South Dakota USDA Newsletter - May 15, 2025
In This Issue:
Spring Greetings,
South Dakota has experienced a very windy beginning to May and many areas of the state have seen our most precious natural resource fly past their very eyes, our soil. The NRCS and its partners have resources available to plan for long-term protection against wind erosion. You can’t control the wind, but you can control the cover you give your soil by planning ahead of time. To gather online information, visit the technical resources tab on the South Dakota NRCS webpage, the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition’s webpage, or visit an NRCS field office to discuss creating a conservation plan with an NRCS specialist.
It is exciting to have had the Conservation Technology Information Center’s Conservation in Action Tour in South Dakota this year. This national-level tour was held around the Sioux Falls area and was focused on soil health, biodiversity, crop production, and innovation. Visit the CTIC’s webpage to learn more about this opportunity and view videos of past tours.
Thank you to all South Dakota farmers, ranchers, land managers, landowners, and NRCS partners who are moving the needle of conservation in our state.
Sincerely,
Tony Sunseri
State Conservationist
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
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May 26, 2025 - Memorial Day Holiday - USDA Service Centers Closed
June 2, 2025 - Final loan availability date for the 2024 crops of corn, dry peas, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, safflower, chickpeas, soybeans, sunflowers
June 6, 2025 - Deadline to submit offers for General and Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). See article below.
June 17-18, 2025 - FSA State Committee Meeting (information below)
June 19, 2025 - Juneteenth National Independence Day Holiday - USDA Service Centers Closed
July 4, 2025 - Independence Day Holiday - USDA Service Centers Closed
July 15, 2025 - Acreage Reporting Deadline for 2025 Crop Year spring-seeded crops, perennial forage & Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage
July 15, 2025 - Deadline to Report 2024 ARC-IC Farm Yields
August 15, 2025 - Deadline to apply for 2024 Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP)
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USDA announced several Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enrollment opportunities for agricultural producers and landowners. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting offers for both the General and Continuous CRP through June 6, 2025.
CRP, USDA’s flagship conservation program, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. For four decades, CRP has provided financial and technical support to agricultural producers and landowners who place unproductive or marginal cropland under contract for 10-15 years and who agree to voluntarily convert the land to beneficial vegetative cover to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and support wildlife habitat. The American Relief Act, 2025, extended provisions for CRP through Sept. 30, 2025.
General CRP (Signup 64)
Agricultural producers and landowners submit offers for General CRP through a competitive bid process. Offers are ranked and scored, by FSA, using nationally established environmental benefits criteria. USDA will announce accepted offers once ranking and scoring for all offers is completed. In addition to annual rental payments, approved General CRP participants may also be eligible for cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource-conserving vegetative cover.
Continuous CRP (Signup 63)
Unlike General CRP, Continuous CRP offers are not subject to a competitive bid process. To ensure enrolled acres do not exceed the current statutory cap of 27 million acres, FSA is accepting Continuous CRP offers on a first-come, first-served basis through June 6. However, should allotted CRP acreage remain available following the June 6 deadline, FSA will accept continuous CRP offers from interested landowners through July 31, 2025, and may be subsequently considered for acceptance, in batches, if it’s determined that the offered acres support USDA’s conservation priorities.
Continuous CRP participants voluntarily offer environmentally sensitive lands, typically smaller parcels than offered through General CRP including wetlands, riparian buffers, and varying wildlife habitats. In return, they receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource-conserving vegetative cover.
Continuous CRP enrollment options:
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State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative: Restores vital habitat in order to meet high-priority state wildlife conservation goals.
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Highly Erodible Land Initiative: Producers and landowners can enroll in CRP to establish long-term cover on highly erodible cropland that has a weighted erodibility index greater than or equal to 20.
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Clean Lakes, Estuaries and Rivers (CLEAR) Initiative: Prioritizes water quality practices on the land that, if enrolled, will help reduce sediment loadings, nutrient loadings, and harmful algal blooms. The vegetative covers also contribute to increased wildlife populations.
