Mar. 15 - FSA: Deadline for 2024 ARC/PLC Contract Enrollment*

Mar. 27 - Bastrop County Conservation Partners Host Annual Local Work Group Meeting and Educational Event

*Reference articles below for more information  Link to more USDA deadlines - National Program Deadlines (farmers.gov)

Producers can establish a farm with Farm Service Agency (FSA) if they plan to apply for a program administered by FSA or another USDA agency that requires a farm number. To establish a farm, the following documentation can be provided to your local FSA office:

1. FSA form AD-2047 to collect personal information including address, Social Security Number, phone number(s), fax number(s), email address, etc., for each member of the farming operation, in addition to a copy of Social Security Card. If the farming interest is through an entity, the same information must be provided for the entity.
2. Copy of the deed or other legal document that transferred ownership of the property to you with all required signatures and stamps to show it has been notarized and recorded. Ownership information must be provided for all the agricultural land in which there is an interest (i.e. owner, operator, tenant, etc.), not only the farm that will be enrolled in an FSA or other USDA agency program. If you lease a farm, a deed must be provided to FSA to establish the farm, in addition to a copy of the lease(s) to verify the current operator or tenant on the farm.
3. If the property is owned and/or operated through an entity (i.e. corporation, LLC, partnership, etc.), copies of the official documents must be provided for the entity. This is required by federal regulation as verification for: (1) the representative authorized to sign for the entity, and (2) the entity exists and is recognized by the Texas Secretary of State, if applicable.
4. A map is not required to be submitted, but may assist FSA staff in locating property. Additional information may be requested, as required by FSA handbook 10-CM. Once the farm has been established, it will be assigned a farm number. The farm number is used by other USDA agencies for the program applications (i.e. NRCS uses farm numbers for EQIP applications, etc.). Producers will also be included on FSA’s mailing list and will receive monthly newsletters and other general mailings pertaining to USDA programs. Information Required for Land Changes If information for an existing farm number needs to be updated, such as the owner(s), operator, or the addition or removal of land, the below information can be provided to FSA to request the record change: Copy of Recorded Deed Copy of Field Notes and Survey Copy of the Plat Map

Establishing Producer Record

To create a producer record with FSA, the information for the applicable producer type must be submitted to your local FSA office. Additional information may be requested for determining payment eligibility to participate in FSA or other USDA programs.

Individuals: • AD-2047 • Social Security Card • Voided Check (if participating in FSA programs)

Estates: • Copy of Death Certificate • Copy of Employer Identification Number (EIN) assigned to the Estate by the IRS • Copy of Order to Probate, if the Estate will be probated • Copy of Will or Copy of Affidavit of Heirship • If no will, Original Letter of Testamentary or Letter of Administration

Corporations: • Copy of Articles of Incorporation • Copy of Bylaws • Copy of Certification of Incorporation • Copy of Organizational Meeting Minutes • Copy of SS-4 letter from the IRS, assigning the EIN for the corporation Note: If the corporation is made up of all individuals, the information for new individuals will be required as identified above.

Limited Liability Company (LLC): • Copy of Certificate of Organization • Copy of Exhibit A or Schedule A • Copy of Limited Liability Company Regulation • Copy of Operating Agreement • Copy of Organizational Meeting Minutes • Copy of SS-4 letter from the IRS, assigning the EIN for the LLC Note: If the LLC is made up of all individuals, the information for new individuals will be required as identified above. If the LLC is made up of a corporation or LTD/LP, the information required for that entity type will be required as identified on the page.

Limited Partnership (LTD) or (LP) • Copy of Certificate of Limited Partnership • Copy of Limited Partnership Agreement • Copy of Exhibit A or Schedule A • Copy of SS-4 letter from the IRS, assigning the EIN for the LTD or LP Note: If the LTD/LP is made up of all individuals, the information for new individuals will be required as identified above. If the LTD/LP is made up of a corporation or LLC, the information required for that entity type will be required as identified on the page.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that most farm loan borrowers will soon be able to make payments to their direct loans online through the Pay My Loan feature on farmers.gov in early February. Pay My Loan is part of a broader effort by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to streamline its processes, especially for producers who may have limited time during the planting or harvest seasons to visit a local FSA office; modernize and improve customer service; provide additional customer self-service tools; and expand credit access to assist more producers. 

On average, local USDA Service Centers process more than 225,000 farm loan payments each year. 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 farmers.gov/loans. To use the payment feature, producers must establish a USDA customer account and a USDA Level 2 eAuthentication (“eAuth”) account or a Login.gov account. This initial release only allows individuals with loans to make online payments. For now, borrowers with jointly payable checks will need to continue to make loan payments through their local office.

