analyze the findings and recommend the best strategies to address your issues and achieve valuable conservation opportunities and objectives.
Farmers who work with us at their local USDA Service Center can:
- Verify eligibility for USDA programs
- Discuss their business and conservation goals
- Create a conservation plan
- Learn how to meet conservation compliance provisions
A conservation plan is critical to maintain and improve your operation’s productivity. Plans of any kind are important as they set goals and outline how to reach them. Conservation plans are roadmaps for improving your operation while conserving natural resources. They provide proven strategies that landowners can use to solve identified natural resource concerns and take advantage of conservation opportunities.
If you’re interested in finding out more about conservation planning, I encourage you to contact your local USDA Service Center to discuss your operation’s needs.
See what other landowners are doing –
Learn more about the benefits of conservation practices directly from the farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners applying them with our Conservation at Work series. Explore the different types of conservation practices by watching these 90-second videos.
Important Dates to Remember:
- February 23: Calendar Year 2024 CSP Payment Deadline
- February 29: Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts Annual Meeting, Wyndham Riverfront Hotel, North Little Rock
- March 4, 2024: Public Comment period on NRCS 8 Conservation Practices closes
- March 15: 65th Rural Life Conference, Harrison HPER Complex, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
The USDA Arkansas Farm Service Agency (FSA) is committed to educating producers on available programs and loans. FSA representatives will be available at the following workshops and conferences. Producers interested in attending these conferences/workshops should follow the registration or RSVP instructions listed below.
Feb 20th – Listening Session for Urban Ag
The City of Little Rock, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Central Arkansas Sphinx Foundation (CASF) are hosting a listening session in Little Rock, Arkansas on February 20, 2024 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. USDA will explain USDA services and programs available to Pulaski County urban residents. In addition, USDA officials want to receive comments and questions from Pulaski County urban clients on what services and assistance they need from the urban office. The location of the listening session is Longley Baptist Church (9900 Geyer Springs Road, Little Rock, AR 72209). Please RSVP at casfworkshops@gmail.com or 501 412-5664. For additional information, please contact Kalven Trice at (501) 412-5664.
Mar 15th - UAPB’s Rural Life Conference The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is hosting the 2024 Rural Life Conference at the Pine Bluff Convention Center on March 15, 2024. Paul Casey, Agricultural Program Specialist and Chana Thompson, Farm Loan Chief will present a workshop on Conservation and Farm Loans. Additional information will be forthcoming. Visit School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (uapb.edu).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched an online application for Direct Loan customers. More than 26,000 customers who submit a Direct Loan application each year can now use an online, interactive, guided application that is paperless and provides helpful features including an electronic signature option, the ability to attach supporting documents such as tax returns, complete a balance sheet and build a farm operating plan. This tool is part of a broader effort by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to streamline its processes, improve customers service, and expand credit access.
The online farm loan application replicates the support an applicant would receive when completing a loan application in person with an FSA Farm Loan Officer, while continuing to provide customers with one-on-one assistance as needed. This tool and other process improvements allow farmers and ranchers to submit complete loan applications and reduce the number of incomplete and withdrawn applications.
Through a personalized dashboard, borrowers can track the progress of their loan application. It can be accessed on farmers.gov or by completing FSA’s Loan Assistance Tool at farmers.gov/loan-assistance-tool. To use the online loan application tool, producers must establish a USDA customer account and a USDA Level 2 eAuthentication (“eAuth”) account or a Login.gov account. For the initial stage, the online application tool is only available for producers who will be, or are currently, operating their farm as an individual. FSA is expanding the tools availability to married couples applying jointly and other legal entities in 2024.
Farm Loan Improvement Efforts
FSA has a significant initiative underway to streamline and automate Farm Loan Program customer-facing business processes. For the over 26,000 producers who submit a Direct Loan application to FSA annually, and its 85,000 Direct Loan borrowers, FSA has made improvements this year, including:
More Information
FSA continues to accept and review individual requests for assistance from borrowers who took certain extraordinary measures to avoid delinquency on their direct FSA loans or those who missed a recent installment or are unable to make their next scheduled installment. All requests for assistance must be received by Dec. 31, 2023. For more information, or to submit a request for assistance, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center or visit farmers.gov/inflation-reduction-investments/assistance.
The Inflation Reduction Act, a historic, once-in-a-generation investment and opportunity for agricultural communities, provided $3.1 billion for USDA to provide relief for distressed borrowers with certain FSA direct and guaranteed loans and to expedite assistance for those whose agricultural operations are at financial risk. Since October 2022, USDA has provided approximately $1.6 billion in immediate assistance to more than 27,000 financially distressed direct and guaranteed FSA loan borrowers.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) is committed to providing our farm loan borrowers the tools necessary to be successful. FSA staff will provide guidance and counsel from the loan application process through the borrower’s graduation to commercial credit. While it is FSA’s commitment to advise borrowers as they identify goals and evaluate progress, it is crucial for borrowers to communicate with their farm loan staff when changes occur. It is the borrower’s responsibility to alert FSA to any of the following:
- Any proposed or significant changes in the farming operation
- Any significant changes to family income or expenses
- The development of problem situations
- Any losses or proposed significant changes in security
If a farm loan borrower can’t make payments to suppliers, other creditors, or FSA on time, contact your farm loan staff immediately to discuss loan servicing options.
