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August 1: Deadline to Request a Farm Reconstitution or Farm Transfer for 2024
August 1: Deadline to Accept County Committee Election Nominations
August 14: Deadline for ERP 2022 Track 1 and Track 2 Signup
September 2: Service Center Closed in observance of Labor Day
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is now accepting nominations for county committee members and encourages all farmers, ranchers, and FSA program participants to take part in the Arapahoe County Committee election nomination process.
Elections will occur in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for members. LAAs are elective areas for FSA committees in a single county or multi-county jurisdiction. For Arapahoe County, elections will take place in LAA 3 which is Arapahoe County east of South County Road 173. Customers can identify which LAA they or their farming or ranching operation is in by using our GIS locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections.
County committee members make important decisions about how Federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2024 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by August 1, 2024.
Agricultural producers who participate or cooperate in a USDA program and reside in the LAA that is up for election this year, may be nominated for candidacy for the county committee. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation to FSA, even if they have not applied or received program benefits.
Individuals may nominate themselves or others and qualifying organizations may also nominate candidates. USDA encourages minority producers, women, and beginning farmers or ranchers to nominate, vote and hold office.
Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serve on FSA county committees. The committees are made up of 3 to 11 members who serve three-year terms. Committee members are vital to how FSA carries out disaster programs, as well as conservation, commodity and price support programs, county office employment and other agricultural issues.
For more information on FSA county committee elections, including fact sheets, nomination forms and FAQs, visit fsa.usda.gov/elections, or to submit a nomination please contact your Arapahoe County USDA Farm Service Agency at 303-822-5257, option 2.
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When changes in farm ownership or operation take place, a farm reconstitution may be necessary. The reconstitution, or recon, is the process of combining or dividing farms or tracts of land based on the farming operation.
To be effective for the current fiscal year, farm combinations and farm divisions must be requested by August 1 of the fiscal year for farms subject to the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program. A reconstitution is considered to be requested when all of the required signatures are on FSA-155 and all other applicable documentation, such as proof of ownership, is submitted.
Total Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and non-ARC/PLC farms may be reconstituted at any time.
The following are the different methods used when doing a farm recon:
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Estate Method — the division of bases, allotments and quotas for a parent farm among heirs in settling an estate
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Designation of Landowner Method — may be used when (1) part of a farm is sold or ownership is transferred; (2) an entire farm is sold to two or more persons; (3) farm ownership is transferred to two or more persons; (4) part of a tract is sold or ownership is transferred; (5) a tract is sold to two or more persons; or (6) tract ownership is transferred to two or more persons. In order to use this method, the land sold must have been owned for at least three years, or a waiver granted, and the buyer and seller must sign a Memorandum of Understanding
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DCP Cropland Method — the division of bases in the same proportion that the DCP cropland for each resulting tract relates to the DCP cropland on the parent tract
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Default Method — the division of bases for a parent farm with each tract maintaining the bases attributed to the tract level when the reconstitution is initiated in the system
For questions about farm reconstitutions, contact your Arapahoe County USDA Farm Service Agency at 303-822-5257, option 2.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans require applicants to have a satisfactory credit history. A credit report is requested for all FSA direct farm loan applicants. These reports are reviewed to verify outstanding debts, see if bills are paid timely and to determine the impact on cash flow.
Information on your credit report is strictly confidential and is used only as an aid in conducting FSA business.
Our farm loan staff will discuss options with you if you have an unfavorable credit report and will provide a copy of your report. If you dispute the accuracy of the information on the credit report, it is up to you to contact the issuing credit report company to resolve any errors or inaccuracies.
There are multiple ways to remedy an unfavorable credit score:
- Make sure to pay bills on time
Setting up automatic payments or automated reminders can be an effective way to remember payment due dates.
- Pay down existing debt
- Keep your credit card balances low
- Avoid suddenly opening or closing existing credit accounts
FSA’s farm loan staff will guide you through the process, which may require you to reapply for a loan after improving or correcting your credit report.
For more information on FSA farm loan programs, contact your Farm Loan Manager Bryan Cook at 303-659-0525, option 2, or visit fsa.usda.gov.
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Mark your calendar and join us every 3rd Wednesday of the month for the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Webinar Series. These informational virtual events are held 12:00pm to 1:30pm, additional dates and topics include:
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August 21, 2024: Soil Health and How to Use the Web Soil Survey
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September 18, 2024: Urban Agriculture
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October 16, 2024: What CSU Has to Offer
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November 18, 2024: Colorado Department of Agriculture New Farmer & Rancher Resources
Previous presentations for the webinar series can be found on Colorado FSA's Website and previous recordings of the webinar series can be found on Colorado NRCS's YouTube page.
For more information for beginning farmers visit: Beginning Farmers and Ranchers | Farmers.gov.
USDA is an “Every Day, Every Way” department that touches the lives of every American, every day by supporting the agriculture sector, strengthening rural communities, promoting healthy eating, and helping to protect our natural resources.
For more information about this series, please contact one of USDA's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinators/Champions:
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NRCS: Cindy Einspahr - 720-930-9884
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RD: Amy Mund - 720-544-2906
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FSA: Elizabeth Thomas - 720-544-2879
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