Alaska State FSA July Newsletter - 16 July 2025
In This Issue:
Northern County Updates
The Delta Junction Office will be closed Wednesday, July 16th through Friday, July 18th.
The Delta Junction office regular hours:
Monday, Wednesday & Friday- 8:00am-4:30pm
Tuesday, Thursday- 8:00am-12:00pm;
12:00pm-4:30pm by appointment only.
Southern County Updates
The Palmer FSA staff will be in the Wasilla NRCS office every Thursday from 8:30am-4pm.
Hazen Kazaks, Southern County CED, will be visiting the Kenai Peninsula next week. Come in and sign up for RTCP, sign a nomination form for the upcoming County Committee election and more! Office hours will be held as follows:
Homer NRCS office: Tuesday, July 22nd from 8am-12:30pm
Kenai NRCS office: Thursday, July 24th from 9am-1:30pm
If you would like to set up a visit to your farm with CED Hazen Kazaks, please contact him at (907)761-7773.
Upcoming Office Closures:
Monday, September 1st for Labor Day
Upcoming Deadlines:
Friday, August 15th- Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) Deadline
Monday, September 1st- 2026 NAP Deadline for Floriculture (Peonies), Aquaculture and Turf Grass
Tuesday, September 30th- 2025 RTCP Application Deadline
Tuesday, September 30th- 2026 Acreage Reporting Deadline for Value-loss crops (including Peonies) and controlled environment crops (except nursery)
Tuesday, September 30th- 2026 NAP Deadline for Perennial Grass Forage and Honey
Monday, November 3rd- 2025 RTCP Deadline to submit supporting documentation
Click here to learn more about upcoming deadlines and ongoing programs
Top of page
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that agricultural producers who suffered eligible crop losses due to natural disasters in 2023 and 2024 can now apply for $16 billion in assistance through the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP).
To expedite the implementation of SDRP, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is delivering assistance in two stages. This first stage is open to producers with eligible crop losses that received assistance under crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program during 2023 and 2024. Stage One sign up will start in person at FSA county offices on July 10 and prefilled applications are being mailed to producers today, July 9. SDRP Stage Two signups for eligible shallow or uncovered losses will begin in early fall.
SDRP Stage One
FSA is launching a streamlined, pre-filled application process for eligible crop, tree, and vine losses by leveraging existing Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) indemnified loss data. The pre-filled applications will be mailed on July 9, 2025.
Eligibility
Eligible losses must be the result of natural disasters occurring in calendar years 2023 and/or 2024. These disasters include wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, tornadoes, winter storms, freeze (including a polar vortex), smoke exposure, excessive moisture, qualifying drought, and related conditions.
To qualify for drought related losses, the loss must have occurred in a county rated by the U.S. Drought Monitor as having a D2 (severe drought) for eight consecutive weeks, D3 (extreme drought), or greater intensity level during the applicable calendar year.
Producers in Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, and Massachusetts will not be eligible for SDRP program payments. Instead, these states chose to cover eligible crop, tree, bush, and vine losses through separate block grants. These block grants are funded through the $220M provided for this purpose to eligible states in the American Relief Act.
How to Apply
To apply for SDRP, producers must submit the FSA-526, Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) Stage One Application, in addition to having other forms on file with FSA.
SDRP Stage One Payment Calculation
Stage One payments are based on the SDRP adjusted NAP or Federal crop insurance coverage level the producer purchased for the crop. The net NAP or net federal crop insurance payments (NAP or crop insurance indemnities minus administrative fees and premiums) will be subtracted from the SDRP calculated payment amount.
For Stage One, the total SDRP payment to indemnified producers will not exceed 90% of the loss and an SDRP payment factor of 35% will be applied to all Stage One payments. If additional SDRP funds remain, FSA may issue a second payment.
Future Insurance Coverage Requirements
All producers who receive SDRP payments are required to purchase federal crop insurance or NAP coverage for the next two available crop years at the 60% coverage level or higher. Producers who fail to purchase crop insurance for the next two available crop years will be required to refund the SDRP payment, plus interest, to USDA.
SDRP Stage 2
FSA will announce additional SDRP assistance for uncovered losses, including non-indemnified shallow losses and quality losses and how to apply later this fall.
Learn more by visiting fsa.usda.gov/sdrp.
This announcement follows Secretary Rollins’ comprehensive plan to deliver the total amount of Congressionally appropriated $30 billion in disaster assistance to farmers and ranchers this year. These programs will complement the forthcoming state block grants that USDA is working with 14 different states to develop.
To date, USDA has issued more than $7.8 billion in Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) payments to eligible producers. Additionally, USDA has provided over $1 billion in emergency relief through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program to producers who suffered grazing losses due to drought or wildfires in calendar years 2023 and 2024.
USDA disaster assistance information can be found on farmers.gov, including the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, Loan Assistance Tool, and the FarmRaise online FSA education hub. Payment details will be updated here weekly. For more information, contact your local USDA Service Center.
|
Top of page
 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA and allow grassroots input and local administration of federal farm programs.
