Happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Month and Happy Jewish American Heritage Month. These recognitions are important to us here at the USDA, and these months provide us an intentional time to reflect upon and celebrate the remarkable role of the AANHPI and Jewish American communities in our nation’s history.
Memorial Day, May 27th – Often seen as the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day is an opportunity to honor those who we have lost while in service, both in times of peace and war. Our National Day of Remembrance is often felt most deeply among the families and communities who have lost friends and loved ones. I and the CT Farm Service Agency staff respectfully and gratefully remember those who laid down their lives so we can enjoy the freedoms we experience every day.
Highly Pathogenic Aviation Influenza (HPAI) - As our colleagues at APHIS learn more about this evolving situation, they will continue to provide guidance for producers, veterinarians, and state animal health officials. As the situation changes, APHIS continues to post updated information through their website: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock. Take a look at their regularly updated Frequently Asked Questions page at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/hpai-dairy-faqs.pdf
Farm Service Agency Program Opportunities and New Resources - This time of year is beyond busy for producers. Even so, here are some opportunities and resources available that I believe are worth the time to review, even amidst the hectic planting season.
- Did you know that Farm Loan Programs can be used to support a variety of climate-smart agriculture practices, which build on many practices that Connecticut’s producers already use, like cover cropping, nutrient management, and conservation tillage? FSA offers multiple types of loans to help farmers start, expand, or maintain an agricultural operation. These loans can provide the capital needed to invest in climate-smart practices and equipment including the establishment of rotational grazing systems, precision agriculture equipment, or machinery for conversion to no-till residue management.
- And did you know that if you’re an underserved producer and participating in the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), you can receive an advanced conservation practice payment before you implement a practice?
- Have you checked out the farmers.gov local dashboard, a dashboard of farming data and USDA resources that is available for Connecticut? The gov local dashboard was created just for you - to provide farmer-focused data sets and resources from USDA and other government agencies in a single place so you can easily access materials that you may need as you run your farm operation. This includes commodity prices, weather forecasts, historical climate data, past storm events, USDA service center information, and additional state resources, like your county’s drought data from the U.S. drought monitor, contact information for your state’s beginning farmer and rancher coordinator or state agency offices, and state GovDelivery subscriptions.
- The USDA partnered with FarmRaise to develop a new LIP tool and the farm loan informational video resources which are now available at farmraise.com/usda-fsa and includes an online, educational hub - called Farm Service Agency 1 - comprised of videos and resources that enable cooperators and the agricultural producers they serve to learn about and access major FSA programs.
Keep reading below for more information on each of the USDA programs and initiatives!
With planting season underway and summer rapidly approaching, please remember that FSA is here to help. Please give us a call or schedule an appointment at your local county service center.
Stay safe,
Emily J. Cole, PhD
State Executive Director
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May 24, 2024 - Deadline to apply for NRCS Connecticut's Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG).
May 30, 2024 - Deadline to apply to NRCS Connecticut Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
May 31, 2024 - Deadline to request Soybean referendum with the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).
June 15, 2024 - Deadline to apply tp NRCS Connecticut Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).
July 15, 2024 - Deadline to report your acreage for perennial crops.
 The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds agricultural producers that Farm Loan Programs can be used to support a variety of climate-smart agriculture practices, which build on many practices that farmers and ranchers already use, like cover cropping, nutrient management and conservation tillage.
Climate-smart agricultural practices generate significant environmental benefits by capturing and sequestering carbon, improving water management, restoring soil health and more. Farm loan funding complements other tools to help producers adopt climate-smart practices, such as FSA’s Conservation Reserve Program, crop insurance options that support conservation, and conservation programs offered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
FSA offers multiple types of loans to help farmers and ranchers start, expand or maintain a family agricultural operation. These loans can provide the capital needed to invest in climate-smart practices and equipment including the establishment of rotational grazing systems, precision agriculture equipment or machinery for conversion to no-till residue management. Additionally, for programs like Conservation Reserve Program and NRCS conservation programs where USDA and the producer share the implementation cost, a farm loan could be used for the producer’s share, if consistent with the authorized loan purpose.
