The frigid February temperatures are here which makes it the perfect time to catch up on the latest FSA program news and get your 2025 ARCPLC enrollment completed

2025 ARC/PLC Signup is Underway:  FSA has announced the 2025 enrollment period for the key safety-net program – Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC). The enrollment period for the 2025 crop year will be Jan. 21 through April 15, 2025. Just a reminder that RMA will maintain their March 15^th deadline for crop insurance.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Minnesota is holding a public Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) webinar with the University of Minnesota Extension on February 19, 2025, at 10:00 AM. See the article below for additional information and registration link.

Beginning Farmer Meeting:  The Farm Service Agency will be hosting an informational meeting for new or beginning farmers. The meeting will feature presenters from the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Soil and Water Conservation District office (SWCD), and Farm Business Management program.

The purpose of the meeting is to share information about a variety of federal and state programs that may provide assistance and support to new farming operations. USDA is here to support beginning farmers and their operations. Everyone is welcome!

Friday, March 7, 2025, at 9:30 AM
NRCS Area Office     
1004 Frontier Drive
Fergus Falls, MN

Persons with disabilities who require accommodations to attend or participate in the meeting should contact Leon Johnson by March 5th at 218-739-4694 or dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunication relay services.

Dairy Margin Coverage:  Dairy producers can enroll in 2025 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC), a safety net program that provides producers with price support to help offset milk and feed price differences. This year’s DMC signup started January 29, 2025, and ends March 31, 2025.  

Farm Records & Other Changes:  If you are making any changes to your farming operation (land sold/purchased, renting new land, or dropping land) please notify FSA immediately after these changes occur. Updating your records now will save you time when signing up for ARCPLC, reporting your acres, and ensuring maps are ready. FSA is not notified by the County Recorder’s Office of these sales. In addition, notify FSA if your bank account has changed.

Livestock Indemnity Program:  A reminder for all livestock producers to keep records throughout the year. It becomes essential to have inventory and loss records when applying for livestock programs. The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) provides disaster assistance to livestock owners who experience livestock deaths, in excess of normal mortality, caused by eligible events for calendar year 2025. Please notify the FSA office as soon as possible after livestock losses so the Notice of Loss to start the application process is in place.  

Farm Loan Program (FLP) Update:  Jason Winkels, Farm Loan Officer, will be in the Breckenridge office on Monday's and Tuesday's to assist Wilkin County producers in person. Please call the office at 218-643-1536 to schedule an appointment.  

The Credit Team that works with our farm loan programs (annual operating and farm ownership loans) encourages everyone that may need assistance from the FSA office to apply sooner than later. The earlier you apply the less chance of funding limitations as we get closer to the 2025 planting season. The Credit Team members, which service Wilkin and West Otter Tail, can be reached at the USDA Service Center in Fergus Falls at 218-739-4694.

Commodity Loans:  FSA offers a 9-month commodity loan for grain in storage which is a great tool to help finance your operation. If you have 2024 grain in the bin, marketing assistance loans are able to provide interim financing following harvest time to meet cash flow needs without having to sell commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. Allowing producers to store production at harvest facilitates and allowing for orderly marketing of commodities throughout the year. A commodity loan is also a great end of year tax planning tool. Once you are ready to sell the grain or prior to loan maturity, you can pay off the loan.

Farm Storage Facility Loan Program - Need to Upgrade a Piece of Equipment for Handling Your Commodities? Producers can use the Farm Storage Facility Loan program to purchase farm equipment such as grain and beet carts, multi-axle trucks, semi-truck and trailers, skid steers, grain augers, bins, dryers, propane tanks and much more. If you want to know more about this program and how it might be of value to your operation, email or give us a call. The interest rates are listed below.

Leon Johnson, CED

Important Dates and Deadlines:
February 17 - FSA offices closed in observance of
                        Presidents’ Day.
February 19 – Minnesota FSA/University of Minnesota   
                         Extension ARCPLC Webinar (10:00 am)
                         See Article Below
March 3 - Final deadline to submit an application for 2024 for Emergency
                 Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program
                 (ELAP), Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) and Livestock
                 Indemnity Program (LIP). 
March 17 - Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) Minnesota
                   closing deadline for spring seeded annual crops and sage.
March 31 – Deadline to enroll in the 2025 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program
March 31 - Deadline to request Marketing Assistance Loan (MAL) for prior year
                   harvested wheat, barley, canola, honey, and oats.
April 15 - Deadline for 2025 Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss
                 Coverage (PLC) enrollment.
May 31 – Deadline to Apply for a Commodity Loan for 2024-Crop Corn, Soybeans,
                Sunflowers, & Dry Peas

February Interest Rates

Commodity Loan Interest Rate:  5.250%

Farm Loan Program - Interest Rates:
5.125% - Farm Operating Loans, Direct
5.500% - Farm Ownership Loans, Direct
3.500% - Farm Ownership, Joint Financing
1.500% - Farm Ownership Loans, Beginning Farmer Down Payment

Farm Storage Facility Loan Program Interest Rates:
4.375% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 3-Year
4.500% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 5-Year
4.500% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 7-Year
4.625% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 10-Year
4.750% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 12-Year

Are you getting TEXT messages from FSA?:  If not, keep Connected with FSA. With all of the existing programs and new programs becoming available to assist you, I don’t want you to miss out on any of these deadlines.  I highly encourage you to sign up for our text message alerts.  FSA provides text message alerts (no more than 2 per month) for important reminders and deadlines.  Don’t miss out on getting these important reminders! Let’s get you signed up right now!

