As a third-generation beef producer raising the fourth generation, it is a great honor to celebrate the beef industry in the United States. The American beef industry raised approximately 26.96 billion pounds of beef in 2023, accounting for just under 22% of the world’s total beef production.

Although not a large beef producing state, Indiana is home to some of the best beef show-and seed stock operations in the country. As I have grown up in the beef industry, it has been a great pleasure to work with some of the best cattlemen right here in the Hoosier state. As May is the month dedicated to recognizing our beef producers, it’s the perfect time to fire up the grills as spring is in full gear! Whether you are a steak or hamburger enthusiast, beef producers provide a vital source of protein for our daily lives. As the roars of the Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway begin to intensify, we know beef may be on the plate of many race fans.

Indiana FSA encourages you to race into your county office as acreage reporting begins in the next few weeks, too. Our offices stand ready to share the available voluntary programs that await you, as a farmer, here in Indiana. Wishing you continued safe planting and great grilling this month of May.

Sincerely in Agriculture,

Farmers 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 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.

A multi-agency guide for USDA assistance for underserved farmers and ranchers is now available. If you are a farmer or rancher and are a minority, woman, veteran, beginning, or limited resource producer, you can use this booklet to learn about assistance and targeted opportunities available to you.

This includes programs offered through the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Risk Management Agency. Download the guide here.

The guide is also available in Spanish, Hmong, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese on farmers.gov/translations. 

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:

• Precision Agriculture Equipment - Eligible producers could use a Term Operating Loan to purchase equipment like GPS globes, monitors, or strip till fertilizer equipment.
• Cover Crops - Eligible producers could use an Annual Operating Loan for seed costs.
• No/Reduced Till - Eligible producers could use a Term Operating Loan to purchase equipment.
• Livestock Facility Air Scrubber or Waste Treatment - Eligible producers could use a Farm Ownership Loan for capital improvements to livestock facilities.
• 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.

Update Your Records Prior to Your Acreage Reporting Appointment

To streamline your acreage reporting appointment, please report any changes of address, zip code, phone number, email address or an incorrect name or business name on file to your local FSA office. This includes changes in your farm operation, like the addition of a farm by lease or purchase or any changes to your operation in which you reorganize to form a Trust, LLC or other legal entity.

FSA and NRCS program participants are required to promptly report changes in their farming operation to the County Committee in writing and to update their Farm Operating Plan on form CCC-902.

Maps Available for Pickup

Acreage reporting maps are available in most Indiana FSA county offices. If you have not
already received or picked up your maps, please contact your county office to have them mailed, emailed or prepared for pick up. Farm Service Agency (FSA) acreage reporting policy for cover crops, revising intended use, late-filed provisions and grazing allotments. 

Reporting Cover Crops:

Cover crop types can be chosen from the following four categories:

• Cereals and other grasses
• Legumes
• Brassicas and other broadleaves
• Mixtures

If the cover crop is harvested for any use other than forage or grazing and is not terminated according to policy guidelines, then that crop will no longer be considered a cover crop and the acreage report must be revised to reflect the actual crop.

Permitted Revision of Intended use After Acreage Reporting Date:

New operators or owners who pick up a farm after the acreage reporting deadline has passed and the crop has already been reported on the farm, have 30 calendar days from the date when the new operator or owner acquired the lease on land, control of the land or ownership and new producer crop share interest in the previously reported crop acreage. Under this policy, appropriate documentation must be provided to the County Committee’s satisfaction to determine that a legitimate operator or ownership and producer crop share interest change occurred to permit the revision.

Acreage Reports:

To maintain program eligibility and benefits, you must timely file acreage reports. Failure to file an acreage report by the crop acreage reporting deadline may result in ineligibility for future program benefits. FSA will not accept acreage reports provided more than a year after the acreage reporting deadline.  

Reporting Grazing Allotments:

FSA offices can now accept acreage reports for grazing allotments. You will use form “FSA-578” to report grazing allotments as animal unit months (AUMs) using the “Reporting Unit” field. Your local FSA office will need the grazing period start and end date and the percent of public land.

Definitions of Terms

FSA defines “idle” as cropland or a balance of cropland within a Common Land Unit (CLU) (field/subfield) which is not planted or considered not planted and does not meet the definition of fallow or skip row.