FSA has a significant initiative underway to streamline and automate the Farm Loan Program customer-facing business process. For the over 26,000 producers who submit a direct loan application annually, FSA has made various improvements including: 

• The Online Loan Application, an 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.
• The Loan Assistance Tool that provides customers with an interactive online, step-by-step guide to identifying the direct loan products that may be a fit for their business needs and to understanding the application process. 

A simplified direct loan paper application, which reduced loan applications by more than half, from 29 pages to 13 pages. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that agricultural producers can now enroll in the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2024 crop year. Producers can enroll and make election changes for the 2024 crop year starting Dec. 18, 2023. The deadline to complete enrollment and any election change is March 15, 2024.  

On Nov. 16, 2023, President Biden signed into law H.R. 6363, the Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024 (Pub. L. 118-22), which extended the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-334), more commonly known as the 2018 Farm Bill, through September 30, 2024. This extension allows authorized programs, including ARC and PLC, to continue operating. 

2024 Elections and Enrollment    

Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2024 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Also, if a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm it will continue for 2024 unless an election change is made.     

If producers do not submit their election revision by the March 15, 2024, deadline, their election remains the same as their 2023 election for commodities on the farm. Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the cropland.      

Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.      

2022 Crop Year Payments  

This fall, FSA issued payments totaling more than $267 million to agricultural producers who enrolled in the 2022 ARC-CO option and the ARC ARC-IC option for covered commodities that triggered a payment. Payments through the PLC option did not trigger for the 2022 crop year.  

ARC and PLC payments for a given crop year are paid out the following fall to allow actual county yields and the Market Year Average prices to be finalized. These payments help mitigate fluctuations in either revenue or prices for certain crops. Payments for crops that may trigger for the 2023 crop year will be issued in the fall of 2024.    

Crop Insurance Considerations    

ARC and PLC are part of a broader USDA safety net that also includes crop insurance and marketing assistance loans.    

Producers are reminded that ARC and PLC elections and enrollments can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products.    

Producers on farms with a PLC election can purchase Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) through their Approved Insurance Provider; however, producers on farms where ARC is the election are ineligible for SCO on their planted acres for that crop on that farm.    

Unlike SCO, the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) is unaffected by an ARC election.  Producers may add ECO regardless of the farm program election.   

Upland cotton farmers who choose to enroll seed cotton base acres in ARC or PLC are ineligible for the stacked income protection plan (STAX) on their planted cotton acres for that farm.      

Web-Based Decision Tools    

Many universities offer web-based decision tools to help producers make informed, educated decisions using crop data specific to their respective farming operations. Producers are encouraged to use the tool of their choice to support their ARC and PLC elections.  

More Information     

For more information on ARC and PLC, producers can visit the ARC and PLC webpage or contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also make elections and complete enrollment online with level 2 eAuth.  

When: March 27, 2024 Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Location: McKinney Roughs Nature Park 1884 State Highway 71 W, Cedar Creek, TX 78612

February 29, 2024 —The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Bastrop County Soil and Water Conservation District are seeking input from the public on how to best serve local citizens through Farm Bill conservation programs and technical assistance. The public is invited to attend their Fiscal Year 2025 Local Working Group (LWG) meeting March 27, 2024, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. An educational program focusing on Soil Health, Water Quality Management Plans and the LCRA Creekside Conservation Program will precede the working group session. Please see the flyer for more details. 

This meeting is an opportunity to bring farmers, ranchers, conservationists, and others together to discuss natural resource needs and set local conservation priorities. The information gathered at these listening sessions helps provide NRCS and the Districts the necessary technical and financial support to help land managers make on-the ground management decisions that produce positive ecological outcomes at the local and state level. This input helps determine collaborative efforts for natural resource priorities and identifies opportunities to address them with conservation practices that improve soils, watershed health, biodiversity and farmers’ livelihoods.

Conservation stakeholders and others interested in obtaining Federal technical and financial assistance to improve private land in Bastrop County are encouraged to participate in this meeting. A formal LWG committee will be formed at the workgroup session. Individuals interested in being a member of this committee are welcome to make their interest known by contacting the Bastrop County SWCD at bastropcounty@swcd.texas.gov.

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Hilary Bravenec, District Conservationist at 512-321-2489 ext. 3 or via email at hilary.bravenec@usda.gov . A request for accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting. For more information, visit the Texas NRCS website or the Bastrop County SWCD website.