Clay County USDA Newsletter - June 16, 2025
In This Issue:
June 16 - Nominations open for the 2025 County Committee (COC) Election
June 19 - Office Closed in Observance of Juneteenth National Independence Day
June 20 - Final Date to Submit a Prevented Planting Claim for Corn
July 4 - Offices Closed in Observance of Independence Day
July 7 - Final Date to Submit a Prevent Planting Claim for Soybeans
July 15 - Acreage Reporting Deadline for Spring Seeded Crops
August 1 - Nesting Season Ends for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Practices
August 15 - Deadline to Sign Up for the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 Crop Year.
Ongoing – Submit an Application for a Farm Storage Facility Loan
Continuous - Submit an Application for FSA Farm Loans
Continuous - Signup for Local County Office FSA Text Alerts - Text Your Service Center Keyword (2-digit state abbreviation+County Name Example: Adams County Indiana is INAdams) to FSANOW (372-669)
Continuous – Sign up for GovDelivery Newsletters, Bulletins and Indiana Press Releases (Subscribe to USDA Emails for Farmers | Farmers.gov)
Maps are now available at the Clay County FSA Office for acreage reporting purposes. If you wish to receive your maps by e-mail, please call our office or email the Clay County office staff at inbrazil-fsa@usda.gov. Please see the following acreage reporting deadlines for Clay County:
· July 15, 2025: All spring seeded crops & CRP
In order to maintain program eligibility and benefits, you must file timely acreage reports. Failure to file an acreage report by the crop acreage reporting deadline may cause ineligibility for future program benefits. FSA will not accept acreage reports provided more than a year after the acreage reporting deadline.
Producers are encouraged to file their acreage reports as soon as planting is completed.
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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.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) updates to the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Farm Loan Programs are officially in effect. These changes, part of the Enhancing Program Access and Delivery for Farm Loans rule, are designed to increase financial flexibility for agricultural producers, allowing them to grow their operations, boost profitability, and build long-term savings.
These program updates reflect USDA’s ongoing commitment to supporting the financial success and resilience of farmers and ranchers nationwide, offering critical tools to help borrowers manage their finances more effectively.
What the new rules mean for you:
- Low-interest installment set-aside program: Financially distressed borrowers can now defer up to one annual loan payment at a reduced interest rate. This simplified option helps ease financial pressure while keeping farming operations running smoothly.
- Flexible repayment terms: New repayment options give borrowers the ability to increase their cash flow and build working capital reserves, allowing for long-term financial planning that includes saving for retirement, education, and other future needs.
- Reduced collateral requirements: FSA has lowered the amount of additional loan security needed for direct farm loans, making it easier for borrowers to leverage their existing equity without putting their personal residence at risk.
These new rules provide more financial freedom to borrowers. By giving farmers and ranchers better tools to manage their operations, we’re helping them build long-term financial stability. It’s all about making sure they can keep their land, grow their business, and invest in the future.
If you’re an FSA borrower or considering applying for a loan, now is the time to take advantage of these new policies. We encourage you to reach out to your local FSA farm loan staff to ensure you fully understand the wide range of loan making and servicing options available to assist with starting, expanding, or maintaining your agricultural operation.
To conduct business with FSA, please contact your local USDA Service Center.
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If you have experienced delays in receiving Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payments, Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) and Market Gains on Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs), it may be because you have not filed form CCC-941, Adjusted Gross Income Certification.
If you don’t have a valid CCC-941 on file for the applicable crop year you will not receive payments. All farm operator/tenants/owners who have not filed a CCC-941 and have pending payments should IMMEDIATELY file the form with their recording county FSA office. Farm operators and tenants are encouraged to ensure that their landowners have filed the form.
FSA can accept the CCC-941 for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Unlike the past, you must have the CCC-941 certifying your AGI compliance before any payments can be issued.
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Clay County Soil & Water Conservation District Updates
Grazing Bites June 2025
Check out the NRCS - Natural Resource Conservation Service Grazing Bites by clicking here.
New No-Till Drill Rental Rates
Clay County Soil & Water Conservation District has new rental rates for the No-Till Drill. To learn more please visit: https://www.claycountyswcd.com/services.html
Clay City Fair - Red, White and Moo!
Mark your calendars for the June 25-28, 2025 Clay City Fair. More information can be found by visiting Clay City Community Builders Facebook page.
Clay County 4-H Fair
Mark your calendars for the Clay County 4-H Fair-July 12-18, 2025. For more information please visit: https://extension.purdue.edu/county/clay/clay-county-4-h-homepage.html
Indiana State Fair
Mark your calendars for the Indiana State Fair, August 1-17 (Closed Mondays). For more information please visit: https://www.indianastatefair.com/p/state-fair
Check out this 100 Things To Do At The Indiana State Fair by clicking here. Check out #75-For more information about this stop please visit: https://youtu.be/OqXLwukrZQw.