For more information on FSA farm loan programs, contact your Local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
The U. S Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing final Emergency Relief Program (ERP) payments totaling approximately $306 million to eligible commodity and specialty crop producers who incurred losses due to natural disasters in 2020 and 2021. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will begin issuing these additional payments to eligible producers this week.
Recipients of the additional payment are limited to those producers who received ERP Phase One payments from FSA that were calculated based on crop insurance indemnities. Initially, ERP Phase One payments to producers who were indemnified through Federal crop insurance, were subject to a 75% payment factor. FSA has since determined that adequate funding exists to provide an additional 3.5% ERP Phase One payment to producers who had crop insurance increasing the overall payment factor to 78.5%. These additional ERP Phase One payments are subject to FSA payment limitation provisions as outlined in the ERP Phase One fact sheet.
Because ERP Phase One payments to producers of noninsured crops covered by FSA NAP policies were originally paid at 100%, there will be no additional payments issued to these producers for 2020 and 2021 losses.
The Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act, 2021 (P.L. 117-43) provided $10 billion in assistance to agricultural producers impacted by wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, winter storms and other eligible disasters experienced during calendar years 2020 and 2021. In 2022, FSA implemented ERP Phase One, which delivered $7.5 billion in payments to commodity and specialty crop producers. For Phase One, ERP used a streamlined process with pre-filled application forms, leveraging crop insurance indemnities or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) payments on file with USDA.
Separately, through the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328) Congress allocated approximately $3.2 billion in funding to cover necessary expenses related to losses of revenue, quality or production losses of crops. Enrollment is ongoing for ERP 2022, which covers losses to crops, trees, bushes and vines due to qualifying, calendar year 2022 natural disaster events including wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, tornadoes, winter storms, freeze (including a polar vortex), smoke exposure, excessive moisture, qualifying drought and related conditions.
For more information, contact your local USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
FSA and NRCS program applicants for benefits are required to submit a completed CCC-902 (Farming Operation Plan) and CCC-941 Average Gross Income (AGI) Certification and Consent to Disclosure of Tax Information for FSA to determine the applicant’s payment eligibility and establish the maximum payment limitation applicable to the program applicant.
Participants are not required to annually submit new CCC-902s for payment eligibility and payment limitation purposes unless a change in the farming operation occurs that may affect the previous determination of record. A valid CCC-902 filed by the participant is considered to be a continuous certification used for all payment eligibility and payment limitation determinations applicable for the program benefits requested.
Participants are responsible for ensuring that all CCC-902 and CCC-941 and related forms on file in the county office are updated, current, and correct. Participants are required to timely notify the county office of any changes in the farming operation that may affect the previous determination of record by filing a new or updated CCC-902 as applicable.
Changes that may require a NEW determination include, but are not limited to, a change of:
- Shares of a contract, which may reflect:
- A land lease from cash rent to share rent
- A land lease from share rent to cash rent (subject to the cash rent tenant rule
- A modification of a variable/fixed bushel-rent arrangement
- The size of the producer’s farming operation by the addition or reduction of cropland that may affect the application of a cropland factor
- The structure of the farming operation, including any change to a member's share
- The contribution of farm inputs of capital, land, equipment, active personal labor, and/or active personal management
- Farming interests not previously disclosed on CCC-902 including the farming interests of a spouse or minor child
- Certifications of average AGI are required to be filed annually for participation in an annual USDA program. For multi-year conservation contracts and NRCS easements, a certification of AGI must be filed prior to approval of the contract or easement and is applicable for the duration of the contract period.
Participants are encouraged to file or review these forms within the deadlines established for each applicable program for which program benefits are being requested.
The term “sodbusting” is used to identify the conversion of land from native vegetation to commodity crop production after December 23, 1985. As part of the conservation provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985, if you’re proposing to produce agricultural commodities (crops that require annual tillage including one pass planting operations and sugar cane) on land that has been determined highly erodible and that has no crop history prior to December 23, 1985, that land must be farmed in accordance with a conservation plan or system that ensures no substantial increase in soil erosion.
Eligibility for many USDA programs requires compliance with a conservation plan or system on highly erodible land (HEL) used for the production of agricultural commodities. This includes Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan, disaster assistance, safety net, price support, and conservation programs; Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation programs; and Risk Management Agency (RMA) Federal crop insurance.
Before you clear or prepare areas not presently under production for crops that require annual tillage, you are required to file Form AD-1026 “Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification,” with FSA indicating the area to be brought into production. The notification will be referred to NRCS to determine if the field is considered highly erodible land. If the field is considered HEL, you are required to implement a conservation plan or system that limits the erosion to the tolerable soil loss (T) for the predominant HEL soil on those fields.
In addition, prior to removing trees or conducting any other land manipulations that may affect wetlands, remember to update form AD-1026, to ensure you remain in compliance with the wetland conservation provisions.
Prior to purchasing or renting new cropland acres, it is recommended that you check with your local USDA Service Center to ensure your activities will be in compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions.
