Arkansas USDA Newsletter - November, 2024.
In This Issue:
As we enter the middle of November, producers are finishing to harvest the last of their crops. This is an excellent time for farmers and ranchers to be aware of the programs and opportunities offered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA).
FSA encourages producers to take advantage of the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage. NAP provides another option for obtaining coverage against disaster, offering financial assistance of non-insurable crops impacted by natural disasters that result in lower yields, crop losses, or prevented crop planting. Contact your local FSA office for more information.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing more than $2.14 billion in payments to eligible agricultural producers and landowners through conservation and safety-net programs, with $1.7 billion going to 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. These payments are significant investments for protecting natural resources and providing economic stability for producers impacted by market volatility.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently mailed ballots for the FSA county committee elections to eligible agricultural producers and landowners. These elections are crucial for establishing committee members who will have the opportunity to decide how federal farm programs are administered locally. Producers and landowners must return their ballots by December 2, 2024.
For any assistance, please feel free to visit or contact your local USDA service center to seek guidance and resources that can be tailored to your needs. We are here to support you and ensure you are prepared for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Greetings,
November is Native American Heritage Month. As we reflect on the invaluable contributions Indigenous Peoples of America have made to our agricultural landscape, I want to call your attention to a list of a few sites within Arkansas — shared by our Native American Special Emphasis Program Manager, Derek Kelso — that you can visit to learn more about Native American history and culture.
- Your local county museum, if available
- Museum of Native American Heritage - Bentonville
- Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park - Scott
- Hampson Archeological Museum State Park - Wilson
- Parkin Archeological State Park - Parkin
- Blue Springs Heritage Center - Eureka Springs
- Arkansas Post National Memorial - Gillett
- Hot Springs National Park – Hot Springs
- Osage Park - Bentonville
- Sequoya National Research Center - Little Rock
- Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Historical Museum - Pine Bluff
- Petit Jean State Park - Morrilton
- War Eagle Cavern - Rogers
In NRCS, we are proud of the technical assistance that we provide to 345 federally recognized tribes, or 60 percent of all tribal nations, on 75 million acres, through our field offices nationwide. Between 2005 and 2021, NRCS also provided financial assistance to 163 Native American tribes. We encourage tribes and tribal producers who aren’t working with us or who want to take their conservation activities to the next level to give us a call. We’ll be excited to share the improvements that we’ve made to better serve tribes, and we hope to hear how we can continue to build upon this improvement.
Join me in honoring the influence that Native peoples, past and present, have had on the stewardship and advancement of our Nation.
Regards,
Justin Meissner
NRCS Arkansas Acting State Conservationist
Farmers can use USDA farm ownership microloans to buy and improve property. These microloans are especially helpful to beginning or underserved farmers, U.S. veterans looking for a career in farming, and those who have small and mid-sized farming operations. Microloans have helped farmers and ranchers with operating costs, such as feed, fertilizer, tools, fencing, equipment, and living expenses since 2013.
Microloans can also help with farmland and building purchases and soil and water conservation improvements. FSA designed the expanded program to simplify the application process, expand eligibility requirements and expedite smaller real estate loans to help farmers strengthen their operations. Microloans provide up to $50,000 to qualified producers and can be issued to the applicant directly from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).
To learn more about the FSA microloan program, contact your local USDA service center or visit fsa.usda.gov/microloans.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing almost $92 million in payments to livestock producers, nationwide, who faced increased supplemental feed costs as a result of forage losses due to 2022 qualifying drought and wildfire. The payments for livestock producers are through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) 2022 and are a second round of payments to producers using remaining funds in the program.
ELRP support came from the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328), signed by President Biden that provides financial assistance for agricultural producers impacted by wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, winter storms and other eligible disasters occurring in calendar year 2022.
The almost $92 million in ELRP payments for 2022 losses build on more than $465 million in payments made to eligible livestock producers in September 2023 who suffered qualifying losses due to drought or wildfire in 2022. Learn more on the Emergency Relief webpage.
