Apply for 2024 expenses
through January 31, 2025
USDA is expanding the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program to now include medium-sized businesses in addition to small businesses. Eligible specialty crop growers can apply for assistance for expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification. The program has also been expanded to include assistance for 2024 and 2025 expenses. Producers can now apply for assistance on their calendar year 2024 expenses. Deadline to apply for 2024 expenses is January 31, 2025. For program year 2025, the application period will be January 1, 2025, through January 31, 2026.
Program Details
FSCSC assists specialty crop operations that incurred eligible on-farm food safety certification and expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety. FSCSC covers a percentage of the specialty crop operation’s cost of obtaining or renewing its certification, as well as a portion of related expenses.
Eligible FSCSC applicants must be a specialty crop operation; meet the definition of a small or medium-size business and have paid eligible expenses related to certification.
- A small business has an average annual monetary value of specialty crops sold by the applicant during the three-year period preceding the program year of no more than $500,000.
- A medium size business has an average annual monetary value of specialty crops the applicant sold during the three-year period preceding the program year of at least $500,001 but no more than $1,000,000.
Specialty crop operations can receive the following cost assistance:
- Developing a food safety plan for first-time food safety certification.
- Maintaining or updating an existing food safety plan.
- Food safety certification.
- Certification upload fees.
- Microbiological testing for products, soil amendments and water.
FSCSC payments are calculated separately for each eligible cost category. Details about payment rates and limitations are available at farmers.gov/food-safety.
Applying for Assistance
Interested applicants have until January 31, 2025, to apply for assistance for 2024 eligible expenses. FSA will issue payments as applications are processed and approved. For program year 2025, the application period will be January 1, 2025, through January 31, 2026. FSA will issue 50% of the calculated payment for program year 2025 following application approval, with the remaining amount to be paid after the application deadline. If calculated payments exceed the amount of available funding, payments will be prorated.
Specialty crop producers can apply by completing the FSA-888-1, Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program (FSCSC) for Program Years 2024 and 2025 application. The application, along with the AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet and SF-3881, ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form, if not already on file with FSA, can be submitted to the FSA office at any USDA Service Center nationwide by mail, fax, hand delivery or via electronic means. Alternatively, producers with an eAuthentication account can apply for FSCSC online. Producers interested in creating an eAuthentication account should visit farmers.gov/sign-in.
Specialty crop producers can also call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with an FSA employee ready to assist. Visit farmers.gov/food-safety for additional program details, eligibility information and forms needed to apply.
More Information
To learn more about FSA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and view other farm records data and customer information by logging into their farmers.gov account. Producers without an account can sign up today.
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Producers are encouraged to schedule
an appointment with their local
USDA Service Center
to file their acreage reports as soon as planting is completed.
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July 4 – Offices Closed in Observance of Independence Day
July 5 – Final Date to Submit a Prevented Planting Claim for Soybeans
July 15 – Final Acreage Reporting Date for All Other Crops & CRP (Including Cucumbers Planted 5/10 – 6/15 in All Other Indiana Counties)
August 15 - Final Acreage Reporting Date for Cucumbers (Planted 6/16 - 8/5 in Fulton, LaPorte, Porter and St. Joseph Counties)
September 16 - Final Acreage Reporting Date for Cucumbers (Planted 6/1 - 8/15 in Knox County)
If you participated in the 2023 Individual Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC-IC) program, you are required to certify your 2023 crop yields for each covered commodity planted in 2023. The deadline to certify your yields is July 15, 2024.
The following production records can be used to support your certified yield:
- Crop Insurance loss records
- Crop Insurance APH data base records
- Sales records
- Farms stored production records and appraisals.
If you have not yet reported your yields, please contact your local USDA Service Center to schedule an appointment.
USDA is helping producers affected
by H5N1, including expanding its
ELAP Program to Help Dairy
Producers Offset Milk Losses
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as H5N1, in dairy cattle in 12 states including Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. To protect the U.S. livestock industry from the threat posed by HPAI H5N1 USDA is taking a number of actions with our federal partners.
On April 24, APHIS announced a federal order that includes mandatory testing for interstate movement of dairy cattle and mandatory reporting of influenza A detections in livestock. In addition to the Federal Order mandates, USDA provides several voluntary testing and monitoring options, including the HPAI Dairy Herd Status Program announced on May 31, 2024. APHIS has released a list of requirements and recommendations that apply to interstate moving of lactating dairy cattle, testing guidance for livestock, and answers to frequently asked questions. Producers are encouraged to visit the APHIS HPAI Livestock Detection website for information about these programs and requirements, as well as the most comprehensive and timely updates about this rapidly evolving situation.
Assistance for Milk Loss
Confirmed H5N1 Positive Test Results Required for Recovery Assistance
Producers who incur milk losses in their dairy herds due to HPAI H5N1 can now apply for financial assistance through the USDA’s updated Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) expanded ELAP policy through the rule-making process to assist with financial losses resulting from reduced milk production when cattle are removed from commercial milking in dairy herds having a confirmed positive H5N1 test. Positive tests must be confirmed through the USDA’s APHIS’ National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL).
To apply, producers need to submit the following to FSA:
- Proof of herd infection through a confirmed positive H5N1 test (based on USDA’s APHIS H5N1 case definition) on individual animal or bulk tank samples confirmed by APHIS’ NVSL;
- A notice of loss indicating the date when the loss is apparent, which is the sample collection date for the positive H5N1 test; and
- An application for payment certifying the number of eligible adult dairy cows removed from production, the month the cows were removed from production, and the producer’s share in the milk production.
