Newsletter from the USDA Service Center in Berks County - November 15, 2024
In This Issue:
ALLEN L. LEIBY is nominated in LAA 3, Berks County, to serve as COC member for a 3-year term beginning January 1, 2025. Allen resides in LAA 3, and has produced crops for over 60 years. Allen is an active member of the Kingsmen Club in Kutztown. Allen is willing to serve if elected.
TROY ALDERFER is nominated in LAA 3, Berks County, to serve as COC member for a 3-year term beginning January 1, 2025. Troy resides in Oley, PA. Troy is a crop farmer, raises poultry and replacement dairy heifers for 28 years. He also sells Agri gold seed. Troy is willing to serve if elected.
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Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $58 million available for assistance to dairy producers through the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP) 2024. ODMAP 2024 helps mitigate market volatility, higher input and transportation costs, and unstable feed supply and prices that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry. Specifically, through ODMAP 2024, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is assisting organic dairy operations with projected marketing costs in 2024 calculated using their marketing costs in 2023. FSA will begin accepting ODMAP 2024 applications on Sept. 30. Eligible producers include certified organic dairy operations that produce milk from cows, goats, and sheep.
ODMAP 2024 Program Improvements
Dairy producers who participate in ODMAP 2024 will benefit from improvements to provisions outlined in the program. Specifically, ODMAP 2024 provides for an increase in the payment rate to $1.68 per hundredweight compared to the previous $1.10 per cwt. Additionally, the production cap has increased to nine million pounds compared to the previous five million pounds.
How ODMAP 2024 Works
FSA is providing financial assistance for a producer’s projected marketing costs in 2024 based on their 2023 costs. ODMAP 2024 provides a one-time cost-share payment based on marketing costs on pounds of organic milk marketed in the 2023 calendar year or estimated 2024 marketing costs for organic dairy operations that have increased milk production.
ODMAP 2024 provides financial assistance that immediately supports certified organic dairy operations during 2024 keeping organic dairy operations sustainable until markets return to more normal conditions.
How to Apply
FSA is accepting applications from Sept. 30 to Dec. 13. To apply, producers should contact FSA at their local USDA Service Center. To complete the ODMAP 2024 application, producers must certify to pounds of 2023 milk production, show documentation of their organic certification, and submit a completed application form.
Organic dairy operations are required to provide their USDA certification of organic status confirming operation as an organic dairy in 2024 and 2023 along with the certification of 2023 milk production or estimated 2024 milk production in hundredweight.
ODMAP 2024 complements other assistance available to dairy producers, including Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC), with more than $36 million in benefits paid for the 2024 program year to date. Learn more on the FSA Dairy Programs webpage.
More Information
To learn more about USDA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and other programs by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.
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The USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Direct Farm Ownership loans are a resource to help farmers and ranchers become owner-operators of family farms, improve and expand current operations, increase agricultural productivity, and assist with land tenure to save farmland for future generations.
There are three types of Direct Farm Ownership Loans: regular, down payment and joint financing. FSA also offers a Direct Farm Ownership Microloan option for smaller financial needs up to $50,000.
Direct Farm Ownership Loans can be used to construct, purchase or improve farm dwellings, service buildings or other facilities, and to make improvements essential to an operation.
Applicants must provide FSA with an estimate of the total cost of all planned development that completely describe the work, prior to loan approval and must show proof of sufficient funds to pay for the total cost of all planned development at or before loan closing. In some instances, applicants may be asked to provide certified plans, specifications or contract documents. The applicant cannot incur any debts for materials or labor or make any expenditures for development purposes prior to loan closing with the expectation of being reimbursed from FSA funds.
Construction and development work may be performed either by the contract method or the borrower method. Under the contract method, construction and development contractors perform work according to a written contract with the applicant or borrower. If applying for a direct loan to finance a construction project, the applicant must obtain a surety bond that guarantees both payment and performance in the amount of the construction contract from a construction contractor.
A surety bond is required when a contract exceeds $100,000. An authorized agency official determines that a surety bond appears advisable to protect the borrower against default of the contractor or a contract provides for partial payments in excess of the amount of 60 percent of the value of the work in place.
Under the borrower method, the applicant or borrower will perform the construction and development work. The borrower method may only be used when the authorized agency official determines, based on information from the applicant, that the applicant possesses or arranges to obtain the necessary skill and managerial ability to complete the work satisfactorily and that such work will not interfere with the applicant’s farming operation or work schedule.
Potential applicants should visit with FSA early in the initial project planning process to ensure environmental compliance.
For more eligibility requirements and information about FSA Loan programs, contact your Berks County USDA Service Center at 610-478-7158 ext. 2 or visit fsa.usda.gov.
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This year, the first farmland conservation project in the country closed under the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Buy-Protect-Sell process in NRCS’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agricultural Land Easement (ACEP-ALE).
A Buy-Protect-Sell transaction is a new option for eligible entities to acquire farmland that is at risk of being developed quickly, and the entity transfers the ownership of the land to a qualified farmer or rancher. These transactions offer an opportunity for entities to protect threatened agricultural land and grasslands, in cases where the landowner is unwilling or unable to sell an ALE. The Buy-Protect-Sell projects also aim to help farmers and ranchers, especially underserved producers, gain access to land.
To learn more about ACEP-ALE or how a buy-protect-sell easement transaction may be an option for your land, reach out to your local NRCS service center or a local entity like a land trust that purchases conservation easements. NRCS service centers can be found at www.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/find-a-service-center.
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Berks County USDA Service Center
1238 County Welfare Road
Suite 240
Leesport, PA 19533
Phone: 610-478-7158
Fax: 855-822-1791
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FSA County Executive Director
Nakku Senkeeto 610-478-7158 ext. 2 nakku.senkeeto@usda.gov
Berks County District Conservationist
Nicholas Ramsey 610-478-7158 ext. 3 nicholas.ramsey@usda.gov
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FSA Farm Loan Manager
Kevin Lusch 610-478-7158 ext. 2 kevin.lusch@usda.gov
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