FSA and NRCS program applicants for benefits are required to submit a completed CCC-902 Farming Operation Plan and CCC-941 Average Gross Income (AGI) Certification and Consent to Disclosure of Tax Information for FSA to determine the applicant’s payment eligibility and establish the maximum payment limitation applicable to the program applicant.
Participants are not required to annually submit new CCC-902s for payment eligibility and payment limitation purposes unless a change in the farming operation occurs that may affect the previous determination of record. A valid CCC-902 filed by the participant is considered to be a continuous certification used for all payment eligibility and payment limitation determinations applicable for the program benefits requested.
Participants are responsible for ensuring that all CCC-902 and CCC-941 and related forms on file in the county office are updated, current, and correct. Participants are required to timely notify the county office of any changes in the farming operation that may affect the previous determination of record by filing a new or updated CCC-902 as applicable.
Changes that may require a NEW determination include, but are not limited to, a change of:
- Shares of a contract, which may reflect:
- A land lease from cash rent to share rent
- A land lease from share rent to cash rent (subject to the cash rent tenant rule
- A modification of a variable/fixed bushel-rent arrangement
- The size of the producer’s farming operation by the addition or reduction of cropland that may affect the application of a cropland factor
- The structure of the farming operation, including any change to a member's share
- The contribution of farm inputs of capital, land, equipment, active personal labor, and/or active personal management
- Farming interests not previously disclosed on CCC-902 including the farming interests of a spouse or minor child
- Certifications of average AGI are required to be filed annually for participation in an annual USDA program. For multi-year conservation contracts and NRCS easements, a certification of AGI must be filed prior to approval of the contract or easement and is applicable for the duration of the contract period.
Participants are encouraged to file or review these forms within the deadlines established for each applicable program for which program benefits are being requested.
Producers who received an Emergency Relief Program (ERP) payment need to meet ERP insurance linkage requirements by purchasing crop insurance, or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage where crop insurance is not available.
Purchase coverage must be at the 60/100 coverage level or higher for insured crops or at the catastrophic coverage level or higher for NAP crops for the next two available crop years, which will be determined from the date you received an ERP payment and may vary depending on the timing and availability of coverage. The insurance coverage requirement applies to the physical location of the county where the crop was located and for which an ERP payment was issued.
Contact your crop insurance agent or local FSA county office as soon as possible to ask about coverage options. Producers who do not obtain the applicable coverage by the sales/application closing date will be required to refund the ERP benefits received on the applicable crop, plus interest. To determine which crops are eligible for federal crop insurance or NAP, visit the RMA website.
For more information, contact your local USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) assists beginning farmers to finance agricultural enterprises. Under these designated farm loan programs, FSA can provide financing to eligible applicants through either direct or guaranteed loans. FSA defines a beginning farmer as a person who:
- Has operated a farm for not more than 10 years
- Will materially and substantially participate in the operation of the farm
- Agrees to participate in a loan assessment, borrower training and financial management program sponsored by FSA
- Does not own a farm in excess of 30 percent of the county’s average size farm.
For more information contact, contact your local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) has several loan programs to help you start or continue an agriculture production. Farm ownership and operating loans are available.
While all qualified producers are eligible to apply for these loan programs, FSA has provided priority funding for members of targeted underserved applicants.
A targeted underserved applicant is one of a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of his or her identity as members of the group without regard to his or her individual qualities.
For purposes of this program, targeted underserved groups are women, African Americans, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
FSA loans are only available to applicants who meet all the eligibility requirements and are unable to obtain the needed credit elsewhere.
Farmers and landowners in Arkansas have until November 22, 2024, to submit applications to receive financial assistance to implement conservation activities through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for the 2025 program year. Applicants can sign up at their local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service field service center.