New PHISH Brochure
The new PHISH - People Helping Improve Soil Health - brochure is available. PHISH is a working group to help improve the soil health of urban gardens and farms throughout Clay, Greene, Putnam, Sullivan, Owen, and Morgan Counties. Benefits of this program include Site Visits, Technical Assistance, Educational Events & Educational Handouts. Please check out the brochure to receive additional information on soil sampling by clicking here. For more information on Conservation Practices in regards to Urban Soil Health such as Cover Crops, Crop Rotation, High Tunnels and Low Tunnels, Irrigation and Water Conservation, Mulching, Native Plantings for Beneficial Insects and Pollinators, Nutrient Management, Reduced and No-Till, Tarping, Agroforestry & Permaculture please visit: https://www.urbansoilhealth.org/resources/#conservation to learn more.
Spring 2025 Tire Recycling Event
This event is open to Clay County residents only. RSVP was required. Coverage of the event can be found on our website, Facebook page and in this newsletter. If this event would be of interest to you, please email jennifer.creager@in.nacdnet.net with your name, address, city/state/zip, phone, email, how many tires over 54 inches and how many tires under 54 inches. Once we receive this information, our office will reach out to you to get you tentatively RSVPed for the next event, which we would like to plan for the first Saturday in December.
41 residents participated in this event. 1,047 tires under 54 inches and 32 tires over 52 inches were RSVPed to be recycled. Thank you to everyone for their participation in this event as well as all of the businesses who allowed us to post the event flyer. We also appreciate our Sponsors of this year’s event: Keystone Cooperative, Clay County Health Department, West Central Indiana Watershed Alliance, Clay County Community Corrections, Clay County Highway Department, Liberty Tire Recycling as well as The Brazil Times, our Clay County Township Trustees, local Fire Departments that helped us spread the word as well as those who helped via word of mouth, liking and sharing our flyer on Facebook, etc. Also-thank you to our CCSWCD District Technician-Heidi Kasper for taking photos and capturing this event digitally. Check out the video she made here.
2025 Free Fishing Days
Our partners at IDNR - Indiana DNR posted the 2025 Free Fishing Days: September 27, 2025. For more information please visit: https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/fishing/free-fishing-days/
Soil Health Improvement
Are you interested in improving soil health on Indiana's cropland? Are you signed up for the free newsletter from CCSI - Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative? If not, please visit this website to get signed up today! https://www.ccsin.org/
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USDA announced loan interest rates for June 2025, which are effective June 1, 2025. USDA’s FSA loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures, or meet cash flow needs.
FSA also offers guaranteed loans through commercial lenders at rates set by those lenders.
Interest rates for Operating and Ownership loans for June 2025 are as follows:
Commodity and Storage Facility Loans
Additionally, FSA provides low-interest financing to producers to build or upgrade on-farm storage facilities and purchase handling equipment and loans that provide interim financing to help producers meet cash flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market prices are low. Funds for these loans are provided through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and are administered by FSA.
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Commodity Loans (less than one year disbursed): 5.000%
- Farm Storage Facility Loans:
- Three-year loan terms: 3.875%
- Five-year loan terms: 4.000%
- Seven-year loan terms: 4.125%
- Ten-year loan terms: 4.375%
- Twelve-year loan terms: 4.500%
Check your eligibility for FSA loans and find the right loans to fit your needs by utilizing the Farm Loan Assistance Tool.
Additionally, FSA provides low-interest financing to producers to build or upgrade on-farm storage facilities and purchase handling equipment and loans that provide interim financing to help producers meet cash flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market prices are low. Funds for these loans are provided through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and are administered by FSA.
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Clay USDA Service Center
551 E. US-HWY 40. STE B
Brazil, IN 47834
Phone: 812-446-8986
Fax: 855-358-2661
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FSA County Executive Director
Alyssa Wilson
alyssa.wilson@usda.gov
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Acting NRCS District Conservationist
Jack Basiger
jack.basiger@usda.gov
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FSA Farm Loan Manager
Nathan Adams
765-569-3551
nathan.adams@usda.gov
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Clay County Soil & Water Conservation
Jennifer Creager
Heidi Kasper
SWCD Board Meetings 3rd Thursday of Month at 9am. Check website for updates.
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FSA Program Analysts
Amanda Moore Kassidy Stone Naomi Seifert Kim Wade
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FSA County Committee Members
Andrew Tucker Jason Summers Trent Neal
Advisor
Lois Collins
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Next County Committee Meeting:
To Be Annouced
Held at the USDA Service Center
Reasonable Accommodation Questions? Contact Alyssa Wilson at Alyssa.Wilson@usda.gov. If you would need to request an accommodation, please contact Alyssa Wilson at 812-446-8986 or Alyssa.Wilson@usda.gov within 5 days of the meeting 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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