Guthrie County USDA Service Center - July 8, 2025
In This Issue:
2025 Crop Certification is going on now in the Guthrie County Office. If you have not yet filed your 2025 Report of Commodities/Certification, please contact our office at 641-332-2640. The deadline for reporting spring seeded crops, CRP, and perennial forage is July 15, 2025. Please complete your certification before this date to avoid a required $46.00 per farm late file fee.
Stay informed: sign up for Text Messages-text IAGuthrie to FSANOW (372-669).
Dates to Remember:
May 15 – August 1: Primary Nesting Season – No mid-contract activities can be performed on CRP during the primary nesting season. Please call the office for prior approval if your CRP needs maintenance during this time.
Commodity Loan:
(Less than 1 year disbursed) - 5.125%
Farm Storage Facility Loan Program:
3-year loan - 3.875%
5-year loan - 4.000%
7-year loan - 4.250%
10-year loan - 4.5%
12-year loan - 4.625%
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is now accepting nominations for county committee members and encourages all farmers, ranchers, and FSA program participants to take part in the Guthrie 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 Guthrie County, elections will take place in LAA #3, which consists of Grant, Thompson, Beaver, Jackson, and Penn-Stuart Townships. 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 Aug. 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.
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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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Farm Service Agency (FSA) program payments are issued electronically into your bank account. In order to receive timely payments, you need to notify your FSA servicing office if you close your account or if your bank information is changed for any reason (such as your financial institution merging or being purchased). Payments can be delayed if FSA is not notified of changes to account and bank routing numbers.
For some programs, payments are not made until the following year. For example, payments for crop year 2019 through the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage program aren’t paid until 2020. If the bank account was closed due to the death of an individual or dissolution of an entity or partnership before the payment was issued, please notify your local FSA office as soon as possible to claim your payment.
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Kristin Clark
County Executive Director
641-332-2640 Ext. 4018 kristin.clark@usda.gov
Ashley Hunziker
Farm Loan Manager
641-332-2640 Ext. 4011 ashley.hunziker@usda.gov
Kevin Kuhn
District Conservationist
641-332-2640 Ext. 4023 kevin.kuhn@usda.gov
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Farm Program Staff:
Jonetta Long, PA
Danielle McNeill, PA
Haylee Miller, PA
MaryKay Smith, PA
Farm Loan Staff:
Kim Durst, LA
Renee Gruber, LA
Genevieve McCreary, FLO
NRCS Staff:
Kevin Crees, ST
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