Ohio FSA State Newsletter - January 16, 2025
In This Edition of the Ohio FSA State Newsletter:
Happy New Year from the Ohio FSA!
If producers have experienced drought losses to their operation in 2024, then please remember to submit applications for the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) as the January 30, 2025, deadline is swiftly approaching.
Did your specialty crop operation recently incur on-farm food safety program expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification in calendar year 2024? You may be eligible for financial assistance through FSA’s Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program (FSCSC). This program helps offset costs to comply with regulatory requirements and market-driven food safety certification requirements. FSCSC will cover a percentage of the specialty crop operation’s cost of obtaining or renewing their certification, as well as a percentage of their related expenses. FSA will accept FSCSC applications for program year 2024 through January 31, 2025.
The USDA recently announced the 2025 enrollment periods for key safety-net programs – Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC). Agricultural producers can submit applications to USDA’s FSA for ARC and PLC for the 2025 crop year from January 21 to April 15, 2025.
Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2025 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Also, if a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm it will continue for 2025 unless an election change is made. If producers do not submit their election revision by the April 15 deadline, their election remains the same as their 2024 election for commodities on the farm from the prior year. Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the cropland.
The USDA also announced the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) enrollment for the 2025 coverage year will begin January 29 through March 31, 2025. DMC is a voluntary risk management program that offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed price (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer. DMC offers different levels of coverage, even an option that is free to producers, minus a $100 administrative fee. The administrative fee is waived for dairy producers who are considered limited resource, beginning, socially disadvantaged or a military veteran. DMC payments are calculated using updated feed and premium hay costs, making the program more reflective of actual dairy producer expenses. For more information on DMC, visit the DMC webpage.
Most folks this time of year are reviewing their financing options for the next growing season. If you are having trouble securing commercial credit, FSA has a number of farm loan program options that might be the right fit for you, including funding for youth, beginning farmers, members of an ethnic minority or female producers. FSA offers direct operating and ownership loans as well as guaranteed loans in partnership with your local lender. FSA also offers Emergency Farm Loans that provide financial support to farmers impacted by natural disasters such as drought, flooding, tornadoes, and other declared disasters. These loans can be used to restore or replace essential property, cover production costs, pay essential family living expenses, and refinance certain debts. The aim is to help producers recover swiftly and maintain the viability of their operations during and after disaster recovery. We encourage you to view the various farm loan program options, and then call your local FSA farm loan team to begin the conversation.
FSA also launched an online application for Direct loan customers. The Online Loan Application (OLA) tool is interactive, guided, paperless, and provides customers with features such as an electronic signature option, the ability to attach documents such as tax returns, and to complete a balance sheet and build a farm operating plan. Visit farmers.gov/loan-application. In addition to individual applicants, married persons applying jointly can now submit applications through OLA. OLA is currently not available to informal or formal entities, other than married persons applying jointly.
Additional program details and more in-depth information is provided in our newsletter. Please don’t hesitate to contact your County FSA office for questions about our programs, loans and information that is included in this newsletter edition.
30-Day Public Review and Comment Period Now Open
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) welcomes input on the assessment of environmental impacts on two programs – the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) and Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting comments until Jan. 18 on its draft programmatic environmental assessments. The TAP environmental assessment includes updates to streamline the program and enable a quick response to natural disasters. The FSFL environmental assessment recommends continuing the program as currently administered.
The National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to consider the potential effects of major federal actions to both the natural and human environments as part of their planning and decision-making processes. Draft programmatic environmental assessments help FSA to determine whether program changes are needed and plan the implementation of proposed updates.
Tree Assistance Program
TAP helps cover the cost of replanting or rehabilitating eligible trees, bushes and vines that produce annual crops that have been damaged or destroyed by natural disasters. This program is crucial for helping producers recover from adverse natural disaster events and ensuring the long-term viability of their agricultural operations. The proposed program implementation update would include additional management tools and screening criteria that allow FSA to respond more quickly and effectively to time-sensitive natural disasters, including plant diseases.
