June is Dairy month! It is important to take a moment to express our thanks to all our dairy producers out there.  Keeping those cows happy is a busy job and we appreciate everyone involved who supports the dairy industry.  We recognize your efforts and appreciate all that you do!

Please take a few moments to familiarize yourself with this information.

Acreage Certification
The county office sent out appointment cards for certification in early May.  If you have not been in the office to certify your acres, please call and reschedule your appointment so we can complete your paperwork for the 2025 crop year. The acreage reporting deadline of July 15^th is right around the corner so do not delay.

CRP Reminders
The primary nesting season is now in effect and runs through August 1^st.  Mid-Contract Management activities will now need to hold until this timeline lapses.  Contract holders should refrain from mowing or spraying unless you contact FSA to receive permission for a spot spray or mow.  

We would also advise contract holders to take some time and scout your CRP acreage throughout the year to ensure you do not have volunteer trees or noxious weeds popping up.  It is your responsibility to maintain your CRP practice and failure to do so could result in penalties of noncompliance up to and including contract termination. 

County Committee Nominations
Do you or someone you know have a passion to support fellow farmers? Consider a nomination for your local USDA FSA County Committee (COC).

The nomination period for FSA’s annual county committee elections is open now through Aug. 1, 2025. County committee members are farmers elected by their peers to serve as a direct link between the agricultural community and USDA. Farmers on the committee help deliver FSA farm programs at the local level, help decide the kind of programs their counties will offer, and work to make FSA agricultural programs serve the needs of local producers. The election of responsible agricultural producers to FSA county committees is important to all farmers and ranchers.

Storm Reporting Assistance
Kandiyohi has seen significant amounts of rainfall in the last few weeks.  We appreciate the photos we have received from producers and understand the significant damage it has caused.  This information and our continued assessment of the county will be used to determine what type of federal assistance is needed. Continued reports and pictures can be sent to scott.newberg@usda.gov as the growing season progresses. 

Scott Newberg
County Executive Director

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) will open nominations for county committee members on June 16, 2025, and encourages all farmers, ranchers, and FSA program participants to take part in the Kandiyohi County Committee election nomination process.

Elections will occur in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for members. LAAs are elective areas for FSA committees in a single county or multi-county jurisdiction.  For Kandiyohi County, elections will take place in LAA #3, which consists of Green Lake, Harrison, Kandiyohi, Gennessee, Fahlun, Lake Elizabeth, Lake Lillian, and East Lake Lillian.

Customers can identify which LAA they or their farming or ranching operation is in by using our GIS locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections.

County committee members make important decisions about how Federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2025 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by August 1, 2025.  

Agricultural producers who participate or cooperate in a USDA program and reside in the LAA that is up for election this year, may be nominated for candidacy for the county committee. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation to FSA, even if they have not applied or received program benefits.

Individuals may nominate themselves or others and qualifying organizations may also nominate candidates. USDA encourages minority producers, women, and beginning farmers or ranchers to nominate, vote and hold office.  

Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serve on FSA county committees. The committees are made up of 3 to 11 members who serve three-year terms. Committee members are vital to how FSA carries out disaster programs, as well as conservation, commodity and price support programs, county office employment and other agricultural issues.  

For more information on FSA county committee elections, including fact sheets, nomination forms and FAQs, visit fsa.usda.gov/elections

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.

A video series from NRCS and farmers.gov, Conservation at Work, presents short and easy to understand videos about popular conservation practices. These videos feature producers explaining how an individual practice helps their land and why they are using it.

The videos shine the spotlight on farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners from across the U.S. who explain why they’ve implemented the conservation practices and how they work on their land. They also provide insight into how each practice is helping them protect and improve resources and save time and money.

We’ve got videos showcasing high tunnels, no-till, cover crops, prescribed grazing, and many more.

Check out the Conservation at Work video series at farmers.gov/conservation/conservation-at-work.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) assists beginning farmers to finance agricultural enterprises. Under these designated farm loan programs, FSA can provide financing to eligible applicants through either direct or guaranteed loans. FSA defines a beginning farmer as a person who:

• Has operated a farm for not more than 10 years
• Will materially and substantially participate in the operation of the farm
• Agrees to participate in a loan assessment, borrower training and financial management program sponsored by FSA
• Does not own a farm in excess of 30 percent of the county’s average size farm.

For more information, contact your Kandiyohi County USDA Service Center at 320-235-3540 or visit www.fsa.usda.gov.