Beginning Farmer Meeting Opportunities:  Are you a beginning farmer or do you know a beginning farmer? Are you planning to start a farming operation? Have you signed up for FSA programs but are now wondering what is next or if you are missing out on opportunities to assist your farming operation? USDA is here to support beginning farmers and their operations.

FSA identifies beginning farmers as someone with less than ten years of farming experience, but all are welcome!

Beginning Farmer Meeting Hosted by FSA

The Farm Service Agency in West Otter Tail and Wilkin Counties 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 provide information about a variety of federal and state programs that could assist and support new farming operations.

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

Reasonable Accommodation Persons with disabilities who require accommodations to attend or participate in these meetings should contact Leon Johnson at (218) 321-3235 or dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunication relay services.

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.

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:  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:
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 7 - Beginning Farmer Meeting
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

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

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

Commodity Loan Interest Rate:  5.250%

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!

The Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program provides low-interest financing to help you build or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used) structures, equipment and storage and handling trucks.

Eligible commodities include corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, oats, peanuts, wheat, barley, minor oilseeds harvested as whole grain, pulse crops (lentils, chickpeas and dry peas), hay, honey, renewable biomass, fruits, nuts and vegetables for cold storage facilities, floriculture, hops, maple sap, rye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultry (unprocessed), eggs, and aquaculture (excluding systems that maintain live animals through uptake and discharge of water). Qualified facilities include grain bins, hay barns and cold storage facilities for eligible commodities.

Loans up to $100,000 can be secured by a promissory note/security agreement and loans exceeding $100,000 require additional security.

You do not need to demonstrate the lack of commercial credit availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse range of farming operations, including small and mid-sized businesses, new farmers, operations supplying local food and farmers markets, non-traditional farm products, and underserved producers.

For more information, contact your West Otter Tail County USDA Service Center at 218-739-4694, Wilkin County USDA Service Center at 218-643-1536, or visit fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport.

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.

Farmers and ranchers rely on crop insurance to protect themselves from disasters and unforeseen events, but not all crops are insurable through the USDA’s Risk Management Agency. The Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provides producers another option to obtain coverage against disaster for these crops. NAP provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops impacted by natural disasters that result in lower yields, crop losses, or prevents crop planting. 

Commercially produced crops and agricultural commodities for which crop insurance is not available are generally eligible for NAP. Eligible crops include those grown specifically for food, fiber, livestock consumption, biofuel or biobased products, or value loss crops such as aquaculture, Christmas trees, ornamental nursery, and others. Contact your local FSA office to see which crops are eligible in your state and county. 

Eligible causes of loss include drought, freeze, hail, excessive moisture, excessive wind or hurricanes, earthquake and flood. These events must occur during the NAP policy coverage period, before or during harvest, and the disaster must directly affect the eligible crop. For guidance on causes of loss not listed, contact your local FSA county office. 

Interested producers apply for NAP coverage and pay the applicable service fee at the FSA office where their farm records are maintained. These must be filed by the application closing date, which varies by crop. Contact your local FSA office to verify application closing dates and ensure coverage for eligible NAP crops. 

At the time of application, each producer acknowledges they have received the NAP Basic Provisions, which describes NAP requirements for coverage. NAP participants must report crop acreage shortly after planting and provide verifiable or reliable crop production records when required by FSA.  

Producers are required to pay service fees which vary depending on the number of crops and number of counties your operation is located in. 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. Premiums also apply when producers elect higher levels of coverage with a maximum premium of $15,750 per person or legal entity.  

A producer’s certification on Form CCC-860 Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification may serve as an application for basic NAP coverage for all eligible crops beginning with crop year 2022. These producers will have all NAP-related service fees for basic coverage waived, in addition to a 50 percent premium reduction if higher levels of coverage are elected.  

For more detailed information on NAP, download the NAP Fact Sheet. To get started with NAP, we recommend you contact your local USDA service center. 

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.