USDA Montana Newsletter - November 2024
In This Issue:
USDA in Montana reminds agricultural producers of important Farm Service Agency (FSA) program dates. Contact your local service center to apply and with any questions. Visit online at farmers.gov and fsa.usda.gov/mt.
Nov. 1, 2024: Last day of 2024 CRP Summer/Fall Non-Emergency Grazing Period (prior approval required)
Early November: 2024 County Committee Election Ballots to be Mailed to Voters
Nov 15: 2025 Acreage Reporting Deadline for Apiculture, Fall Wheat (Hard Red Winter), and all other Fall Seeded Small Grains. Please note that this is the final date that FSA can accept late-filed Program year 2024 reports for these crops.
Nov 29: Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP) application deadline
Dec. 2, 2024: Voted FSA County Committee Election Ballots to be returned to the FSA County Office or post-marked.
Dec. 20: Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) Ranking Date
Jan. 30, 2025: Deadline to apply for 2024 ELAP and LFP benefits
Jan. 31, 2025: Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program (FSCSC)
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With Thanksgiving being around the corner, I am reminded of all the things for which I am grateful and thankful.
I am grateful for my family and the time we spend together. I'm thankful for our teachers and the time that they spend with our youth. I am thankful for our staff at FSA and their hard work to serve our farmers and ranchers across this great state. I am equally grateful and thankful for all the hard work of our producers. It is thanks to you, all of our Montana producers, for the food that we share this season and through out the year.
I hope that you find peace this holiday season and get to spend it with loved ones. We are forever grateful for you and the work you continue to do.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mailed ballots last week for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee elections to all eligible agricultural producers and private landowners across the country. Elections are occurring in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for these committee members who make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. Producers and landowners must return ballots to their local FSA county office or have their ballots postmarked by Dec. 2, 2024, for those ballots to be counted.
Producers must participate or cooperate in a USDA program and reside in the LAA that is up for election this year to be eligible to vote in the county committee election. 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. Additionally, producers who are not of legal voting age, but supervise and conduct farming operations for an entire farm, are eligible to vote in these elections.
For purposes of FSA county committee elections, every member of an American Indian tribe is considered an agricultural landowner if the land on which the tribal member’s voting eligibility is based is tribally owned or held in trust by the U.S. for the tribe, even if the individual does not personally produce a commodity on that land. Tribal agricultural landowners 18 years and older can contact their local FSA county office to register to vote.
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Agricultural producers in Montana should make an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to complete crop acreage reports before the applicable deadline after planting is complete.
An acreage report documents a crop grown on a farm or ranch, its intended use and location. Filing an accurate and timely acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed acreage and prevented planted acreage, can prevent the loss of benefits.
How to File a Report
The following acreage reporting dates are applicable in Montana:
November 15, 2024: 2025 Acreage Reporting Deadline for Apiculture, Fall Wheat (Hard Red Winter), and all other Fall Seeded Small Grains. Please note that this is the final date that FSA can accept late-filed Program year 2024 reports for these crops.
Acreage reporting dates vary by crop and by county. Contact your local FSA office for a list of acreage reporting deadlines by crop.
To file a crop acreage report, producers need to provide:
- Crop and crop type or variety
- Intended crop use
- Number of crop acres
- Map with approximate crop boundaries
- Planting date(s)
- Planting pattern, when applicable
- Producer shares
- Irrigation practice(s)
- Acreage prevented from planting, when applicable
- Other required information
Acreage Reporting Details
The following exceptions apply to acreage reporting dates:
- If the crop has not been planted by the acreage reporting date, then the acreage must be reported no later than 15 calendar days after planting is completed.
- If a producer acquires additional acreage after the acreage reporting date, then the acreage must be reported no later than 30 calendar days after purchase or acquiring the lease. Appropriate documentation must be provided to the county office.
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) policy holders should note that the acreage reporting date for NAP-covered crops is the earlier of the dates listed above or 15 calendar days before grazing or crop harvesting begins.
Prevented Planted Acreage
Producers should also report crop acreage they intended to plant but were unable to because of a natural disaster, including drought. Prevented planted acreage must be reported on form CCC-576, Notice of Loss, no later than 15 calendar days after the final planting date as established by FSA and USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA).
FSA recently updated policy that applies to prevented planted acreage due to drought. To certify prevented planted acreage due to drought, all of the following must apply:
- The area that is prevented from being planted has insufficient soil moisture for seed germination on the final planting date for non-irrigated acreage.
- Prolonged precipitation deficiencies that meet the D3 or D4 drought intensity level as determined by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
- Verifiable information must be collected from sources whose business or purpose is recording weather conditions as determined by FSA.
