Maps are available at the Clay County FSA Office for acreage reporting purposes. If you wish to receive your maps by e-mail, please call our office or email iaspencer-fsa@usda.gov.   Acreage reporting for spring planted crops and perennial forage is July 15th, 2024. 

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

Producers are encouraged to file their acreage reports as soon as planting is completed.

Due to current conditions our office has received several questions about filing a Notice of Loss CCC-576. For prevented planting, we recommend producers contact their crop insurance to review their options and final planting dates before filing this form.

A link to farmers.gov and several resources for concerns about prevent planting can be accessed at this link:

Prevented or Delayed Planting | Farmers.gov  

Overview of Emergency Disaster Declarations and Designations

Farmers and ranchers know all too well that natural disasters can be a common, and likely a costly, variable to their operation. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) has emergency assistance programs to provide assistance when disasters strike, and for some of those programs, a disaster designation may be the eligibility trigger.

FSA administers four types of disaster designations.

USDA Secretarial Disaster Designation

• The designation process can be initiated by individual farmers, local government officials, State governors, State agriculture commissions, tribal councils or the FSA State Executive Director
• This designation is triggered by a 30-percent or greater production loss to at least one crop because of a natural disaster, or at least one producer who sustained individual losses because of a natural disaster and is unable to obtain commercial financing to cover those losses
• In 2012, USDA developed a fast-track process for disaster declarations for severe drought. This provides for a nearly automatic designation when, during the growing season, any portion of a county meets the D2 (Severe Drought) drought intensity value for eight consecutive weeks or a higher drought intensity value for any length of time as reported by the U.S. Drought Monitor (http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu)

Administrator’s Physical Loss Notification

• This designation is initiated by the FSA State Executive Director.
• The designation is triggered by physical damage and losses because of a natural disaster, including but not limited to dead livestock, collapsed buildings, and destroyed farm structures.

Presidential Designation

• A Presidential major disaster designation and emergency declaration is initiated by the Governor of the impacted state through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
• This designation is triggered by damage and losses caused by a disaster of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capability of the State and local governments.

Quarantine Designation

• This designation is requested of the Secretary of Agriculture by the FSA State Executive Director.
• A quarantine designation is triggered by damage and losses caused by the effects of a plant or animal quarantine approved by the Secretary under the Plant Protection Act or animal quarantine laws.

All four types of designations immediately trigger the availability of low-interest Emergency loans to eligible producers in all primary and contiguous counties. FSA borrowers in these counties who are unable to make their scheduled payments on any debt may be authorized to have certain set asides. Additional disaster assistance requiring a designation may also be provided by new programs in the future.

For more information on FSA disaster programs and disaster designations, contact your Clay County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov/disaster.

Track 2 is a revenue-based certification program designed to assist eligible producers who suffered an eligible decrease in revenue resulting from 2022 calendar year disaster events when compared with revenue in a benchmark years 2018 and 2019 using revenue information that is readily available from most tax records.

In cases where revenue does not reasonably reflect a normal year’s revenue, Track 2 provides an alternative method for establishing revenue. Likewise, Track 2 affords producers of crops that are used within an operation and do not generate revenue from the sale of the crop a method for establishing revenue for the purpose of applying for ERP 2022 benefits. Producers are not required to submit tax records to FSA unless requested by the County Committee if required for an FSA compliance spot check.  

Although not required when applying for ERP 2022 Track 2, applicants might find the following documents useful to the process:  

• Schedule F (Form 1040)  
• Profit or Loss from Farming or similar tax documents for tax years 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023.

Track 2 targets gaps in emergency relief assistance for eligible producers whose eligible losses were not covered by crop insurance or NAP including revenue losses too small (shallow loss) to be covered by crop insurance.  

Producers interested in applying for ERP 2022 Track 2, should contact their local FSA county office. A link to the fact sheet can be found here: Revenue Loss Assistance: ERP2 (usda.gov)

Marshall Wernimont is the new District Conservationist for NRCS in the Clay County Service Center.  We asked Marshall to tell us a bit about himself below:

I grew up in Sioux Rapids, IA just south of Spencer, about 20 minutes on US Hwy 71. I think that would make me a local boy.  I attended Sioux Central High School, where I was active in multiple sports, FFA, band and choir.  After graduating Sioux Central, I attended Iowa State University, I received my degree in Agricultural Education and Life Sciences, along with a minor in Agronomy. 

After college I spent time out in Montana working a 24,000-acre cow/calf operation, spending many days mending fences, tending the herd, and haying in the summers.  I came back to Iowa and worked as an electrician helper for my father’s business in Pomeroy, IA for a handful of years. Then, in June of 2020, I started working as a soil conservationist for the Natural Resource and Conservation Service.  I was married shortly after that, on September 11, 2021.

I currently reside in Rembrandt, IA, with my wife and our four dogs (3 German Shorthair Pointers and 1 wiener dog).  My hobbies include hunting, fishing, kayaking, smoking meats and attending many of the Sioux Central HS sporting events throughout the year. As one can tell with my list of hobbies, I love to spend time outdoors, which works hand in hand with my job to help put conservation on the ground here in Clay County.

All of us at the Clay County Service Center want to wish Marshall the best of luck in his new position and encourage our producers to stop in and visit with him about NRCS programs. 

Nick Woods is the new County Executive Director for FSA in the Clay County Service Center.  We asked Nick to tell us a bit about himself below:

I grew up in the small town of Newton, IL on a small row-crop farm raising standardbred horses and beef cattle.   I attended Eastern Illinois University and received my BA in Political Science/Public Administration in 2010.  In 2023, I obtained my master’s certificate in GIS from Northwest Missouri State.  I started with the Farm Service Agency in March 2023 after working as a Postmaster for the last 12 years. 

I moved to Iowa about 14 years ago and currently reside in Palo Alto County near Rodman.  There I live on our family farm with my husband Kipp.  We run a row crop operation of corn and soybeans with my father-in-law.  On occasion we also get a chance to plant peas and sweetcorn for Green Giant.  In my free time, I enjoy most things outdoors including bowhunting, biking, kayaking, and traveling. 

I joined the FSA because I wanted to assist our producers, ranchers, and landowners to keep the food and fiber they produce sustainable, abundant, and secure.  There is a lot that goes into that, and the biggest thing is outreach.  Our producers are the backbone of this community.  

All of us at the Clay County Service Center want to also wish Nick the best of luck in his new position and encourage producers to stop in and visit with him about FSA programs.