Farm Storage Facility Loan Program
FSFL improves nationwide on-farm storage capacity for upgrading and building farm storage facilities for eligible commodities. The recommendation to continue the program as currently administered is based on a need to improve the ability of agricultural producers to preserve harvested crops, reduce post-harvest losses and improve marketing and sales opportunities.
More Information
Both draft programmatic environmental assessments may be reviewed on the FSA current environmental documents page Written comments regarding the TAP and FSFL programs can be emailed to SM.FPAC.FBC.ENV@usda.gov until Jan. 18, 2025.
For detailed program information, view FSA’s TAP and FSFL program fact sheets.
Livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or cash leased land may be eligible for the 2024 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) have until Jan. 30, 2025, to complete a notice of loss and a payment application to their local FSA office for 2024 calendar year losses.
To participate in LFP producers must own, cash or share lease, or contract grow eligible livestock, provide pasture or grazing land to eligible livestock on the beginning date of the qualifying drought, certify that they suffered a grazing loss due to drought, and submit an acreage report to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) for all grazing land for which a grazing loss is being claimed.
The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides eligible producers with compensation for above normal costs of hauling water and feed to livestock as well as transporting livestock to other grazing acres. For ELAP, producers are required to complete a notice of loss and a payment application to their local FSA office no later than the annual program application deadline, Jan. 30, 2025, for 2024 calendar year losses. ELAP also assists commercial apiarists who experience a loss of feed due to drought conditions that may need to purchase short-term feed to sustain the honeybees until additional natural feedstock becomes available.
Producers interested in assistance are encouraged to contact their County USDA Service Center.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds specialty crop producers that the deadline to enroll in the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program for 2024 expenses is Jan. 31, 2025. The program has been expanded to include medium-sized businesses in addition to small businesses. Eligible specialty crop growers can apply for assistance for expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification. For program year 2025, the application period starts Jan. 1, 2025, and runs through Jan. 31, 2026.
Program Details
FSCSC covers a percentage of the specialty crop operation’s cost of obtaining or renewing its on-farm food safety certification, as well as a portion of related expenses.
Eligible FSCSC applicants must be a specialty crop operation; meet the definition of a small or medium-size business and have paid eligible expenses related to certification.
- A small business has an average annual monetary value of specialty crops sold by the applicant during the three-year period preceding the program year of no more than $500,000.
- A medium size business has an average annual monetary value of specialty crops the applicant sold during the three-year period preceding the program year of at least $500,001 but no more than $1,000,000.
Specialty crop operations can receive the following cost assistance:
- Developing a food safety plan for first-time food safety certification.
- Maintaining or updating an existing food safety plan.
- Food safety certification.
- Certification upload fees.
- Microbiological testing for products, soil amendments and water.
- Training
FSCSC payments are calculated separately for each eligible cost category. Details about payment rates and limitations are available at farmers.gov/food-safety.
Applying for Assistance
Interested applicants have until Jan. 31, 2025, to apply for assistance for 2024 eligible expenses. FSA will issue payments as applications are processed and approved. For program year 2025, the application period begins Jan. 1, 2025, and runs through Jan. 31, 2026. FSA will issue 50% of the calculated payment for program year 2025 following application approval, with the remaining amount to be paid after the application deadline. If calculated payments exceed the amount of available funding, payments will be prorated.
Specialty crop producers can apply by completing the FSA-888-1, Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program (FSCSC) for Program Years 2024 and 2025 application. The application, along with the AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet and SF-3881, ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form, if not already on file with FSA, can be submitted to the FSA county office at any USDA Service Center nationwide by mail, fax, hand delivery or via electronic means. Producers with an eAuthentication account can apply for FSCSC online. Producers interested in creating an eAuthentication account should visit farmers.gov/sign-in.
Visit farmers.gov/food-safety for additional program details, eligibility information and application forms.
More Information
To learn more about FSA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and view other farm records data and customer information by logging into their farmers.gov account. Producers without an account can sign up today.
 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the 2025 enrollment periods for key safety-net programs – Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) as well as Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC). Agricultural producers can submit applications to USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) for ARC and PLC for the 2025 crop year from Jan. 21 to April 15 and for DMC for the 2025 coverage year from Jan. 29 to March 31.