Continuous Certification Option for Perennial Forage
Agricultural producers with perennial forage crops have the option to report their acreage once, without having to report that acreage in subsequent years, as long as there are no applicable changes on the farm. Interested producers can select the continuous certification option after FSA certifies their acreage report. Examples of perennial forage include mixed forage, birdsfoot trefoil, chicory/radicchio, kochia (prostrata), lespedeza, perennial peanuts and perennial grass varieties.
Once the continuous certification option is selected, the certified acreage will roll forward annually with no additional action required by the producer in subsequent years unless the acreage report changes.
Farmers.gov Portal
Producers can access their FSA farm records, maps, and common land units through the farmers.gov customer portal. The portal allows producers to export field boundaries as shapefiles and import and view other shapefiles, such as precision agriculture boundaries within farm records mapping. Producers can view, print and label their maps for acreage reporting purposes. Level 2 eAuthentication or login.gov access that is linked to a USDA Business Partner customer record is required to use the portal.
Producers can visit farmers.gov/account to learn more about creating an account. Producers who have authority to act on behalf of another customer as a grantee via an FSA-211 Power of Attorney form, Business Partner Signature Authority or as a member of a business can now access information for the business in the farmers.gov portal.
More Information
For questions, producers should call their FSA county office. To find their FSA county office, visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an additional $250 million in automatic payments for distressed direct and guaranteed farm loan borrowers under Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act. This significant step continues USDA's commitment to keeping farmers and ranchers financially viable and support for agricultural communities.
Over the past two years, USDA acted swiftly to assist borrowers in retaining their land and continuing their agricultural operations. Since President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law in August 2022, the USDA has provided approximately $2.4 billion in assistance to more than 43,900 distressed borrowers. Click the "Read More Here" button directly below to read the full news release.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will begin issuing more than $2.14 billion in payments to eligible agricultural producers, and landowners—providing much needed support through key conservation and safety-net programs. Producers should soon receive payments from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) for their participation in these programs aimed to conserve natural resources and keep family farms economically viable.
Specifically, program participants are expected to receive more than $1.7 billion through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and CRP Transition Incentive Program (CRP TIP) and more than $447 million through the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Prices Loss Coverage (ARC/PLC) programs. Additionally, FSA is announcing an investment of $21 million for projects to better measure the effectiveness of CRP.
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33 MT Counties Triggered; U.S. Drought Monitor Updated Weekly
Livestock producers in 33 Montana counties are eligible to apply for 2024 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) benefits on small grain, native pasture, improved pasture, annual ryegrass, and forage sorghum. LFP provides compensation if you suffer grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or leased land, or fire on federally managed land. County committees can only accept LFP applications after notification is received by the National Office of qualifying drought, or if a federal agency prohibits producers from grazing normal permitted livestock on federally managed lands due to qualifying fire. The following 33 Montana counties have triggered the 2024 LFP drought criteria: Beaverhead, Big Horn, Broadwater, Carter, Cascade, Custer, Dawson, Deer Lodge, Fallon, Flathead, Glacier, Granite, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Madison, Meagher, Mineral, Missoula, Pondera, Powder River, Powell, Ravalli, Richland, Roosevelt, Rosebud, Sanders, Sheridan, Silver Bow, Teton and Wibaux.
Producers must complete a CCC-853 and provide required supporting documentation no later than January 30, 2025, for 2024 losses.
Producers in Beaverhead, Big Horn, Broadwater, Carter, Cascade, Custer, Dawson, Deer Lodge, Fallon, Flathead, Gallatin, Glacier, Granite, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Madison, Meagher, Mineral, Missoula, Park, Pondera, Powder River, Powell, Ravalli, Richland, Roosevelt, Rosebud, Sanders, Sheridan, Silver Bow, Teton and Wibaux counties are eligible to apply for benefits under the 2024 Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) for losses relating to feed transportation, livestock transportation and water transportation costs. The deadline for filing a notice of loss under ELAP will be the same as the final date to submit an application for payment, which is 30 calendar days following the program year of which the loss occurred. Applications for payment and notices of loss must be completed no later than January 30, 2025, for 2024 losses.
For additional information about ELAP and LFP, including eligible livestock and fire criteria, contact the local USDA Service Center and/or visit farmers.gov and fsa.usda.gov/mt.
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Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs) and Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) provide financing and marketing assistance for wheat, feed grains, soybeans, and other oilseeds, pulse crops, rice, peanuts, cotton, wool and honey. MALs provide you with interim financing after harvest to help you meet cash flow needs without having to sell your commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. 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. Marketing loan provisions and LDPs are not available for sugar and extra-long staple cotton.