CSP assists agricultural producers maintain and improve their existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resources concerns. Participants earn CSP payments for conservation performance—the higher the performance, the higher the payment. CSP funding opportunities are available for Agricultural land (cropland and pasture), Nonindustrial Private Forest (NIPF), and Urban Agriculture operations. NOTE: unfunded FY2025 CSP-Renewals will be automatically deferred to the FY2025 General CSP sign-up.
EQIP contracts provide financial assistance to help plan and implement conservation practices to improve soil health, water quality, improve grazing and forest lands, and establish or improve wildlife habitat. EQIP can also help Arkansas farmers and landowners meet Federal, State, and local environmental regulations.
Inflation Reduction Act: This initial sign-up will include Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funded opportunities for all CSP and EQIP programs. Inflation Reduction Act applications will be accepted state-wide and must include Climate Smart Agricultural and Forestry (CSAF) activities. Supporting practices or activities may be requested to include in the IRA application but will only be included in a conservation plan if they facilitate a CSAF practice.
NRCS accepts program applications continuously. However, to be considered for funding during this signup applications must be received by November 22, 2024. Applications received after this date will be considered in later funding periods, subject to funding availability.
Additionally, NRCS offers special initiatives, including:
-
Organic Initiative - helps producers install conservation practices on certified organic operations or those working toward organic certification.
-
On-Farm Energy Initiative - helps producers conserve energy on their operations.
-
EQIP Conservation Incentive Contracts (CIC) https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/eqip-conservation-incentive-contracts - provides financial assistance to address priority resource concerns, including sequestering carbon and improving soil health in high-priority areas. Through these contracts, NRCS works with producers to strengthen the quality and condition of natural resources on their operations using management practices that target resource concerns including degraded soil condition and soil erosion. The focus within Arkansas for CIC is to increase the adoption Prescribed Grazing and improving grazing systems on Pasture and Grazing lands. Conservation Incentive Contracts last five years.
-
Strikeforce – additional assistance for underserved producers in 48 persistent poverty counties: Arkansas, Bradley, Chicot, Clark, Colombia, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Hempstead, Howard, Jackson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Mississippi, Monroe, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Phillips, Randolph, Searcy, Sevier, St. Francis, Woodruff, Ashley, Clay, Conway, Craighead, Crittenden, Franklin, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lincoln, Madison, Miller, Montgomery, Poinsett, Polk, Scott, Sebastian, Sharp, Stone, Union, and Van Buren.
- Strikeforce Healthy Forest (Keeping It In the Family) Initiative – additional assistance for underserved producers to improve forestlands with forestry conservation practices in 18 counties: Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Drew, Hempstead, Howard, Jefferson, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, Ouachita, Pike, Sevier, Union.
-
Working Lands for Wildlife Northern Bobwhite Quail Initiative - provides financial and technical assistance to producers to enhance early successional habitat to aid in bobwhite quail recovery.
-
Migratory Bird Resurgence Initiative (MBRI) - provides financial assistance to Arkansas producers for migratory bird and waterfowl habitat.
-
High Tunnel Initiative - High tunnels protect plants from severe weather and allow farmers to extend their growing seasons – growing earlier into the spring, later into the fall, and sometimes, year-round.
-
Urban Ag/Small Scale Initiative - For urban operations in this particular sign-up, NRCS offers technical and financial assistance with conservation practices, such as conservation cover; conservation crop rotation; cover crops; high tunnel systems; irrigation system, micro irrigation; Irrigation Water Management; low tunnel systems; Mulching; Nutrient management; Pest management conservation system; Prescribed grazing; Raised beds; Residue and tillage management – no-till; Residue and tillage management – reduced till; Roof Runoff Structure; Soil carbon amendment; and Wildlife habitat planting.
-
Arkansas Groundwater Initiative (AGWI) - targeted approach to address critical groundwater decline issues in the Arkansas Delta, providing assistance to agricultural producers in eight counties: Arkansas, Prairie; and portions of Craighead, Cross, Lonoke, Monroe, Poinsett, St. Francis.