Fallow is considered unplanted cropland acres which are part of a crop/fallow rotation where cultivated land that is normally planted is purposely kept out of production during a regular growing season.

Know Your Final Planting Dates

All producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA office for more information on the final planting date for specific crops. The final planting dates vary by crop, planting period and county so please contact your local FSA office for a list of county-specific planting deadlines. The timely planting of a crop, by the final planting date, may prevent loss of program benefits.

Producers are encouraged to schedule an appointment with their local USDA
service center to file their acreage reports as soon as planting is completed.

Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs) and Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) provide financing and marketing assistance for producers of for wheat, feed grains, soybeans, and other oilseeds, honey as well as graded and non-graded wool, mohair, and unshorn pelts.

MALs and LDPs provide producers with interim financing after harvest or during shearing to help meet cash flow needs without having to sell commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows, enabling you to delay selling until more favorable marketing conditions emerge. 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.

The deadline for 2023 MALs and LDPs on Harvested Feed Grains and Soybeans is May 31, 2024.

FSA is now accepting requests for 2024 MALs and LDPs for all eligible wool, mohair and unshorn pelts. These requests should be made on or before the final availability date of January 31, 2025. USDA recently announced 2024 wool and mohair marketing assistance loan rates.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a wool or mohair MAL or LDP, producers must produce and shear eligible mohair and wool in the U.S. during the applicable crop year and must:

• comply with conservation and wetland protection requirements,
• report all cropland acreage on applicable farms where the eligible commodity is produced,
• have and retain beneficial interest in the commodity until the MAL is repaid or the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) takes title to the commodity, and
• meet Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limitations.

Unshorn pelts are eligible for LDPs only. In addition to the criteria above, producers of unshorn pelts must have sold the unshorn lamb for immediate slaughter or slaughter the lambs for personal use. LDPs and marketing loan gains are not subject to payment limitation, including actively engaged in farming and cash rent tenant provisions.

In addition to producer eligibility, the loan commodity must have been produced and shorn from live animals by an eligible producer, be in storable condition, and meet specific CCC minimum grade and quality standards.  Producers are responsible for any loss in quantity or quality of the wool or mohair pledged as loan collateral.

To retain beneficial interest, the producer must have control and title of the grain, wool, mohair, or unshorn pelt. If beneficial interest in the commodity is lost, the commodity loses eligibility for an MAL or LDP and remains ineligible even if the producer later regains beneficial interest. The producer must be able to make all decisions affecting the commodity including movement, sale, and the request for an MAL or LDP.

Producers may repay an MAL any time during the loan period at the lesser of the loan rate plus accrued interest and other charges or an alternative loan repayment rate, the national posted price, which is announced weekly. Visit the Farm Service Agency (FSA) website for posted loan and LDP rates.

How to Apply

Producers can apply for an MAL by contacting their local FSA county office. To be considered for a LDP, producers must first have the form CCC-633 EZ, Page 1, on file with FSA prior to losing beneficial interest in the wool, mohair or unshorn pelt. It is best to visit the county office and submit the CCC-633 Page 1 right before you shear. This is completed one time per crop year and indicates your intention to receive LDP benefits.

To apply and learn more information, contact your local USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.

Do you want to receive important information on programs, eligibility requirements, deadlines and more from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)? If so, you have the option to subscribe to electronic newsletters and text alerts!

To subscribe to Electronic Newsletters from your local USDA Service Center, visit farmers.gov/subscribe or contact your local USDA Service Center for assistance.

If you do not have access to reliable internet service or prefer not to utilize the electronic newsletter service, copies of electronic Service Center or state newsletters can be picked up at your local USDA Service Center.

Subscribing to Text Alerts from your local USDA Service Center is a breeze, simply text the Service Center Keyword to 372-669. Keywords are county specific consisting of the 2-letter state abbreviation and the county name. Example: For Ripley County, IN you would enter INRipley.

Standard text messaging rates apply. Contact your wireless carrier for details associated with your particular data plan. Participants may unsubscribe at any time.

You also have the opportunity to subscribe to State Specific Newsletters and News Releases when visiting farmers.gov/subscribe.

For subscription assistance contact your local USDA Service Center.