The final date to file a notice of loss and application for payment for eligible losses is 30 days after the end of the prior calendar year, which is January 30.
Note: To determine livestock and producer eligibility for ELAP H5N1 assistance, to submit an application or if you’ve not previously conducted business with FSA, contact your local FSA county office for details. Find your local office. Other online resources include frequently asked questions and a fact sheet.
Loans for Biosecurity Implementation
FSA also provides direct and guaranteed loans for farmers and ranchers that can assist with implementation of biosecurity measures for their operations. Loans can assist with:
- Installing physical barriers to facilitate quarantine, to prevent livestock interaction with wildlife, and to prevent unauthorized access by visitors
- Purchase of disinfectant, footbaths, and disposable footwear and clothing,
- Veterinary costs related to vaccination and general animal health,
- Testing of feed and water sources for toxins and other disease,
- Costs associated with responsible manure disposal and management,
- Costs associated with cleaning and disinfecting livestock transportation equipment, and
- Other biosecurity measures recommended by USDA or other applicable agencies.
To learn more about loans, producers can use the:
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Loan Assistance Tool – helps producers better navigate the farm loan process. The online Loan Assistance Tool provides producers needing agricultural financing with an interactive, step-by-step guide.
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Farm Loans Overview Factsheet – provides an overview of all FSA direct and guaranteed loans, and eligibility requirements.
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Farm Loans Homepage – gives in-depth farm loan information, including fact sheets, for those who don’t want to use the online Loan Assistance Tool.
To learn more about ELAP or farm loans, producers should contact the FSA at the local USDA Service Center.
To learn more about APHIS requirements and resources, visit APHIS’ Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Detections in Livestock webpage.
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The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) will host a meeting for the dairy industry—farmers, haulers, veterinarians, and service providers—to discuss the latest information and outlook related to the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) situation.
The in-person meeting will be held at the Topeka Livestock Auction’s livestock arena at 7 PM (Eastern) on Thursday, July 11, 2024. The market is located at 601 E Lake Street, Topeka, IN 46571.
Indiana State Veterinarian Bret D. Marsh, DVM will host the meeting, along with key BOAH staff. The meeting will address many aspects of the H5N1 situation: the current status of the disease nationally; testing protocols and programs; state response plans, if a positive is identified; practical biosecurity and prevention efforts; and available federal programs.
Since the first case of H5N1 was identified on a Texas dairy farm in March, BOAH has been monitoring the situation closely and working with veterinarians and farmers to coordinate testing. To date, no case of the virus has been confirmed in Indiana dairy cattle.
For updates about the disease and the current situation, visit the BOAH website at: BOAH: H5N1 Influenza in Cattle. You may also subscribe to receive future email updates from BOAH.
New Customer Kiosks make your county office visits quicker and easier!
 The new customer kiosks from USDA’s Farm Service Agency are now available at every county office nationwide. These kiosks help to streamline your visit to your local county office and easily access a variety of features such as signing FSA documents, utilizing the Loan Assistance Tool, browsing USDA programs, accessing the internet, accessing necessary personal information, and signing up for a Login.gov account, which provides access to farmers.gov level two features and other USDA and U.S. Government web resources.
Future kiosk functionality enhancements include a customer check-in application, self-service option for FSA program applications and documents, financial inquiries and more.
Want to learn more about how FSA is modernizing our customer experience? If so, check out this Farmers.gov Ask the Expert Blog Post.
Meeting will take place July 11, 12-5 p.m. ET
We’re inviting urban producers, innovative producers, and other stakeholders to virtually attend a public meeting of the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production on July 11 from 12-5 p.m. Eastern.
Meeting details can be viewed in the Federal Register Notice. Written comments can be submitted via UrbanAgricultureFederalAdvisoryCommittee@usda.gov. The Committee will deliberate and vote on proposed recommendations and address public comments during the meeting. USDA will share the agenda between 24 to 48 hours prior to the meeting on the Committee’s webpage.
The Committee is managed by the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production and was established through the 2018 Farm Bill and is part of a broad USDA investment in urban agriculture.
Learn more and register.
Have you heard about the National Urban Ag Conference happening August 4-6 in Detroit, MI?
Through the conference, the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, along with lead organizer NUag Initiative, seeks to build stronger connections between USDA programs and those working in urban agriculture.
The conference features bus tours of urban farms in Detroit; information on USDA resources; listening sessions and presentations; and information on beneficial tools, training, resources, and efforts to expand local and regional food systems. Approximately 500 attendees are expected, including USDA employees, urban farmers; educators and administrators; business and nonprofit leaders; and retail and wholesale companies.
To learn more and signup visit the National Urban Ag Conference website.
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Awards include Expanding
the Good for Youth Urban Farm
in Lake County, Indiana
USDA announced the selection of 17 new grant recipients for more than $5.2 million in Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) grants through the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP).
Selected grant recipients, including Good for Youth Urban Farm in Lake County, Indiana, will increase food production and access in economically distressed communities, provide job training and education, and allow partners to develop business plans and zoning proposals.
Learn more: USDA Invests $5.2 Million in 17 Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Projects | Natural Resources Conservation Service
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