Burt-Washington Co. USDA Service Center Newsletter - October 17, 2024
In This Issue:
Fall activities are in full swing here. We know you are busy, but please keep these important FSA business items in mind and contact our office for additional information.
· Some of you already are working on the 2025 crop year. The deadline is Nov. 15, 2024, to timely certify with our office any fall-seeded crops, such as winter wheat and rye. Certification of acres now helps maintain your eligibility in 2025 for important programs, so please call our office at (402) 374-1920 for Burt County or (402) 426-2625 for Washington County, to complete this process. Also, please remember we’ll take your report of fall-seeded cover crops at the same time.
· Are you a certified organic producer or someone who is transitioning to organic production? The Organic Certification Cost-Share Program can help cover a portion of the relevant certification expenses. It has an Oct. 31, 2024, application deadline to assist with expenses over the past year, so please contact our office as soon as possible if you are interested in applying.
· If you are an FSA program participant, and live in Local Administrative Area 01, you should be receiving a ballot in early November for the FSA County Committee (COC) election. Please take a moment to fill it out and return it by Dec. 2, 2024.
While it may seem early to some, I know there are producers already thinking about the 2025 production season and their financing needs for it. FSA offers direct operating and ownership loans as well as guaranteed loans in partnership with your local lender. If you are struggling to access commercial credit, a loan through FSA might be the right fit for your operation. Contact our FSA farm loan team to begin the conversation.
That’s all for October. Stay safe as you finish up fall activities.
--Lindsey Hansen
To comply with program eligibility requirements, all producers are encouraged to contact the Burt or Washington County FSA offices to file an accurate acreage certification report by the applicable deadline. The acreage reporting deadline for all fall-seeded crops such as winter wheat and rye is Nov. 15, 2024. Producers can also report fall-planted cover crops at this time.
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) policy holders should note that the acreage reporting date for NAP covered crops is the earlier of the date listed above or 15 calendar days before grazing or harvesting of the crop begins. Producers who file accurate and timely acreage certification reports, including failed and prevented planted acreage, can prevent the potential loss of USDA program benefits.
For questions regarding acreage certification, please contact the Burt County FSA office at (402) 374-1920, ext. 2 or the Washington County FSA office at (402) 426-2625 ext. 2.
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Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers to examine available USDA crop risk protection options, including federal crop insurance and Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage, before the applicable crop sales deadline.
NAP application deadlines can vary by county and by crop. In Burt and Washington Counties, NAP application deadlines for coverage in the 2025 production season are approaching and include:
- Alfalfa, mixed forages and grass: Nov. 15, 2024
- Apples, aronia berries and grapes: Nov. 20, 2024
Producers interested in NAP are encouraged to contact the Burt County FSA office at (402) 374-1920, ext. 2 or Washington County FSA office at (402) 426-2625, ext. 2 for more information ahead of the deadline.
Producers are reminded that crops not covered by federal crop insurance may be eligible for NAP. NAP covers losses from natural disasters on crops for which no permanent federal crop insurance program is available, including perennial grass forage and grazing crops, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, floriculture, ornamental nursery, aquaculture, turf grass, ginseng, honey, syrup, bioenergy, and industrial crops. NAP can protect against losses associated with lower yields, destroyed crops or prevented planting.
NAP basic coverage is available at 55 percent of the average market price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of expected production. Buy-up levels of NAP coverage are available if the producer can show at least one year of previously successfully growing the crop for which coverage is being requested. The buy-up coverage can be from 50 to 65 percent of expected production in 5 percent increments, at 100 percent of the average market price. Buy-up coverage is not available for crops intended for grazing.
For all coverage levels, the NAP service fee is the lesser of $325 per crop or $825 per producer per county, not to exceed a total of $1,950 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties. Producers qualifying as beginning, underserved, or limited resource farmers or those who can meet eligibility requirements as a military veteran are eligible for free catastrophic (basic) level of NAP coverage, as well as the potential for reduction in buy-up premiums. To learn more about NAP, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/nap.
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The 2024 Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections will begin on Nov. 4, 2024, when ballots are mailed to eligible voters. The deadline to return ballots to local FSA offices, or to be postmarked, is Dec. 2, 2024.
County Committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and USDA. Farmers and ranchers elected to county committees help deliver FSA programs at the local level, applying their knowledge and judgment to make decisions on commodity price support programs; conservation programs; incentive indemnity and disaster programs for some commodities; emergency programs and eligibility. FSA committees operate within official regulations designed to carry out federal laws.
To be an eligible voter, farmers and ranchers must:
- Be of legal voting age or, if not of legal voting age, supervise and conduct the farming operation of an entire farm.