Some additional ways farm loans can be leveraged to invest in climate-smart agriculture practices or equipment include:
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Precision Agriculture Equipment - Eligible producers could use a Term Operating Loan to purchase equipment like GPS globes, monitors, or strip till fertilizer equipment.
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Cover Crops - Eligible producers could use an Annual Operating Loan for seed costs.
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No/Reduced Till - Eligible producers could use a Term Operating Loan to purchase equipment.
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Livestock Facility Air Scrubber or Waste Treatment - Eligible producers could use a Farm Ownership Loan for capital improvements to livestock facilities.
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Cross Fencing - Eligible producers could use an Annual or Term Operating Loan to purchase fencing and installation equipment.
Visit the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry webpage on farmers.gov to learn more and see detailed examples of how an FSA farm loan can support climate-smart agriculture practices.
The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) today unveiled a new, online Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) Decision Tool and farm loan resources available to agricultural producers and cooperators who help producers access USDA disaster assistance, farm loans and other federal farm programs. The new LIP tool and the farm loan informational video resources were developed in partnership with FarmRaise and USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). These tools are now available at www.farmraise.com/usda-fsa.
Current FarmRaise Tools and Resources
FarmRaise, Inc. has created an online, educational hub -- called Farm Service Agency 101 – comprised of videos, and resources that enable cooperators and the agricultural producers they serve to learn about and access major FSA programs.
The newly launched LIP Decision Tool assists livestock producers who suffered losses from eligible adverse weather events and other causes of loss as well as cooperators who are helping disaster-impacted livestock producers navigate available federal disaster assistance programs. The optional decision tool gives producers guidance on what is needed to gather and submit required loss documentation, reducing the amount of time needed to complete applications and enabling FSA county office staff to deliver much-needed assistance faster. Using this tool, however, is not an application for benefits or a determination of eligibility.
Through use of the LIP tool, livestock producers can provide supporting documentation, inventory numbers, and loss numbers to FSA county offices. Doing so, in advance of the initial county office visit, will help FSA staff serve customers more effectively and efficiently. Producers will also need to complete an application for LIP assistance and, upon request, may be asked to provide additional supporting documentation.
LIP offers payments to livestock producers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by qualifying adverse weather events. LIP also covers losses due to eligible diseases and attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law. This includes attacks by wolves and predatory birds.
In addition to the new LIP Decision Tool, the FarmRaise educational hub offers several, easily navigated farm loan programs how-to videos designed to introduce producers to FSA’s many farm loan programs options and guide them through the application process.
More FSA program resources and tools will soon be added to the FarmRaise educational hub. Cooperators and agricultural producers are encouraged to visit the FarmRaise educational hub often to access all available resources.
About the Partnership
USDA cooperators are organizations on the frontlines of access and often are the first point of contact connecting farmers to USDA programs. The partnership between FarmRaise, Inc. and FSA, through a cooperative agreement, aims to improve producer participation and customer experience in USDA programs through education and technical assistance to young, beginning, and small-scale to mid-sized producers, producers with disabilities, and veterans.
By developing a digital educational hub that delivers free, user-friendly, producer and cooperator-tested resources USDA and FarmRaise, Inc. will help FSA expedite program delivery to agricultural producers. The hub offers how-to videos and visual aids that educate producers about FSA programs and prepares them for submitting applications for program participation.
More Information
For more information about FSA farm and farm loan programs, visit fsa.usda.gov or contact your local USDA Service Center - farmers.gov/service-center-locator. To learn more about
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 We’re excited to share that the farmers.gov local dashboard, a dashboard of farming data and USDA resources for your state and county, is now available for all 50 states!