ARC and PLC provide financial protections to farmers from substantial drops in crop prices or revenues and are vital economic safety nets for most American farms. Meanwhile, DMC provides producers with price support to help offset milk and feed price differences.
The American Relief Act, 2025 extended many Farm Bill-authorized programs for another year, including ARC and PLC as well as DMC.
ARC and PLC
Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2025 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Also, if a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm it will continue for 2025 unless an election change is made.
If producers do not submit their election revision by the April 15 deadline, their election remains the same as their 2024 election for commodities on the farm from the prior year. Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the cropland.
Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.
USDA also reminds producers that ARC and PLC elections and enrollments can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products including Supplemental Coverage Option, Enhanced Coverage Option and, for cotton producers, the Stacked Income Protection Plan (commonly referred to as STAX).
For more information on ARC and PLC, producers can visit the ARC and PLC webpage or contact their County FSA Office.
DMC
DMC is a voluntary risk management program that offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed price (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer.
DMC offers different levels of coverage, even an option that is free to producers, minus a $100 administrative fee. The administrative fee is waived for dairy producers who are considered limited resource, beginning, socially disadvantaged or a military veteran.
DMC payments are calculated using updated feed and premium hay costs, making the program more reflective of actual dairy producer expenses. These updated feed calculations use 100% premium alfalfa hay. For more information on DMC, visit the DMC webpage.
FSA offers a wide range of low-interest loans that can meet the financial needs of any farm operation for just about any purpose. The traditional farm operating and farm ownership loans can help large and small farm operations take advantage of early purchasing discounts for spring inputs as well expenses throughout the year.
Microloans are a simplified loan program that will provide up to $50,000 for both Farm Ownership and Operating Microloans to eligible applicants. These loans, targeted for smaller operations and non-traditional operations, can be used for operating expenses, starting a new agricultural enterprise, purchasing equipment, and other needs associated with a farming operation. The staff can provide more details on farm operating and microloans and provide loan applications. Loans to beginning farmers and members of underserved groups are a priority.
Other types of loans available include:
Marketing Assistance Loans allow producers to use eligible commodities as loan collateral and obtain a 9-month loan while the crop is in storage. These loans provide cash flow to the producer and allow them to market the crop when prices may be more advantageous.
Farm Storage Facility Loans can be used to build permanent structures used to store eligible commodities, or for storage and handling trucks, or portable or permanent handling equipment. A variety of structures are eligible under this loan, including bunker silos, grain bins, hay storage structures and refrigerated structures for vegetables and fruit. A producer may borrow up to $500,000 per loan.
Please call your County FSA office if you have questions about any of the loans available.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers an online tool to help farmers better navigate the farm loan application process. This uniform application process will help to ensure all farm loan applicants receive equal support and have a consistent customer experience with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) regardless of their individual circumstances.
The Loan Assistance Tool is available 24/7 and gives customers an online step-by-step guide that supplements the support they receive when working in person with a USDA employee, providing materials that may help an applicant prepare their loan application in one tool.
Farmers can access the Loan Assistance Tool by visiting farmers.gov/farm-loan-assistance-tool and clicking the ‘Get Started’ button. From here they can follow the prompts to complete the Eligibility Self-Assessment and start the farm loan journey. The tool is built to run on any modern browser like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or the Safari browser, and is fully functional on mobile devices. It does not work in Internet Explorer.
Producers can explore all available options on all FSA loan options at fsa.usda.gov or by contacting their local USDA Service Center.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program, which aims to encourage students at 1890 land-grant universities to pursue career paths in food, agriculture, natural resource sciences, or related academic disciplines. The application deadline is March 1, 2025.
Young people around the country are invited to complete and submit their applications online through an e-application. Administered through USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE), the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program is available to eligible high school seniors entering their freshman year of college as well as rising college sophomores and juniors.
Learn more and apply online at USDA 1890 National Scholars Program. For more information, contact partnerships@usda.gov.