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CLEAR30 (a component of the CLEAR Initiative): Offers additional incentives for water quality practice adoption and can be accessed in 30-year contracts.
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Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program: Addresses high priority conservation objectives of states and Tribal governments on agricultural lands in specific geographic areas.
Grassland and Expiring CRP Acres
FSA will announce dates for Grassland CRP signup in the near future.
Additionally, landowners with acres enrolled in CRP set to expire Sept. 30, 2025, can offer acres for re-enrollment beginning today. A producer can offer to enroll new acres into CRP and also offer to re-enroll any acres expiring Sept. 30, 2025.
For more information on CRP participant and land eligibility, approved conservation practices and detailed program fact sheets, visit FSA’s CRP webpage.
More Information
Interested producers should apply through the FSA at their local USDA Service Center.
Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest voluntary private-lands conservation programs in the United States. Originally intended to primarily control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production, the program has evolved over the years, providing many conservation and economic benefits.
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USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds drought-impacted producers in South Dakota that they may be eligible for assistance through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP).
For eligible livestock in qualifying counties, ELAP provides financial assistance for:
- the transportation of water to livestock;
- the above normal cost of mileage for transporting feed to livestock; and
- the above normal cost of transporting livestock to forage/grazing acres.* *Hauling livestock both ways starting in 2023, one haul per animal reimbursement and no payment for “empty miles.”
Eligible livestock include cattle, bison, goats and sheep, among others, that are maintained for commercial use and located in a county where qualifying drought conditions occur. A county must have had D2 severe drought intensity on the U.S. Drought Monitor for eight consecutive weeks during the normal grazing period, or D3 or D4 drought intensity at any time during the normal grazing period. Producers must have risk in both eligible livestock and eligible grazing land in an eligible county to qualify for ELAP assistance.
Transporting Water
Producers must be transporting water to eligible livestock on eligible grazing land where adequate livestock watering systems or facilities were in place before the drought occurred and where water transportation is not normally required. ELAP covers costs associated with personal labor, equipment, hired labor, and contracted water transportation fees. Cost of the water itself is not covered. ELAP covers $0.10 per gallon to transport water.
Transporting Feed
ELAP provides financial assistance to livestock producers who incur above normal expenses for transporting feed to livestock during drought. The payment formula excludes the first 25 miles and any mileage over 1,000 miles. The reimbursement rate is 60% of the cost above what would normally would have been incurred during the same time period in a normal (non-drought) year.
Livestock feed that is transported to livestock located on land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is eligible if the producer has an approved conservation plan with acceptable grazing practices developed in coordination with the Natural Resources Conservation Service
The payment rate to transport feed is $3.50/loaded mile for expenses above what would have normally been incurred.
Transporting Livestock
ELAP provides financial assistance to livestock producers who are hauling livestock to a new location for feed resources due to insufficient feed or grazing in drought-impacted areas. As with transporting feed, the payment formula for transporting livestock excludes the first 25 miles and any mileage over 1,000 miles. The reimbursement rate is 60% of the costs above what would normally have been incurred during the same time period in a normal (non-drought) year.
The payment rate to transport livestock is $3.50/loaded mile for expenses above what would have normally been incurred and covers hauling livestock one-way, one haul per animal reimbursement and no payment for “empty miles.”
An online tool is now available to help ranchers document and estimate payments to cover feed and livestock transportation costs caused by drought.
Reporting Losses
Producers should contact FSA as soon as the loss of water or feed resources are known.
For ELAP eligibility, documentation of expenses is critical. Producers should maintain records and receipts associated with the costs of transporting water to eligible livestock, the costs of transporting feed to eligible livestock, the costs of additional feed purchases, and the costs of transporting eligible livestock to forage or other grazing acres.
More Information
Producers interested in ELAP assistance can contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply for programs.
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USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds you to report prevented planted and failed acres in order to establish or retain FSA program eligibility for some programs.
