June is Dairy Month! Raise a glass of milk to all the dedicated dairy farmers across the US who work hard every day to sustainably produce milk that is full of 13 essential nutrients. From cheese to ice cream to yogurt to butter or just a nice cold glass of milk, there are so many ways to celebrate dairy this month and every month! Thank you for all you do.

Now is the time to report your 2025 planted crops and CRP acres. 

2025 Acreage Reporting:  Now is the time to report your 2025 planted crops and CRP acres. The deadline to timely report your 2025 crop including CRP acres is July 15, 2025.

You can pick up your maps to fill out crops and planting date.  You can do this in the office or at home. Producers are encouraged to drop off their completed maps at the office. This allows the county office time to load the maps in the system and provide you with the FSA-578 for signature by the deadline. Same day service will also be available.

The West Otter Tail office asks that you schedule an appointment to help control the workflow of the acreage reporting process. 

Nitrate Testing Clinic:  The West Otter Tail SWCD will be providing a nitrate testing clinic on Friday, June 20th at the USDA Service Center conference room in Fergus Falls. To get your water tested, bring at least one-half cup of water in either a clean plastic/glass container or Ziploc bag to the nitrate testing clinic. To get a good sample, allow the water to run 5 to 10 minutes before filling the container.  There is no cost to have the test performed.  It runs from 10 am – 2 pm.  For details, contact the SWCD at 218-998-5300.

CRP Sign-Up:  USDA announced on May 12 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 today through June 6, 2025.

CRP Reminders: Mid-Contract Management (MCM) & Maintenance:  During the primary nesting season which runs from June 1st - August 1st, you must have approval to conduct spot mowing or spot spraying on your CRP acres.  During this time frame management is limited to specific problem areas and is NOT allowed across all acres of the contract.  If you need to do any spot treatment you need to contact our office and receive permission to do so. Required CRP management and maintenance activities may not be conducted during this timeframe. CRP Participants must refrain from mowing or spraying unless you have contacted FSA to receive permission to control weeds or rodents by spot spraying or spot mowing.

Farm Storage Facility Loans:  Do you have all of your storage and handling equipment, semi-tractors, grain trailers, augers and conveyors ready for the 2025 harvest? A variety of structures, handling equipment, and trucks are eligible under the Farm Storage Facility Loan program, including dryers, augers, trucks – new & used, grain trailers (hopper, live bottom, end dump), including semi tractors, baggers, bale wrappers, grain carts, sugar beet carts, forklifts and skid steers, bulk tanks, propane tanks, hay barns, facilities for cold storage, storage, drying, & handling facilities, and many more options available.

A producer may borrow up to $500,000 per loan, with a minimum down payment of 15 percent. Loan terms range from 3 to 12 years, depending on the amount of the loan with favorable interest rates (3.875% - 5.000%) currently.

If there is construction required, which would include ground disturbance such as site preparation, an environmental review must be completed before actions are approved. 

Please contact the West Otter Tail County USDA Service Center at 218-739-4694 or Wilkin County USDA Service Center at 218-643-1536 regarding questions pertaining to the information within this bulletin, or any other concerns you may have. 

Leon Johnson, CED

Important Dates and Deadlines:
June 6 - Deadline to submit offers for the General and
               Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
June 19 - USDA Service Center closed in observance of
                 Juneteenth holiday
July 4 - USDA Service Center Closed in observance of Independence Day
July 15 - Deadline to timely report 2025 CRP and crop acres
August 15 - Deadline to sign-up into the Emergency Commodity Assistance
                     Program (ECAP)
July 31 - Deadline to submit offer for enrollment in Continuous CRP

June Interest Rates

Farm Storage Facility Loan Program Interest Rates

3.875% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 3-Year
4.000% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 5-Year
4.125% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 7-Year
4.375% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 10-Year
4.500% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 12-Year

Farm Loan Program - Interest Rates
5.000% - Farm Operating Loans, Direct
5.750% - Farm Ownership Loans, Direct
3.750% - Farm Ownership, Joint Financing
1.750% - Farm Ownership Loans, Beginning Farmer Down Payment

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!

You have a lot at stake in making sure your crop insurance acreage reporting is accurate and on time. If you fail to report on time, you may not be protected. If you report too much acreage, you may pay too much premium. If you report too little acreage, you may recover less when you file a claim.

Crop insurance agents often say that mistakes in acreage reporting are the easiest way for producers to have an unsatisfactory experience with crop insurance. Don’t depend on your agent to do this important job for you. Your signature on the bottom of the acreage reporting form makes it, legally, your responsibility. Double-check it for yourself.

Remember - acreage reporting is your responsibility. Doing it right will save you money. Always get a copy of your report immediately after signing and filing it with your agent and keep it with your records. Remember, it is your responsibility to report crop damage to your agent within 72 hours of discovery. Never put damaged acreage to another use without prior written consent of the insurance adjuster. You don’t want to destroy any evidence of a possible claim. Learn more by visiting RMA’s website.

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.

USDA offers programs to help producers recover from disasters; FEMA can help you prepare ahead of time.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a free mobile app that explains what to do before, during and after emergencies. The app is available for download for Apple, Android and Blackberry mobile devices.

Download the app to:

• Receive alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations
• Get safety reminders, read tips to survive natural disasters and customize your emergency checklist
• Locate open shelters and where to talk to FEMA in person (or on the phone)
• Upload and share your disaster photos to help first responders.

For more information about the FEMA app, visit fema.gov/mobile-app. To download the FEMA app from the Apple Store visit itunes.apple.com/us/app/fema/id474807486?mt=8. To download the FEMA app on Google Play for Android visit: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.fema.mobile.android&hl=en

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 Risk Management Agency (RMA).

The final planting date for the following crops:

• Corn - May 31st.
• Sugar Beets - May 31st
• Soybeans - June 10th
• Sunflowers - June 10th 

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 Non-Insured 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 West Otter Tail County USDA Service Center at 218-739-4694 or Wilkin County USDA Service Center at 218-643-1536 or visit www.fsa.usda.gov.

Cover crops are planted because of their excellent benefits, including improving the health and function of soil. This leads to better nutrient cycling, improved water infiltration and more consistent yields over time. Cover crops also suppress weeds, prevent erosion, control diseases and pests as well as help pollinators.

Farmers not familiar with how mixtures of cover crops work together might ask, “Why would I want to plant a cover crop that uses up all my water?” But using diverse annual cropping rotations and cover crop combinations increases soil organic matter. And for each 1 percent in organic matter, there is a 25 percent increase in water holding capacity and up to 30 pounds an acre more of available nitrogen.

While cover crops use some water in the soil profile to grow, they simultaneously improve the soil structure by building soil aggregates, providing armor for the soil surface, and recharging the water in the soil profile though increased infiltration.

Common cover crops in Minnesota for single species it is common to have oats, annual rye, or winter cereal rye. For multi-species it is common to see oats, radish, turnip mixes and/or winter cereal rye, radish, turnip mixes.

For more information, contact the West Otter Tail County USDA Service Center at 218-739-4694 or Wilkin County USDA Service Center at 218-643-1536 or visit nrcs.usda.gov. You can also watch this NRCS video on cover crops.