FSA is now accepting requests for 2024 MALs and LDPs for all eligible commodities after harvest. Requests for loans and LDPs shall be made on or before the final availability date for the respective commodities.
Commodity certificates are available to loan holders who have outstanding nonrecourse loans for wheat, upland cotton, rice, feed grains, pulse crops (dry peas, lentils, large and small chickpeas), peanuts, wool, soybeans and designated minor oilseeds. These certificates can be purchased at the posted county price (or adjusted world price or national posted price) for the quantity of commodity under loan, and must be immediately exchanged for the collateral, satisfying the loan. MALs redeemed with commodity certificates are not subject to Adjusted Gross Income provisions.
To be considered eligible for an LDP, you must have form CCC-633EZ, Page 1 on file at your local FSA Office before losing beneficial interest in the crop. Pages 2, 3 or 4 of the form must be submitted when payment is requested.
Marketing loan gains (MLGs) and loan deficiency payments (LDPs) are no longer subject to payment limitations, actively engaged in farming and cash-rent tenant rules.
Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) provisions state that if your total applicable three-year average AGI exceeds $900,000, then you’re not eligible to receive an MLG or LDP. You must have a valid CCC-941 on file to earn a market gain of LDP. The AGI does not apply to MALs redeemed with commodity certificate exchange.
For more information and additional eligibility requirements, contact your Local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
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Farm Service Agency (FSA) borrowers with farms located in designated primary or contiguous disaster areas who are unable to make their scheduled FSA loan payments should consider the Disaster Set-Aside (DSA) program.
DSA is available to producers who suffered losses as a result of a natural disaster and relieves immediate and temporary financial stress. FSA is authorized to consider setting aside the portion of a payment/s needed for the operation to continue on a viable scale.
Borrowers must have at least two years left on the term of their loan in order to qualify.
Borrowers have eight months from the date of the disaster designation to submit a complete application. The application must include a written request for DSA signed by all parties liable for the debt along with production records and financial history for the operating year in which the disaster occurred. FSA may request additional information from the borrower in order to determine eligibility.
All farm loans must be current or less than 90 days past due at the time the DSA application is complete. Borrowers may not set aside more than one installment on each loan.
The amount set-aside, including interest accrued on the principal portion of the set-aside, is due on or before the final due date of the loan.
For more information about FSA Loan programs, contact your local USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
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Free basic coverage available for new and underserved loan applicants
Producers who apply for Farm Service Agency (FSA) farm loans will be offered the opportunity to enroll in the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). NAP is available to producers who grow noninsurable crops and is especially important to fruit, vegetable, and other specialty crop growers.
New, underserved and limited income specialty growers who apply for farm loans could qualify for basic loss coverage at no cost.
The basic disaster coverage protects at 55 percent of the market price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of production. Covered “specialty” crops include vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, floriculture, ornamental nursery, aquaculture, turf grass, ginseng, honey, syrup, hay, forage, grazing and energy crops. FSA allows beginning, underserved or limited income producers to obtain NAP coverage up to 90 days after the normal application closing date when they also apply for FSA credit.
Producers can also protect value-added production, such as organic or direct market crops, at their fair market value in those markets. Targeted underserved groups eligible for free or discounted coverage include American Indians or Alaskan Natives, Asians, Blacks or African Americans, Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and women.
FSA offers a variety of loan products, including farm ownership loans, operating loans and microloans that have a streamlined application process.
NAP coverage is not limited to FSA borrowers, beginning, limited resource, or underserved farmers. Any producer who grows eligible NAP crops can purchase coverage. To learn more,
For more information on FSA Loan programs, contact your local USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov/nap or fsa.usda.gov/farmloans.
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Join the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) at this year's annual conference, December 10-12, 2024, at the beautiful Palms Casino Resort owned and operated by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. Our signature event brings together Tribal leaders, farmers, ranchers, youth, and entrepreneurs to explore new markets and collaborate with key partners.
Over three days, participants will gain access to resources that drive economic growth and increase sustainable practices across Indian Country. Our food systems have long been disregarded despite deep-rooted traditions that form the foundation of sustainable, ecologically grounded agricultural practices. This conference offers a unique platform to explore opportunities that rebuild food systems to align with our cultural teachings and values.
Montana IAC Points of Contact:
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Brandon Small, Northern Cheyenne Bison Ranch Manager, will join Kathy Knobloch, NRCS Tribal District Conservationist, in a virtual event where farmers and ranchers can lead the discussion and ask questions.
By working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and other partnerships, Small and other Northern Cheyenne land managers are consistently resolving issues they face on the bison ranch. With both strategic fencing and a water system, grazing across the bison ranch is utilized to ensure the animals are not overgrazing.
