USDA Montana Newsletter - December 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.
Dec. 20, 2024: Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) Ranking Date
Dec. 25, 2024: Office Closure for the Christmas Federal Holiday
Dec. 31, 2024: 2025 NAP Application for Coverage Deadline for Honey
Jan. 1, 2025: Office Closure for the Federal Holiday: New Year's Day
Jan. 2, 2025: Deadline to report Honeybee Colony Inventory for NAP and ELAP honeybee producers. Please note that producers must notify FSA within 30 calendar days of any changes in the total number of colonies and additional counties to which bees are moved.
Jan. 8, 2025: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) $2 billion Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program application deadline
Jan. 15, 2025: Established stand alfalfa seed, fall alfalfa seed (NAP= spring & fall Alf sd), and cherries for acreage reporting
Jan. 20, 2025: Office Closure for the Federal Holiday; Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 30, 2025: Deadline to apply for 2024 ELAP and LFP benefits
Jan. 31, 2025: Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program (FSCSC)
Jan. 31, 2025: USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars Program – Application Period is Open! DUE January 31, 2025
Feb. 17, 2025: Office Closure for the Federal Holiday: Washington's Birthday
March 3, 2025: Deadline to file a notice of loss and application for payment for LIP for 2024 losses. The deadline for filing a notice of loss under LIP will be the same as the final date to submit an application for payment, which is 60 calendar days after the calendar year in which the eligible loss condition occurred.
March 17, 2025: Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage closing date for all spring crops except spring-seeded canola, garlic, rye, speltz, triticale, wheat, ALL annual & perennial grass & mixed forage, and value-loss crops. Please note that the acreage reporting date for your NAP covered crops is the earlier of the established FSA acreage reporting date for the crop or 15 calendar days before the onset of harvest or grazing of the specific crop acreage being reported.
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It's that time of year again when the thrill and excitement of the holidays fills the air. It's also a time that make us think of our loved ones and reminds us all to share joy and kindness to our families and neighbors. While the harvest season has passed, our producers continue to work hard with hauling crops to market and working on maintenance tasks on equipment and buildings. Many of our livestock producers continue to work diligently to safeguard their herds. as winter approaches. The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) is available for eligible producers who suffer losses from an eligible weather event. If any producer suffers winter losses, please reach out to your local County Office to let them know.
Stay warm and stay safe this holiday season. It’s my hope and wish that you all enjoy time with your families and friends.
From all of us here at the USDA Montana Farm Service Agency, Happy Holidays and Best wishes for 2025!
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The USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars Program seeks to increase the number of American Indian and Alaska Native students studying agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, and related disciplines.
The USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars Program combines classroom study with paid work experience that leads to employment at USDA. Through this program, USDA seeks to boost the number of tribal college and university students studying and graduating in food, agriculture, natural resources, and other related fields of study, and help build the pipeline of future agricultural scientists and professionals. The program also strengthens USDA partnerships with 1994 land-grant institutions.
The program provides full tuition, employment, employee benefits, fees, and books each year for up to 4 years to selected students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, food science, natural resource science, or a related academic discipline beginning at one of 35 federally recognized tribal colleges and continuing at another higher education institutions. The scholarship may be renewed each year, contingent upon satisfactory academic performance and normal progress toward the bachelor's degree.
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Livestock inventory records are necessary in the event of a natural disaster, so remember to keep them updated.
When disasters strike, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) can help you if you’ve suffered excessive livestock death losses and grazing or feed losses due to eligible natural disasters.
To participate in the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), you’ll be required to provide verifiable documentation of death losses resulting from an eligible adverse weather event and must submit a notice of loss to your local FSA office no later than 60 calendar days after the end of the calendar year in which the eligible loss condition occurred. For the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP), you must submit a notice of loss to your local FSA office no later than the annual program application deadline of January 30 following the program year in which the loss occurred and should maintain documentation and receipts.
You should record all pertinent information regarding livestock inventory records including:
- Documentation of the number, kind, type, and weight range of livestock
- Beginning inventory supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts.
- Date of birth, date of death and cause of death
For more information on documentation requirements, contact your Local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
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The Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers two programs that have specific safety net benefits for producers of honeybees and honey. The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) assist producers when disasters impact honey production or damage or destroy colonies, hives or honeybee feed.
NAP is designed to reduce financial losses when natural disasters result in lower yields or crop losses, including honey. NAP coverage is equivalent to catastrophic insurance, meaning it covers up to 50 percent of a producer’s normal yield (must have at least a 50 percent loss) at 55 percent of the average market price. The 2018 Farm Bill reinstates higher levels of coverage, from 50 to 65 percent of expected production in 5 percent increments, at 100 percent of the average market price. Producers of organics and crops marketed directly to consumers also may exercise the “buy-up” option to obtain NAP coverage of 100 percent of the average market price at the coverage levels of between 50 and 65 percent of expected production.
The NAP service fee is the lesser of $325 per crop or $825 per producer per administrative county, not to exceed a total of $1,950 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties.
You must apply for NAP coverage by Dec. 31 prior to the year for which you’re seeking coverage.
ELAP covers colony losses, honeybee hive losses (the physical structure) and honeybee feed losses in instances where the colony, hive or feed has been destroyed by a natural disaster or, in the case of colony losses, because of Colony Collapse Disorder. Colony losses must be in excess of normal mortality.
Both the NAP and ELAP programs require you to report the number of colonies you have in production to FSA by Jan. 2, 2025. You must notify FSA within 30 calendar days of changes in the total number of colonies or when honeybees are moved to another county.