- Have an interest in a farm or ranch as either:
o An individual who meets one or more of the following: Is eligible and capable to vote in one’s own right. Is a partner of a general partnership. Is a member of a joint venture. Is an authorized representative of a legal entity.
o Participate or cooperate in any FSA program that is provided by law. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation(s) but may not have applied or received FSA program benefits.
Eligible voters in Local Administrative Area 01 who do not receive a ballot can obtain one from their local FSA county office. Customers can identify which LAA they or their farming operation is in by using our GIS locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections.
Newly elected committee members will take office Jan. 1, 2025.
The candidates in this year’s election are:
Burt County
♦Jay Johnson is nominated for re-election in LAA 1, Burt County, to serve as COC member for a third and final 3-year term beginning January 1, 2025.
Johnson resides in Oakland and has produced corn and soybeans since 1980.
He enjoys serving his current second 3-year term for the FSA Burt County Committee.
♦Ross Bacon is nominated in LAA 1, Burt County, to serve as COC member for a 3-year term beginning January 1, 2025.
Bacon resides in Lyons, and has produced corn, beans and alfalfa for 23 years, along with cow/calf for the past 8 years.
Washington County
♦Ethan Geisler is nominated for re-election in LAA 1, Washington County, to serve as COC member for a second 3-year term beginning January 1, 2025.
Geisler resides in Hooper, and has produced corn, soybeans, and alfalfa, along with cow/calf. He has been farming for 24 years.
He is an active member of the Washington County Farm Bureau for the past 15 years and served on the Washington County extension board for 6 years as Vice President and then President. He enjoys serving his current 3-year term on the FSA Washington County Committee and would look forward to serving another term if re-elected.
♦Patrick Morrison is nominated in LAA 1, Washington County, to serve as COC member for a 3-year term beginning January 1, 2025.
Morrison resides in Craig, and has produced corn and soybeans for 10 years, and has been raising beef cows for the past year.
He is an active member of Corn Growers for the last 2 years.
There are options for Farm Service Agency loan customers during financial stress. If you are a borrower who is unable to make payments on a loan, contact your local FSA Farm Loan Manager to learn about the options available to you.
Farmers and ranchers also can access assistance through other entities in Nebraska that offer services during financially challenging times. The Rural Response Hotline provides referral and support services for farmers, ranchers and rural residents and their families. The number to call is (800) 464-0258 or visit the website at https://farmhotline.com.
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture manages the Negotiations Program, which offers mediation services for agricultural borrowers, creditors and USDA program participants. Through this program, participants also can access free one-on-one education on agricultural financial and legal matters. For information, call (402) 471-4876 or visit the website at https://negotiations.nebraska.gov/.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced up to $7.7 billion in assistance for fiscal year 2025 to help agricultural and forestry producers adopt conservation practices on working lands. This includes up to $5.7 billion for climate-smart practices, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, which is part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda and $2 billion in Farm Bill funding. This is more than double the amount available last year and the most conservation assistance made available in a single year in U.S. history for popular USDA conservation programs.
Through changing temperatures, precipitation patterns, drought, flooding, and increasingly more severe extreme events, such as hurricanes and wildfires, climate change is affecting the livelihood of USDA’s stakeholders. Innovations in adapting to such changes will be central to the future success of working lands. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) received more than 156,485 applications for its conservation programs in fiscal year 2024. While NRCS accepts applications year-round, interested agricultural producers can now apply for fiscal year 2025 funding through NRCS at their local USDA Service Center.
The Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate and conservation investment in history, invests an additional $19.5 billion in NRCS’ oversubscribed conservation programs over five years, which began in fiscal year 2023. This year through the Inflation Reduction Act, producers can apply for $2.8 billion through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), $943 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), $472 million through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and up to $1.4 billion in the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). This is in addition to the $2 billion available for these programs through the Farm Bill, including $860 million for EQIP, $600 million for CSP, $450 million for ACEP, and $250 million for RCPP.
This assistance through the Inflation Reduction Act also helps advance the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain climate, clean energy and other federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. These investments also advance President Biden’s America the Beautiful Initiative, a locally led, voluntary conservation and restoration effort that aims to address the nature and climate crises, support working lands conservation, improve equitable access to the outdoors, and strengthen the economy.
Since implementation began in 2023, this climate smart conservation assistance has helped over 28,500 farmers and ranchers apply conservation to 361 million acres of land during the past two years. These funds provide direct climate mitigation benefits, advance a host of other environmental co-benefits, and expand access to financial and technical assistance for producers to advance conservation on their farm, ranch or forest land through practices like cover cropping, conservation tillage, wetland restoration, prescribed grazing, nutrient management, tree planting and more.
Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Activities
NRCS recently released an updated list of Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Mitigation Activities eligible for Inflation Reduction Act funding in fiscal year 2025, which includes 14 new activities. NRCS also released the NRCS Conservation Practices and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Information dashboard sharing the expected mitigation benefits and science-based estimation approach for listed practices.
These in-demand activities are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or increase carbon sequestration, as well as provide other significant benefits to natural resources like soil health, water quality, pollinator and wildlife habitat and air quality. In response to feedback received from conservation partners, producers and NRCS staff across the country, NRCS considered and evaluated activities based on scientific literature demonstrating expected climate change mitigation benefits.
These activities will also help producers mitigate the risks of climate change, including drought and flooding from extreme weather events such as the recent hurricane. Agriculture faces significant exposure to the physical risks of climate change. The USDA estimates that due to increased drought fueled by climate change, the Agency could see up to double the number of ranchers seeking assistance under the Livestock Forage Disaster Program by the end of the century compared to today. This corresponds to an increase of more than $800 million per year in Federal expenditures by the end of the century.
Conservation Easements
NRCS is accepting applications for ACEP for fiscal year 2025, which includes $472 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds for this year. ACEP helps producers conserve and protect grasslands, wetlands and farmlands. Producers interested in Inflation Reduction Act funding through ACEP should submit their applications by the next two ranking dates, Oct. 4, 2024, or Dec. 20, 2024. Any ACEP application submitted to NRCS that was unfunded in fiscal year 2024 will be automatically re-considered during the Oct. 4 funding cycle.
In addition, NRCS is also accepting ACEP applications eligible for Farm Bill funding. Application dates for fiscal year 2025 funding differ by state, and they’re available on the NRCS Ranking Dates webpage.
How to Apply
NRCS accepts producer applications for EQIP and CSP year-round, but producers interested in fiscal year 2025 funding should apply by their state’s ranking dates through NRCS at their local USDA Service Center. Funding is provided through a competitive process and is an opportunity to address the unmet demand from producers who have previously sought funding for climate-smart conservation activities.
More Information
On Aug. 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history, into law. It is a historic, once-in-a-generation investment and opportunity for the agricultural communities that USDA serves. The Inflation Reduction Act will help producers stay on the farm, prevent producers from becoming ineligible for future assistance and promote climate-smart agriculture by increasing access to conservation assistance.
November 11 - Offices closed in observance of Veterans Day
November 15 - Final date to report fall-seeded small grains (example: rye)
November 28 - Offices closed in observance of Thanksgiving Day
OPERATING/OWNERSHIP
Farm Operating Loans (Direct): 4.875%
Farm Ownership Loans (Direct): 5.375%
Farm Ownership Loans (Direct, Joint Financing): 3.375%
Farm Ownership Loans (Down Payment): 1.500%
Emergency Loan (Amount of Actual Loss): 3.750%
FARM STORAGE
Farm Storage Facility Loan 3-year term: 3.625%
Farm Storage Facility Loan 5-year term: 3.500%
Farm Storage Facility Loan 7-year term: 3.625%
Farm Storage Facility Loan 10-year term: 3.750%
Farm Storage Facility Loan 12-year term: 3.875%
MARKETING ASSISTANCE
Commodity Loan (less than one year disbursed): 5.125%
USDA Service Center
Burt Co. Service Center Washington Co. Service Center
539 S 13th St 1060 Wilbur St
Tekamah, NE 68061 Blair, NE 68008
Phone:402-374-1920 Phone: 402-426-2625
Fax: 855-794-9514 Fax: 855-794-9514
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FSA Farm Loan Manager
Burt County
Monica Bruning 402-375-2453
monica.bruning@usda.gov
NRCS Resource Conservationist
Burt County
Ryan Johnson 402-374-1920, ext. 3
ryan.johnson2@usda.gov
Burt County Committee
Jay Johnson, Chair
Dan Kahlandt, Vice Chair
Sandy Brummond, Member
Next COC Meeting:
Nov 7th @ 9am
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FSA Farm Loan Manager
Washington County
Ray Soto 402-721-8455
ray.soto@usda.gov
NRCS Resource Conservationist
Washington County
Robert Hall 402-426-2625 ext. 106
robert.hall2@usda.gov
Washington County Committee
Ethan Geisler, Chair
Betty Andreasen, Vice Chair
Matthew Mathiesen, Member
Next COC Meeting:
Nov 14th @ 9am
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Enroll in Texting Service: Text NEBurt or NEWashington to 372669
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