Why We Created the Dashboard
We created the farmers.gov local dashboard to provide farmer-focused data sets and resources from USDA and other government agencies in a single place so you can easily access materials that you may need as you run your farm operation. We also transformed some of the complex data sets into easy-to-read charts and graphs to help you quickly find and analyze information that matters to you.
Dashboard Features
Like the other states, the additional state dashboards include:
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Commodity Prices. View daily or weekly commodity prices and trends in prices over time to make data-driven business decisions with data provided by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). Corn and soybean data is available for Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio, and South Dakota. Corn and wheat pricing is available for Kansas. Whole chicken and chicken parts data is available for Alaska, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
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Weather Forecast. View local current, upcoming, and severe weather information to plan and prepare for weather conditions that may impact your operation with data from the National Weather Service (NWS).
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Historical Climate Data. View historical temperature and precipitation data to analyze weather patterns over time with data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
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Past Storm Events. View past storm events data from the NOAA NCEI storm events database to be aware of storm events that may occur in your area during certain time periods or use as a reference when applying for crop insurance from the Risk Management Agency (RMA) or USDA disaster assistance programs.
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USDA Service Centers. View your local USDA service center contact information to connect with FSA, NRCS, or Rural Development (RD) staff for your business needs.
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Additional State Resources. View additional resources, like your county’s drought data from the U.S. drought monitor, contact information for your state’s beginning farmer and rancher coordinator or state agency offices, and state GovDelivery subscription.
What's Next
Over the past year, we received and reviewed all of your feedback on how to expand and improve the dashboard. Based on your responses, we’re planning new features and updates to the dashboard to better meet your needs. We’ve also made a number of fixes and adjustments to the existing features as a result of your feedback.
Improving the dashboard is an ongoing effort, so your continued feedback is welcomed and appreciated. Explore the farmers.gov local dashboard and let us know what you think!
Subscribe to the farmers.gov email list to get updates on the latest news from farmers.gov, including information about updates to the dashboard.
If you’re an underserved producer and participating in the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), you can receive an advance conservation practice payment before you implement a practice.
A underserved producer is described as one of the below:
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Beginning Farmer or Rancher – is new to farming or ranching, or, has operated a farm or ranch for less than 10-consecutive years.
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Socially Disadvantaged Farmer or Rancher – is a member of a group whose members have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice because of their identity as members of that group without regard to their individual qualities.
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Veteran Farmer or Rancher – has served in the armed forces and has not operated a farm or ranch, has operated a farm or ranch for less than 10-consecutive years, or first obtained veteran status during the last 10 years.
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Limited Resource Farmer or Rancher – has a household income at or below the national poverty level. Eligibility can be determined by using this online tool.
Under the advance payment option, such producers may request payments when they have final designs and job sheets and are ready to begin their EQIP practices. Advance payments provide at least 50 percent of the payment rate for each practice. The funds must be spent within 90 days of receipt and practices must be completed as agreed to in an EQIP plan of operations. Producers also may opt to have NRCS pay the contractors or vendors directly.
For more information, visit the advance payments webpage where you can download the EQIP Advance Payment Fact Sheet.
 Nominations open from May 7, 2024 to July 7, 2024
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for four positions on the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. USDA will accept nominations from May 7, 2024, to July 7, 2024. The 12-member Committee, which first convened in March 2022, is part of USDA’s efforts to increase support for urban agriculture and innovative production. Members of the Committee provide input on policy development and help identify barriers to urban agriculture as USDA works to promote urban farming and the economic opportunities it provides in cities across the country.
Members of the Committee include representative from urban and innovative agricultural production, higher education or extension programs, non-profits, business and economic development, supply chain, and financing. Last year, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed four new members to the Committee to replace members whose terms expired. The Committee’s last public meeting was held in April 2024.
Nominations
USDA is seeking nominations for individuals representing a broad spectrum of expertise. Four positions are open for nominations including:
- One individual who is an agricultural producer or farmer using innovative technology.