For NAP, you must notify FSA within 15 calendar days of when a loss occurs or from when the loss is apparent. For ELAP, you must file a notice of loss and application for payment by Jan. 30, 2025 for 2024 losses.
To learn more about programs for honey and honeybee producers, contact your Local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
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FSA offers direct farm ownership and direct farm operating loans to producers who want to establish, maintain, or strengthen their farm or ranch. Direct loans are processed, approved and serviced by FSA loan officers.
Direct farm operating loans can be used to purchase livestock and feed, farm equipment, fuel, farm chemicals, insurance, and other costs including family living expenses. Operating loans can also be used to finance minor improvements or repairs to buildings and to refinance some farm-related debts, excluding real estate.
Direct farm ownership loans can be used to purchase farmland, enlarge an existing farm, construct and repair buildings, and to make farm improvements.
The maximum loan amount for direct farm ownership loans is $600,000 and the maximum loan amount for direct operating loans is $400,000 and a down payment is not required. Repayment terms vary depending on the type of loan, collateral and the producer's ability to repay the loan. Operating loans are normally repaid within seven years and farm ownership loans are not to exceed 40 years.
Please contact your Local County USDA Service Center for more information or to apply for a direct farm ownership or operating loan.
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FSA guaranteed loans allow lenders to provide agricultural credit to farmers who do not meet the lender's normal underwriting criteria. Farmers and ranchers apply for a guaranteed loan through a lender, and the lender arranges for the guarantee. FSA can guarantee up to 95 percent of the loss of principal and interest on a loan. Guaranteed loans can be used for both farm ownership and operating purposes.
Guaranteed farm ownership loans can be used to purchase farmland, construct or repair buildings, develop farmland to promote soil and water conservation or to refinance debt.
Guaranteed operating loans can be used to purchase livestock, farm equipment, feed, seed, fuel, farm chemicals, insurance and other operating expenses.
FSA can guarantee farm ownership and operating loans up to $2,236,000. Repayment terms vary depending on the type of loan, collateral and the producer's ability to repay the loan. Operating loans are normally repaid within seven years and farm ownership loans are not to exceed 40 years.
For more information on guaranteed loans, contact your Local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
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36 MT Counties Triggered; U.S. Drought Monitor Updated Weekly
Livestock producers in 36 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 36 Montana counties have triggered the 2024 LFP drought criteria: Beaverhead, Big Horn, Broadwater, Carbon, Carter, Cascade, Custer, Dawson, Deer Lodge, Fallon, Flathead, Glacier, Granite, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Madison, McCone, Meagher, Mineral, Missoula, Pondera, Powder River, Powell, Prairie, 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, Carbon, Carter, Cascade, Custer, Dawson, Deer Lodge, Fallon, Flathead, Gallatin, Garfield, Glacier, Granite, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Madison, McCone, Meagher, Mineral, Missoula, Park, Pondera, Powder River, Powell, Prairie, 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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Agricultural producers of perishable commodities including fruits, vegetables and floriculture can now get funding for controlled atmosphere storage through Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL) offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). Controlled atmosphere storage regulates the concentrations of oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen in a storage room to increase the shelf life of crops.
In addition to now supporting controlled atmosphere storage, FSFLs also provide low-interest financing to help producers build or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used) structures, equipment and storage and handling trucks.
The low-interest funds can also be used for controlled atmosphere storage monitoring equipment, designed to notify facility owners immediately if potential atmospheric concerns are detected. Producers may renovate existing storage facilities to include controlled atmosphere storage monitoring equipment. Authorized loan terms for FSFL renovations are three and five years only.
To assist with monitoring gases and particle concentrations for controlled atmosphere storage, the following equipment, but not limited to, is eligible for an FSFL:
- Optical oxygen sensor.
- Low power CO2 sensor.
- Air quality sensor.
- Gas detection devices.
- Air temperature and relative humidity sensor.
- Water activity meter.
- Temperature stabilized water activity analyzer.
- Precision and performance humidity and temperature transmitter.
Loans of up to $50,000 can be secured by a promissory note/security agreement, loans between $50,000 and $100,000 may require additional security and loans exceeding $100,000 require additional security.
FSFL borrowers do not need to demonstrate lack of commercial credit availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse range of agricultural operations, including small and mid-sized businesses, new farmers and ranchers, operations supplying local food and farmers markets, non-traditional farm products and underserved producers.
For more information, see the FSFL fact sheet and contact FSA at your local USDA Service Center.
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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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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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Flax producers can now benefit from revenue protection, a crop insurance option available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) has expanded Small Grains Crop Provisions to now offer revenue protection for flax for the 2025 crop year, which is already offered for barley, rye, wheat and oats.
“Expanding revenue protection for flax producers represents a critical step in strengthening the agricultural safety net,” said RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger. “By ensuring that flax farmers have access to revenue-based insurance, we provide them with a more reliable tool to manage both market fluctuations and unexpected challenges.”
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced improvements to the dry bean and dry pea revenue crop insurance program for the 2025 and succeeding crop years. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is expanding insurance options for dry bean and dry pea producers in select counties in Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wisconsin.
“The Risk Management Agency is continually adjusting our programs to provide the best risk management resources and to meet the needs of our dry bean and dry pea producers,” said Eric Bashore, Director of RMA’s Regional Office that covers Montana and North Dakota. “Enhancing and expanding the dry bean and dry pea programs will provide more options and flexibilities for more producers.”
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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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