You should report crop acreage you intended to plant, but due to natural disaster, were prevented from planting. Prevented planting acreage must be reported on form CCC-576, Notice of Loss, no later than 15 calendar days after the final planting date as established by FSA and the Risk Management Agency (RMA).
Additionally, if you have failed acres, you should also use form CCC-576, Notice of Loss, to report failed acres.
For hand-harvested crops and certain perishables, you must notify FSA of damage or loss through the administrative county office within 72 hours of the date of damage or loss first becomes apparent. This notification can be provided by filing a CCC-576, email, fax or phone. If you notify the County Office by any method other than by filing the CCC-576, you are still required to file a CCC-576, Notice of Loss, within the required 15 calendar days.
For losses on crops covered by the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), you must file a Notice of Loss within 15 days of the occurrence of the disaster or when losses become apparent. You must timely file a Notice of Loss for failed acres on all crops including grasses.
To file a Notice of Loss, contact your local County USDA Service Center.
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There are options for Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan customers during financial stress. If you are a borrower who is unable to make payments on a loan, contact your local FSA Farm Loan Manager to learn about your options.
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Farm loan borrowers who have pledged real estate as security for their Farm Service Agency (FSA) direct or guaranteed loans are responsible for maintaining loan collateral. Borrowers must obtain prior consent or approval from FSA or the guaranteed lender for any transaction that affects real estate security. These transactions include, but are not limited to:
- Leases of any kind
- Easements of any kind
- Subordinations
- Partial releases
- Sales
Failure to meet or follow the requirements in the loan agreement, promissory note, and other security instruments could lead to nonmonetary default which could jeopardize your current and future loans.
It is critical that borrowers keep an open line of communication with their FSA loan staff or guaranteed lender when it comes to changes in their operation. For more information on borrower responsibilities, read Your FSA Farm Loan Compass.
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On April 27, 1935, Congress established the Soil Conservation Service, which would later become the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), as a permanent agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For 90 years, NRCS has helped farmers, ranchers and forestland owners make critical investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working and boost agricultural production, while at the same time improving the quality of our air, water, soil, and wildlife habitats.
See our compilation of videos, stories and resources here.
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South Dakota (SD) grasslands continue to face dry conditions as illustrated in the mid-April SD Grassland Productivity Map on the (SD) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) website under Range and Pasture. Product of the SD Drought Tool, these maps utilize a two-year weighted average of precipitation data to determine a percent of normal production calculation incorporating historical clipping data from across the state. Forage maps relate to grassland forage production and not cropland as the maps will not predict forage quality.
State Rangeland Specialist, Emily Rohrer, shares expertise stating, “As we enter into May, consider various strategies to reduce stress not only to grassland plants, but the livestock and wildlife by scheduling adequate rest periods to allow plants to recover after grazing events. Consider speeding up your rotation, combining herds, or utilizing alternative forages (make sure to test forages prior to turnout for nitrate accumulation)."
There are several upcoming opportunities to learn more about the strategies you can take to improve grazing quality on your operation – even during a dry period. Consider attending the Young Adult Ranching for Profit Workshop to be held in Faith, SD, June 2-5 (ages 18-30), SD Rangeland and Soils Days in Belle Fourche, SD, June 10-11 (ages 8-18), or one of the three SD Grassland Coalition’s Grazing Schools, the first event is in Wall, SD, June 17-19.
For additional recommendations, visit with a local NRCS conservationist, South Dakota State University extension specialist, or consider asking a mentor through the SD Soil Health Coalition’s mentoring app: Growing Connections or seek out the SD Grassland Coalition’s mentoring network.