-
National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) Existing Projects – provides financial and technical assistance to improve water quality and aquatic habitats in priority watersheds with impaired streams. Projects include: Saline Headwaters – portions of Howard, Pike, and Polk counties, Upper Village Creek – portions of Lawrence and Randolph counties, Lower Little Red River – portions of White County, Bayou Bartholomew – portions of Drew and Chicot counties
-
Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI) Existing Projects – provides assistance to improve water quality in the following project areas: Candy Creek – portions of St. Francis and Lee counties, Twin Creeks – portions of Cross, Woodruff, St. Francis counties, Izard Lower Strawberry – portions of Izard and Sharp counties, Canal 43 – portions of Desha, Drew, Chicot counties, County Line Strawberry – portions of Sharp and Lawrence counties, Flat Hills – portions of Poinsett and Cross counties, Glade-Raft-White Oak Creek – portions of White and Prairie counties, Lee County – portions of Lee, St Francis, and Phillips counties, Lower White-Bayou Des Arc – portions of Prairie county, West Craighead – portions of Lawrence, Greene, Craighead, and Jackson counties, Arkansas County Lower White – portion of Arkansas county, North Big Creek-Strawberry River – portions of Sharp and Izard counties, Honey Cypress-Buffalo Creek – portions of Craighead and Mississippi counties, Lower Strawberry – Izard, Sharp, and Independence counties
All applications will be evaluated for funding based on local, state and nationally developed criteria to optimize environmental benefits. Applications ranking highest in a funding category will be funded according to priority and is subject to availability of program funds.
The ACT NOW process will be used for some EQIP funding pools. ACT NOW allows NRCS to expedite application approval and contract obligation in a designated ranking pool when an eligible application meets or exceeds a state-determined minimum ranking score
Eligible applications will be batched and processed in the order they’re received, with selections made weekly beginning November 8, 2024. Act Now applications will be accepted on a continuous sign-up basis until November 22,2024, or until funds have been expended.
Arkansas FY2024 ACT NOW Opportunities include:
- AR Cover Crop Initiative
- Conservation Practices available for funding: 340-Cover Crop
- Minimum Ranking Score Threshold: 100 points
- AR Energy Audit
- Conservation Practices available for funding: 120 Agricultural Energy Design and 228 Agricultural Energy Assessment
- Minimum Ranking Score Threshold: 25 points
- AR Energy Initiative:
- Conservation Practices available: 374 Energy Efficient Agricultural Operation, 670 Energy Efficient Lighting System, and 672 Energy Efficient Building Envelope
- Minimum Ranking Score Threshold: 50 points
Please visit your local USDA Service Center to determine eligibility; applicants are not eligible for USDA programs until they have ensured all Farm Bill eligibility requirements have been met. You can locate your local Service Center at USDA Service Center Locator.
Farmers and landowners in two USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) projects in Arkansas have until Nov 22, 2024, to submit applications to receive assistance to implement conservation activities. All four projects will be offering financial assistance to eligible landowners and operators in fiscal year 2025.
The following RCPP projects are applicable to this signup deadline:
Buffalo River Watershed Enhancement Project in portions of Madison, Newton, Searcy, Boone, Marion, Baxter, Stone, Van Buren, and Pope counties with the Nature Conservancy as the lead partner.
War Eagle Watershed Initiative in portions of Benton, Washington, and Madison counties with the Beaver Watershed Alliance as the lead partner.
Individuals and other entities actively engaged in agricultural production are eligible to participate in RCPP. RCPP offers a continuous application sign-up. However, to be considered for funding, applications must be received by Nov 22. Applicants can sign up for the 2025 program year by contacting their local USDA NRCS field service center.
All applications will be evaluated for funding based on how well they align with project priorities using procedures to optimize environmental benefits. Applications ranking highest in a funding category will be funded according to priority and is subject to availability of program funds.