The event is scheduled for Nov. 14, 2024, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. MST. It is hosted by America’s Conservation Ag Movement. Learn more and register for the event.
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The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Montana is accepting applications for Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) and Agricultural Land Easements (ALE). There are several dates to be aware of for the current funding cycle of these programs.
- ALE Farm Bill: Nov. 29, 2024
- Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (WRE and ALE) Inflation Reduction Act-2: Dec. 20, 2024
Agricultural Land Easements: Part of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, ALEs help private and tribal landowners, land trusts, and other entities such as state and local governments protect croplands and grasslands on working farms and ranches by limiting non-agricultural uses of the land through conservation easements. Interested landowners work with eligible easement partners in Montana.
Wetland Reserve Easements: Part of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, WREs help private and tribal landowners protect, restore, and enhance wetlands which have been previously degraded due to agricultural uses. These easements provide habitat for fish and wildlife, including threatened and endangered species, improve water quality by filtering sediments and chemicals, reduce flooding, recharge groundwater, protect biological diversity, provide resilience to climate change, and provide opportunities for educational, scientific, and limited recreational activities.
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Quivira Coalition’s New Agrarian Program and Montana’s USDA Beginning Farmer Rancher coordinators will host a five-part lunch series on USDA programs (12 – 1 p.m. MST) starting on October 22nd. The series will focus on how to get started with the USDA and explore how the following agencies can assist beginning farmers or ranchers. The dates and topics include October 22: Getting Started with the USDA; October 29: Farm Service Agency: Loans; November 12: Farm Service Agency: Programs; November 19: Rural Development and Risk Management Agency; and November 26: Natural Resources Conservation Service: Programs
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The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering technical and financial assistance to new and existing customers to help address natural resource challenges on private lands across Montana. Through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), landowners implement conservation practices to solve problems and to attain higher stewardship levels on working lands.
NRCS accepts applications for financial assistance year-round, but producers should apply by Dec. 27, 2024, for the current funding cycle. Farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners interested in conservation for their property should start planning with NRCS now.
The historic investment in conservation from the Inflation Reduction Act has helped NRCS to fund more CSP applications in Montana than in the past. In fiscal year 2024, Montana experienced a very high funding rate of eligible CSP applications that met the stewardship threshold requirements. More available funding helps both new customers and previously unsuccessful applicants to compete in the CSP ranking process.
CSP participants are seeing real results, including enhanced resilience to weather and market volatility, decreased need for agricultural inputs, and improved wildlife habitat conditions. Custom conservation plans developed with NRCS help meet management objectives while improving the condition of natural resources.
CSP contract payments are based on two components:
- Payments to maintain the existing level of conservation, based on the land uses included in the contract and an NRCS assessment of existing stewardship at the time of enrollment, and
- Payments to implement additional conservation activities.
Changes to the payment component for existing conservation has been adjusted to reflect conservation values more accurately on rangelands. This increased payment rate may make implementation of additional conservation activities more feasible for grazing operations.
Implementing additional conservation activities means choosing practices that build on what producers are already doing to make progress toward goals for the environment and the economic viability of the farm or ranch. For grazing systems, this could mean conducting a rangeland monitoring program, developing a drought contingency plan, or treating invasive weeds. On croplands, farmers might choose to level up from single-species to multi-species cover crop plantings, no-till seeding, or precision agriculture. There are many options for conservation enhancement activities that NRCS planners can explain and recommend based on producer goals.
Visit the local NRCS field office for more information and to begin planning. information is also available at www.mt.nrcs.usda.gov by scrolling down to State Programs and Initiatives.
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Montana
USDA Farm Service Agency
PO Box 670
Bozeman, MT 59771
Phone: 406.587.6872
Fax: 855.546.0264
Web: www.fsa.usda.gov/mt
State Executive Director:
MAUREEN WICKS
State Committee:
RYAN LANKFORD
CASEY BAILEY
JAKE MERKEL
TRACEY L. PETERSON
LOLA RASK
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FSA Policy Reminders: 2024 Annual Notification to FSA Customers
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USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
10 East Babcock Street, Room 443
Bozeman, MT 59715-4704
Phone: 406-587-6811
Fax: 855-510-7028
Web: nrcs.usda.gov/montana
State Conservationist: TOM WATSON
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USDA Risk Management Agency-Billings Regional Office
3490 Gabel Road, Suite 100
Billings, MT 59102-7302
Phone: 406-657-6447
Fax: 406-657-6573
Email: rsomt@rma.usda.gov
Web: https://www.rma.usda.gov/
Regional Director: ERIC BASHORE
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