- One individual representing an institution of higher education or extension program.
- One individual with supply chain experience, which may include a food aggregator, wholesale food distributor, food hub, or an individual who has direct-to-consumer market experience.
- One individual representing related experience in urban, indoor and other emerging agriculture production practices.
Individuals who wish to be considered for membership must submit a nomination package including the following:
- A completed background disclosure form (Form AD-755) signed by the nominee.
- A brief summary explaining the nominee’s interest in one or more open vacancies including any unique qualifications that address the membership composition and criteria described above.
- A resume providing the nominee's background, experience, and educational qualifications.
- Recent publications by the nominee relative to extending support for urban agriculture or innovative production (optional).
- Letter(s) of endorsement (optional).
Nomination packages must be submitted by email to UrbanAgricultureFederalAdvisoryCommittee@usda.gov or postmarked by July 7, 2024. If sending by mail, packages should be addressed to USDA NRCS, Attn: Brian Guse, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 4083, Washington, DC 20250. Any interested person or organization may nominate qualified individuals for membership, including self-nominations. For special accommodations, contact Markus Holliday at UrbanAgricultureFederalAdvisoryCommittee@usda.gov.
Additional details are available in the Federal Register notice.
More Information
The Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production was established through the 2018 Farm Bill. It is led by NRCS and works in partnership with numerous USDA agencies that support urban agriculture and innovative production. The Committee is part of a broad USDA investment in urban agriculture and innovative production. Other efforts include:
- Investing $9.1 million for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production competitive grants in fiscal year 2023.
- Administering the People’s Garden Initiative, which celebrates collaborative gardens across the country and worldwide that benefit their communities by growing fresh, healthy food and supporting resilient, local food systems using sustainable practices and providing greenspace.
- Investing approximately $11.5 million in cooperative agreements that develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans in fiscal year 2023.
- Investing $40 million, made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, into partnerships with community-based organizations to that will conduct outreach, education and technical assistance to support urban producers.
- Investing in risk management education to broaden reach of crop insurance among urban and innovative producers.
- Organizing 27 FSA urban county committees to make important decisions about how FSA farm programs are administered locally. Urban farmers who participate in USDA programs in the areas selected are encouraged to participate by nominating and voting for county committee members.
- Establishing 17 new Urban Service Centers staffed by FSA and NRCS employees where urban producers can access farm loan, conservation, disaster assistance and risk management programs.
- Partnering with the Vermont Law and Graduate School Center for Agriculture and Food Systems to develop resources that help growers understand and work through local policies.
Learn more at www.usda.gov/urban. For additional resources available to producers, download the Urban Agriculture at a Glance brochure or visit www.farmers.gov/urban.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities throughout America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.
Farmers and ranchers can contact a call center to receive one-on-one assistance from USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) employees ready to help. By calling 877-508-8364, customers can ask questions about FSA programs.
The call center was created as a way to better serve customers, especially those who have not worked with FSA previously.
Customers who contact the call center can expect to receive the same great service they would receive as if they were in their FSA county office.
FSA Call Center staff can also provide service to non-English speaking customers. Customers using the call center will still call 877-508-8364 and select 1 for English and 2 to speak with a Spanish-speaking employee. For other languages, customers select 1 and indicate their language to the call center staff.
The call center is just one of many ways USDA has adjusted and added flexibilities to meet the needs of our customers. One thing remains the same, USDA stands committed to offering exceptional customer service to our nation’s farmers and ranchers.
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 As the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s primary private lands conservation agency, NRCS delivers the data, technology, and standards that enable landowners and our many conservation partners to make decisions informed by objective, reliable science.
The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) is an effort led by NRCS to evaluate and inform voluntary conservation across the nation’s working lands. From a decadal report on the outcomes of voluntary conservation in the sagebrush biome to new data-driven tools for individual landowners, CEAP helps provide the science backing we need to:
- Identify how and where to invest conservation resources most strategically.