Committees are comprised of locally elected agricultural producers responsible for the fair and equitable administration of FSA farm programs in their counties. Committee members are accountable to the Secretary of Agriculture. If elected, members become part of a local decision-making and farm program delivery process.
A county committee is composed of 3 to 11 elected members from Local Administrative Areas (LAA). In the Northern County, LAA 1, which includes the area that encompasses the following areas: North Slope, Northwest Arctic, Yukon-Koyukuk and Nome Census areas, as well as the Denali and Fairbanks North Star Borough, is up for election. In the Southern County, LAA 2 which includes the municipality of Anchorage, Valdez/Cordova Census area south of Chugach Mtns. Kenai Peninsula Borough north of Kasilof River, is up for election. Each member serves a three-year term. To be eligible for nomination and hold office as a committee member or alternate, a person must fulfill each of the following requirements:
- Be eligible to vote in an FSA county committee election*.
- Reside in the LAA that is up for election.
- Must not have been:
- Removed or disqualified from:
- FSA county committee membership or alternate membership, or
- FSA employment.
- Removed for cause from any public office or have been convicted of fraud, larceny, embezzlement or any other felony.
- Dishonorably discharged from any branch of the armed services.
*The following requirements must be met for a person to be eligible to vote in the county committee elections:
- Be of legal voting age or, if not of legal voting age, supervise and conduct the farming operation of an entire farm.
- Have an interest in a farm or ranch as either:
- An individual who meets one or more of the following:
- Is eligible and capable to vote in one’s own right.
- Is a partner of a general partnership.
- Is a member of a joint venture.
- Is an authorized representative of a legal entity.
- Participates or cooperates in any FSA program that is provided by law. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation(s) but may not have applied or received FSA program benefits.
All nomination forms for the 2025 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA Service Center by Aug. 1, 2025. For more information on FSA county committee elections, including fact sheets, nomination forms and FAQs, visit fsa.usda.gov/elections.
Top of page
The new customer kiosks from USDA’s Farm Service Agency are available at every county office nationwide. These kiosks help to streamline your visit to your local county office and easily access a variety of features such as signing FSA documents, utilizing the Loan Assistance Tool, browsing USDA programs, accessing the internet, accessing necessary personal information, and signing up for a Login.gov account, which provides access to farmers.gov level two features and other USDA and U.S. Government web resources. Future kiosk functionality enhancements include a customer check-in application, self-service option for FSA program applications and documents, financial inquiries and more.
Learn more about how FSA is modernizing our customer experience here.
Top of page
Flowing grain in a storage bin or gravity-flow wagon is like quicksand — it can kill quickly. It takes less than five seconds for a person caught in flowing grain to be trapped.
The mechanical operation of grain handling equipment also presents a real danger. Augers, power take offs, and other moving parts can grab people or clothing.
These hazards, along with pinch points and missing shields, are dangerous enough for adults; not to mention children. It is always advisable to keep children at a safe distance from operating farm equipment. Always use extra caution when backing or maneuvering farm machinery. Ensure everyone is visibly clear and accounted for before machinery is engaged.
FSA wants all farmers to have a productive crop year and that begins with putting safety first.
Top of page
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.
Top of page
Farmers can use USDA farm ownership microloans to buy and improve property. These microloans are especially helpful to beginning or underserved farmers, U.S. veterans looking for a career in farming, and those who have small and mid-sized farming operations. Microloans have helped farmers and ranchers with operating costs, such as feed, fertilizer, tools, fencing, equipment, and living expenses since 2013.
Microloans can also help with farmland and building purchases and soil and water conservation improvements. FSA designed the expanded program to simplify the application process, expand eligibility requirements and expedite smaller real estate loans to help farmers strengthen their operations. Microloans provide up to $50,000 to qualified producers and can be issued to the applicant directly from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).
To learn more about the FSA microloan program, contact your Northern County USDA Service Center at (907)895-4242 ext. 2 or Southern County FSA Office at (907)761-7738 or visit fsa.usda.gov.
Top of page
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.
Top of page
Alaska State Farm Service Agency
|
800 E Palmer-Wasilla Hwy., Suite 216
Palmer, AK 99645
Phone: 907-761-7738
Fax: 855-638-4864
|
|
Alaska FSA Website
|
|
Northern County FSA Service Center
PO BOX 585
Delta Junction AK 99737
Phone: 907-895-4242 ext. 2
Fax: 855-711-9095
Email: akdeltajun-fsa@usda.gov
Northern County Committee
Steve Helkenn- Committee Chair
Becky Hammond- Vice Chair
Matt Bates- Member
|
Southern County FSA Office
800 E Palmer-Wasilla Hwy., Ste 216
Palmer AK 99645
Phone: 907-761-7773
Fax: 855-638-4864
Email: akpalmer-fsa@usda.gov
Southern County Committee
Carol Symonds- Committee Chair
Ina Jones- Vice Chair
Abby Ala- Member
|
|
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
|
|