Apply by March 10 for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production grants
USDA is providing a total of $14.4 million in grants and technical assistance through two separately funded projects to support urban agriculture and innovative production. USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) is making available $2.5 million for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) grants, building on $53.7 million invested in UAIP grant projects by OUAIP since 2020. In addition, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which oversees OUAIP, is providing $11.9 million in funding through an interagency agreement with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to promote the hiring of Urban Agriculture Conservation Extension Educators through the Cooperative Extension programs at Land-grant Universities. Read More
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds foreign investors with an interest in agricultural land in the United States that they are required to report their land holdings and transactions to USDA.
The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) requires foreign investors who buy, sell or hold an interest in U.S. agricultural land to report their holdings and transactions to the USDA. Foreign investors must file AFIDA Report Form FSA-153 with the FSA county office in the county where the land is located. Large or complex filings may be handled by AFIDA headquarters staff in Washington, D.C.
According to CFR Title 7 Part 781, any foreign person who holds an interest in U.S. agricultural land is required to report their holdings no later than 90 days after the date of the transaction.
Foreign investors should report holdings of agricultural land totaling 10 acres or more used for farming, ranching or timber production, and leaseholds on agricultural land of 10 or more years. Tracts totaling 10 acres or less in the aggregate, and which produce annual gross receipts in excess of $1,000 from the sale of farm, ranch, forestry or timber products, must also be reported. AFIDA reports are also required when there are changes in land use, such as from agricultural to nonagricultural use. Foreign investors must also file a report when there is a change in the status of ownership.
The information from AFIDA reports is used to prepare an annual report to Congress. These annual reports to Congress, as well as more information, are available on the FSA AFIDA webpage.
Assistance in completing the FSA-153 report may be obtained from the local FSA office. For more information regarding AFIDA or FSA programs, individuals should contact their County FSA office.
Farm Operating Loans, Direct -- 5.125%
Farm Ownership Loans, Direct -- 5.625%
Limited Resource Loans -- 5.000%
Farm Ownership Loans, Down Payment -- 1.625%
Farm Ownership – Joint Financing -- 3.625%
Emergency Loans -- 3.750%
Farm Storage Facility Loan, 3 year -- 4.125%
Farm Storage Facility Loan, 5 year -- 4.125%
Farm Storage Facility Loan, 7 year -- 4.250%
Farm Storage Facility Loan, 10 year -- 4.250%
Farm Storage Facility Loan, 12 year -- 4.375%
Sugar Storage Facility Loans, 15 year -- 4.500%
Commodity Loans -- 5.250%
January 2 ------ Deadline to report honeybees for 2025 FSA program eligibility (ELAP, NAP) programs.
January 2 ------ Deadline to report honey and maple sap to FSA.
January 8 ----- Deadline for specialty crop producers to apply for Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Program, aimed at helping specialty crop producers expand markets and manage higher costs.
January 15 ---- Deadline to report apples and grapes to FSA.
January 20 ---- Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday. USDA Service Center is Closed.
January 30 ---- Deadline for the 2024 Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) including water hauling and hay/feed transportation application for payment and all supporting documentation.
January 30 ---- Deadline for the 2024 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) Application and all supporting documentation.
January 31 ---- The 2024 LDPs Deadline for wool and unshorn lamb pelts.
January 31 ---- The Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) application deadline for 2024.
February 17 --- George Washington’s Birthday. USDA Service Center is Closed.
March 1 --- The deadline to file a notice of loss and application for payment for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) which is 60 calendar days after the calendar year in which the eligible loss condition occurred.
March 1 --- Primary Nesting Season begins.
Top of page
Ohio FSA State Office
200 North High Street, Room 540
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: 614-255-2441
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Visit the Ohio FSA website at: www.fsa.usda.gov/oh
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State Executive Director:
Vacant
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Deputy State Executive Director:
Traci Garza
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Administrative Officer:
Stephanie Moran
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Conservation Chief:
Brandi Koehler
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Farm Loan Chief:
Andrew Huey
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Price Support Chief:
Trevor Kerr
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Production Adjustment / Compliance and Risk Management Chief:
Matt Kleski
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Ohio FSA State Committee Members
Theodore Finnarn, Chairperson
Fred Deel
Tracy Hundley
Thomas Jackson, Jr.
Mark Mechling
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