- Evaluate the outcomes of on-the-ground conservation actions.
- Leverage lessons learned from these findings to strengthen future conservation delivery.
Recent CEAP deliverables that support voluntary wildlife conservation include:
Visit the CEAP Wildlife Assessments webpage to access more than 130 publications and other reports, webinar recordings, and interactive, data-based tools to support voluntary wildlife conservation.
 USDA has expanded its Nursery Value Select (NVS) crop insurance program to all counties in all states, and the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) is encouraging interested nursery producers to learn more about the program through upcoming informational workshops. These sessions will be valuable for producers in the newly expanded areas and especially for the Nursery Field Grown and Container (FG&C) crop insurance program, which ends beginning with the 2026 crop year.
Nursery Value Select is a pilot program that enables nursery producers to select the dollar amount of coverage that best fits their risk management needs. Its expansion is part of RMA’s efforts to provide insurance options for a broader group of producers, including specialty crop producers.
There is one more Nursery Value Select workshop on July 18. See more details here.
RMA has administered the Nursery FG&C crop insurance program for nearly 30 years. However, the program relies on a partnership between RMA and a private contractor to update and maintain the Eligible Plant List and Plant Price Schedule and associated software packages. The private contractor will be closing after providing all necessary contractual obligations for the 2025 crop year. Without access to the price schedule and associated software, the Nursery FG&C program will no longer be available to nursery producers beginning with the 2026 crop year.
Nursery Value Select will be able to offer comparable but improved risk management options for those who currently have coverage with the Nursery FG&C program, making RMA’s informational workshops a valuable opportunity to learn more about Nursery Value Select and any required transitions.
Prior to the expansion, Nursery Value Select was only available in select counties in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. Beginning with the 2025 crop year, Nursery Value Select will be available in all counties in all states. The sales closing date for the 2025 crop year is May 1, 2024, or Sept. 1, 2024, as provided in the actuarial documents.
Nursery Value Select was first available in the 2021 crop year, and producers insured more than $460 million in liabilities in crop year 2023.
Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Producers can learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting their RMA Regional Office.
 USDA will fund $500,000 through Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for the development of new tools, approaches, practices and technologies to further conservation on Connecticut private lands. USDA is accepting proposals through May, 24 2024, for the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) works with conservation partners through CIG to address our nation's water quality, air quality, soil health and wildlife habitat challenges with creative problem solving and innovation, all while improving agricultural operations.
State CIG Classic is the state-level competition for projects that support early-stage development and piloting of new tools, practices and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands. While the overall goal and approach match those of the national CIG Classic competition, CIG state competitions fund projects that target state-identified conservation priorities. Each year, NRCS state offices may elect to administer their own CIG competitions. State CIG competitions are announced and funded separately from national competitions.
NRCS invites proposals that support one or more of Connecticut priorities, including seeking to benefit the climate by reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and the producer, by improving access to programs and providing financial and technical assistance to improve their farm, ranch, urban operation or forest land including reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on May 24, 2024. This grant is being funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) which provides the NRCS CIG Program with funds for its existing conservation programs.
For more information, visit the Connecticut State CIG website to learn more about the CIG program.
Landowners and operators are reminded that in order to receive payments from USDA, compliance with Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions are required. Farmers with HEL determined soils are reminded of tillage, crop residue, and rotation requirements as specified per their conservation plan. Producers are to notify the USDA Farm Service Agency prior to breaking sod, clearing land (tree removal), and of any drainage projects (tiling, ditching, etc.) to ensure compliance. Failure to update certification of compliance, with form AD-1026, triggering applicable HEL and/or wetland determinations, for any of these situations, can result in the loss of FSA farm program payments, FSA farm loans, NRCS program payments, and premium subsidy to Federal Crop Insurance administered by RMA.
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