The following resources are also available:
SD NRCS Range and Drought page: bit.ly/Range_Pasture
South Dakota Grassland Coalition Drought Planning website: sddroughtplan.org/
National Drought Mitigation Center: https://drought.unl.edu/ranchplan/Monitor.aspx
National Integrated Drought Information System: drought.gov/
U.S. Drought Monitor: droughtmonitor.unl.edu
South Dakota State University Extension Drought Resources: extension.sdstate.edu/drought
SD Growing Resilience Web page: www.growingresiliencesd.com
SD Grazing Exchange: www.sdgrazingexchange.com/
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds agricultural producers that the final date to apply for or make changes to their existing crop insurance coverage is quickly approaching for summer planted crops, annual forage and forage seeding. Sales closing dates vary by crop and location, but the next major sales closing dates are May 1, July 15, and July 31.
Producers are encouraged to visit their crop insurance agent soon to learn specific details for the 2025 crop year. Crop insurance coverage decisions must be made on or before the applicable sales closing date.
The USDA’s Risk Management Agency lists sales closing dates in the Actuarial Information Browser, under the “Dates” tab.
Producers can also access the RMA Map Viewer tool to visualize the insurance program date choices for acreage reporting, cancellation, contract change, earliest planting, end of insurance, end of late planting period, final planting, premium billing, production reporting, sales closing, and termination dates, when applicable, per commodity, insurance plan, type and practice. Additionally, producers can access the RMA Information Reporting System tool to specifically identify applicable dates for their operation, using the “Insurance Offer Reports” application.
Federal crop insurance is critical to the farm safety net. It helps producers and owners manage revenue risks and strengthens the rural economy. Producers may select from several coverage options, including yield coverage, revenue protection and area risk plans of insurance.
Crop insurance options include Whole-Farm Revenue Protection and Micro Farm. Whole-Farm Revenue Protection provides a risk management safety net for all commodities on the farm under one insurance policy and is available in all counties nationwide. Micro Farm aims to help direct market and small-scale producers that may sell locally, and this policy simplifies record keeping and covers post-production costs like washing and value-added products.
Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available online at the RMA Agent Locator. Producers can learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting their RMA Regional Office. RMA’s Basics for Beginners provides information for those new to crop insurance.
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May 2025
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Farm Operating Loans — Direct
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5.125% |
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Farm Ownership Loans — Direct
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5.625% |
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Farm Ownership Loans — Direct Down Payment, Beginning Farmer or Rancher
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1.625% |
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Emergency Loans
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3.75% |
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Farm Storage Facility Loans (7 years)
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4.125% |
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South Dakota FSA State Committee Meeting: June 17, 2025, 11:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. CT and June 18, 2025, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. CT at Federal Building, 200 4th Street SW, Huron, SD 57350.
- Questions? Contact Jean Wharton at jean.wharton@usda.gov.
- If you need to request an accommodation, please contact Jean Wharton at (605) 352-1160 or jean.wharton@usda.gov by June 10, 2025, to request accommodations (e.g., an interpreter, translator, seating arrangements, etc.) or materials in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape – captioning, etc.).
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USDA in South Dakota
200 4th Street SW
Huron, SD 57350
FSA Phone: (605) 352-1160
NRCS Phone: (605) 352-1200
RMA Phone: (406) 651-8450
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Get Started at Your USDA Service Center
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Farm Service Agency
Acting State Executive Director:
Ryan Vanden Berge
Administrative Officer:
Theresa Hoadley
Program Managers:
Owen Fagerhaug - Conservation
Logan Kopfmann - Disaster Relief
Donita Garry - Program Delivery
Bridget Weber - Farm Loan Program,
Acting
State Outreach Coordinator:
Gail Gullickson
State Committee:
Troy Knecht, Chair
Peggy Greenway
Larry Olsen
Hank Wonnenberg
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Natural Resources Conservation
Service
State Conservationist:
Tony Sunseri
Assistant State Conservationists:
Jessica Michalski - Ecological Sciences
James Reedy - Engineering
Nathan Jones - Soils
Val Dupraz - Programs
Colette Kessler - Partnerships
Deke Hobbick - Compliance
Denise Gauer - Management & Strategy
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South Dakota Farm Service Agency
South Dakota Natural Resources Conservation Service
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