1. Take out your cell-phone
2. Create a new text message, send:  MNWestOtterTail to 372-669 
   or  MNWilkin to 372-669
3. Press send

If you did these 3 easy steps, you are signed up to receive text alerts!

ARC/PLC signup runs through April 15, 2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Minnesota is holding a public Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) webinar with the University of Minnesota Extension on February 19, 2025. Farmers and others involved in agriculture will have an opportunity to learn more about the ARC/PLC programs and factors to consider when making elections for the 2025 crop year.

The ARC and PLC programs provide financial protections to farmers from substantial drops in crop prices or revenues and are vital economic safety nets for most American farms. Producers can elect coverage and enroll in crop-by-crop ARC-County or PLC, or ARC-Individual for the entire farm, for the 2025 crop year. Although election changes for 2025 are optional, enrollment (signed contract) is required for each year of the program. If a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm and makes an election change for 2025, it will be necessary to sign a new contract. The webinar will highlight program information and review coverage options.

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. The Risk Management Agency (RMA) final date to apply for crop insurance for the 2025 crop year is March 15, 2025, for corn, soybeans, beets, peas, small grains, and forage. For more crop insurance information Visit rma.usda.gov.

You can join the Minnesota FSA and University of Minnesota Extension ARC/PLC webinar through the following link:

Wednesday, February 19, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (CST) ARC/PLC Webinar for Minnesota

Click HERE to join the February 19, 10:00 a.m. Minnesota Webinar

Participants can register in advance at https://z.umn.edu/25FarmBill and can also register at the time of the webinar. Additionally, the webinar will be recorded and posted for future viewing. Persons with disabilities who require accommodations to participate in this meeting should contact Kristina Fast at 507-407-5003 by February 17 or dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunication relay services.

FSA is currently accepting applications for ARC/PLC enrollment through April 15, 2025. To learn more about ARC/PLC visit farmers.gov/arc-plc or contact your local USDA Service Center.

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.

For more information on direct loans, contact your West Otter Tail County USDA Service Center at 218-739-4694 or visit fsa.usda.gov.

FSA is cleaning up our producer record database and needs your help. Please report any changes of address, zip code, phone number, email address or an incorrect name or business name on file to our office. You should also report changes in your farm operation, like the addition of a farm by lease or purchase. You should also report any changes to your operation in which you reorganize to form a Trust, LLC or other legal entity. 

FSA and NRCS program participants are required to promptly report changes in their farming operation to the County Committee in writing and to update their Farm Operating Plan on form CCC-902.

To update your records, contact your West Otter Tail County USDA Service Center at 218-739-4694 or Wilkin County USDA Service Center at 218-643-1536.

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 $2,251,000. 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 West Otter Tail County USDA Service Center at 218-739-4694 or visit fsa.usda.gov.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated three livestock disaster assistance programs to synchronize deadlines and streamline program delivery. The changes take effect for the 2024 program applications for the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP), Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) and Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). 

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is now accepting applications for ELAP, LFP and LIP until March 1 following the end of the calendar year in which the disaster circumstances occurred. For 2024 program applications, which are being accepted at FSA offices across the nation right now, the deadline to apply for this assistance is March 3, 2025, because March 1 falls on a Saturday. 

ELAP Policy Clarification 

FSA is clarifying the feed transportation provisions of the program. In 2022, ELAP policy was revised to recognize the impact of adverse weather, including drought, on producer expenses associated with the need to transport feed to livestock, or livestock to new forage resources. To be eligible for assistance, producers must have a loss resulting from the cost to transport livestock feed to eligible livestock for mileage above normal or transport livestock to feed resources outside the adversely impacted area.     The policy clarifies what is considered an eligible feed expense under the feed transportation provisions and what is considered eligible documentation for claiming feed transportation expenses. This clarification also provides a program standard for calculating feed transportation costs based on the expected feed needs of eligible animals.

Programs Overview 

ELAP provides financial assistance to producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish to assist with the impacts of adverse weather and disease that are not covered by other FSA programs. ELAP also helps dairy producers who incur milk production losses due to H5N1 infections in their dairy herds. LFP provides financial assistance to livestock producers who suffer eligible grazing losses on land impacted by qualifying droughts or are restricted from grazing federally managed lands due to wildfire. LIP provides financial assistance to producers who face livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather or attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government. 

More Information 

The updates to ELAP, LFP and LIP are detailed in this Jan. 17, 2025, notice in the Federal Register. 

Producers who have questions about these program policy changes, including producers who previously submitted ELAP, LFP or LIP applications for 2024, should contact the FSA at their local USDA Service Center for additional information prior to the March 3, 2025, application deadline.