RCPP promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand our collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. Through RCPP, NRCS seeks to co-invest with partners to implement projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to conservation challenges and provide measurable improvements and outcomes tied to the resource concerns they seek to address.
For more information, visit http://www.ar.nrcs.usda.gov/ or contact by phone your local USDA/NRCS Field Service Center.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a historic $1.5 billion for 92 partner-driven conservation projects through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. Partners will provide $968 million in contributions to amplify the impact of the federal investment. Selected RCPP projects will help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners adopt and expand voluntary, locally led conservation strategies to enhance natural resources while tackling the climate crisis.
Today’s investment is made with funding available through the Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act. The Inflation Reduction Act is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda and the largest investment in climate action and conservation in world history, which has enabled USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to boost funding for RCPP. In total, the Inflation Reduction Act provides $19.5 billion to support USDA’s oversubscribed conservation programs, including $4.95 billion for RCPP.
The projects support priorities in conservation and climate and can save farmers money and increase productivity. For example, there are six projects that support use of innovative technologies to reduce enteric methane emissions in livestock. There are also 16 projects that address water conservation in the West, ensuring producers and communities have the tools they need to adapt in the face of continued drought pressures. And 42 projects promote terrestrial wildlife habitat conservation and restoration, as directed by the recent USDA Secretarial memo: Conserving and Restoring Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Connectivity and Corridors.
NRCS also set aside $100 million for Tribal-led projects, part of a broader effort to support Tribes and Tribal producers through NRCS conservation programs. From this set aside, NRCS has made seven awards to five different tribes and tribal entities.
By leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation. Examples of projects include:
-
The InterTribal Buffalo Council will work to restore and manage native grasslands ecosystems utilizing buffalo and conservation practices on 83-member tribal nation’s lands across three projects in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming. This project will work to restore cultural and spiritual practices, sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse emissions.
-
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will address emissions of greenhouse gases contributing to climate change and water quality degradation. The primary goals of this project are to reduce enteric emissions from dairy cows and to improve manure management at the farm level.
-
The Arizona Association of Conservation Districts will fund two agricultural conservation easements in Arizona while addressing resource concerns related to drought, wildfire and climate uncertainty. Partners intend to increase the protection of biodiversity via the permanent protection of more than 2,000 acres of historic ranchland and open space, among other activities.
-
Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development will work to restore streambanks and establish riparian buffers in western North Carolina to improve water quality, enhance wildlife habitat, promote sustainable agriculture, sequester carbon and build strong community partnerships to ensure long-term environmental, social, and economic benefits for the region.
-
The US Endowment for Forestry and Communities will work to prevent at-risk plant and animal species from becoming listed under the federal Endangered Species Act as threatened or endangered. To ensure habitat protection, RCPP funds will be used for a combination of U.S.-held and entity-held permanent conservation easements.
See the list of all the 92 awarded projects here.
Projects are being awarded under both RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP AFA, the lead partner works directly with agricultural producers to support the development of innovative conservation approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic.
Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, RCCP has made 334 awards totaling more than $3 billion. Since its inception, RCPP has made 812 awards involving more than 4,000 partner organizations, with more than $4 billion in NRCS funding amplified by another $4 billion in partner contributions.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.
USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) connects agricultural producers with high-quality and affordable crop insurance sold by approved insurance providers. This includes the specific needs of urban and innovative producers, who may have smaller and more specialized operations.
In this Ask the Expert, Economist Claire White answers questions about RMA programs and opportunities for urban and innovative producers, including the new Controlled Environment crop insurance program. This new option is part of USDA’s broader effort to support urban agriculture and develop new and better markets for American producers.
Claire has been with RMA for over 20 years, writing and improving crop insurance policies. She specializes in nursery and nursery-related products, cotton, small grains, apples, and many others.
Read the interview here.
Top of page
|