For additional information on highly erodible land conservation and wetland conservation compliance, contact your local USDA Service Center.
Arkansas farmers and ranchers who are interested in planning and competing for potential funding opportunities should ACT NOW. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will be utilizing ACT NOW to process conservation applications in some ranking pools to deliver a conservation product faster.
Fiscal Year (FY)2024 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) ACT NOW allows Arkansas NRCS to immediately approve and obligate ranked applications in a designated ranking pool when an eligible application meets or exceeds the state-determined minimum ranking score. ACT NOW will utilize minimum ranking score thresholds for each ranking pool. This means no longer having to wait for all applications to be reviewed and preapproved in a ranking pool.
If a farmer or rancher has a pending Environmental Quality Incentives Program application at their USDA Field Service Center, or has never applied for EQIP, this is their chance to ACT NOW. This provides producers an opportunity to update their conservation plan or apply for a conservation plan for EQIP to address resource concerns on their property.
Arkansas FY2024 ACT NOW Opportunities include:
- AR Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative
- Conservation Practices available for funding: 325-Seasonal High Tunnel
- Minimum Ranking Score Threshold: 100 points
- AR Soil Health Initiative
- Conservation Practices available for funding: 340 Cover Crop, 328 Crop Rotation, 590 Nutrient Management, 329 Residue and Tillage Management (No-Till), 345 Residue and Tillage Management (Reduced Till), 336 Soil Carbon Amendment
- Minimum Ranking Score Threshold: 150 points
- AR Energy Initiative:
- Conservation Practices available: 374 Energy Efficient Agricultural Operation, 670 Energy Efficient Lighting System, and 672 Energy Efficient Building Envelope
- Minimum Ranking Score Threshold: 50 points
Farmers and ranchers are encouraged to be prepared to provide information about their anticipated crop rotation, any soil testing, and other relevant resource information like a nutrient management plan, soil health assessment, and pest management plan, including a chemical list for crop fields you wish to enroll. This preparedness will help to facilitate planning their project.
How to Apply
NRCS accepts applications for conservation programs year-round, but to be included in this ACT NOW funding opportunity, interested producers should contact their local USDA Service Center. Arkansas NRCS will use the ACT NOW process for some EQIP funding pools and projects beginning January 22, 2024, through February 22, 2024.
Applicants are encouraged to work with NRCS and the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to complete eligibility requirements at their earliest convenience during the application process and to update all their agricultural records for FY2024. Please visit your local USDA Service Center for additional information about ACT NOW or for information about other NRCS Farm Bill programs. You can locate your local Field Service Center at USDA Service Center Locator.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is seeking public comment on proposed revisions to eight national conservation practice standards. Comments are due March 4, 2024.
Proposed revisions to the national conservation practice standards include:
- Field Border (Code 386);
- Filter Strip (Code 393);
- Grazing Management (Code 528);
- Hedgerow Planting (Code 422);
- Mulching (Code 484);
- Seasonal Water Management for Wildlife (Code 646);
- Structure for Water Control (Code 587); and
- Wetland Restoration (Code 657).
Proposed text can be found on this NRCS webpage. Changes are included in this notice on the Federal Register. Comments should be submitted via regulations.gov or via mail by March 4, 2024.
NRCS regularly reviews all national conservation practices to seek opportunities to increase flexibility and incorporate new technologies to help the nation’s farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners better protect natural resources on their working lands. NRCS’s conservation practices offer guidelines for planning, installing, operating and maintaining conservation practices nationwide.
USDA announced a new effort to train the next generation of conservation and climate leaders. As part of President Biden’s historic American Climate Corps initiative, the Working Lands Climate Corps will provide technical training and career pathway opportunities for young people, helping them deliver economic benefits through climate-smart agriculture solutions for farmers and ranchers across the country, now and in the future.
Read more.
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency newly expanded crop insurance for sesame producers has sales closing dates approaching. The expanded program began this year and allows producers with a processor contract to request written agreements anywhere sesame or a similar crop has been grown successfully. Upcoming sales closing dates are February 28 and March 15. To purchase before your sales closing date, speak to a crop insurance agent as soon as possible.
Are you a military veteran interested in farming? USDA offers resources to help you:
-
Fund Your Operation: USDA’s Farm Service Agency offers a variety of funding opportunities to help agricultural producers finance their businesses. Certain funds are targeted for veterans and beginning farmers and ranchers.
-
Conserve Natural Resources: USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service offers conservation programs and expert one-on-one technical assistance to strengthen agricultural operations now and into the future. Veterans may be eligible for a cost share of up to 90 percent and advance payments of up to 50 percent to cover certain conservation practices.
-
Manage Risks: USDA is here to help you prepare for and recover from the unexpected. Veterans who are beginning farmers may be eligible for reduced premiums, application fee waivers, increased insurance coverage, and other incentives for multiple USDA programs that support risk management.
USDA wants to ensure that veterans transitioning to agriculture have the resources needed to succeed. To conduct business, please contact your local USDA Service Center. If you’re a new farmer, you can also reach out to your state Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinator.
 
|
