Arkansas Newsletter - September, 2025.
In This Issue:
Greetings,
As we celebrate September being National Rice Month, I want to take a moment to acknowledge that Arkansas has been the nation’s leading rice producing state for many years. Arkansas rice farmers grow over 50% of the nation’s total crop. Your hard work and dedication have made a significant impact, and I commend each of you for your contributions.
With harvest underway, I want to take a moment to remind producers of FSA’s Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs). Our current farm economy combined with the expectation of high yields is causing a lot of uncertainty in the row crop sector. MALs give producers marketing flexibility to sell their crops when prices are more favorable, freeing up cash in the short term. MALs are a short-term loan on eligible commodities with terms up to nine months, using the harvested commodity as collateral. MALs are repaid at the lesser of the loan rate plus interest or the posted county price. Producers can also forfeit the commodity as full payment for the loan at maturity.
Be sure to check out our Farm Storage Facility Loans, which can help build or upgrade storage and handling facilities as well as purchase eligible new or used equipment. For livestock producers that who experienced forage losses due to flooding in 2023 and 2024, the Secretary recently announced disaster recovery assistance through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program for 2023 and 2024 Flood and Wildfire (ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW) to help offset increased supplemental feed costs due to a qualifying flood or qualifying wildfire in calendar years 2023 and 2024. Several counties in northeast Arkansas are listed as “approved” counties due to flooding. Impacted producers in counties not listed as approved can still apply for assistance but must provide supporting documentation to demonstrate that a qualifying flood or wildfire occurred in the county where the livestock were located or would have been physically located if not for the disaster event. Please read the related article below for more information.
Our goal is to serve all farmers, ranchers, and agricultural partners, through the delivery of effective and efficient agricultural programs. FSA staff across the state have been busy implementing supplemental disaster assistance programs. To date, we have issued nearly $321.8 million in much needed disaster recovery support to Arkansas farmers.
For more information on Farm Service Agency (FSA), contact your local USDA service center or visit www.farmers.gov.
Best regards,
William (Ty) Davis
Arkansas State Executive Director
Greetings,
As we wrap up another fiscal year, I want to take a moment to recognize that this year has not been without its challenges, and I know many of you are feeling the effects of rising costs and changing conditions.
At NRCS Arkansas, we understand these realities. That’s why I want to encourage producers who may need to adjust their implementation schedules for contracts to connect with their local field office. Our staff are here to work with you and explore what options may be available.
We also know that conservation is not just good for the land, it’s good for the bottom line. Practices like nutrient management, irrigation water management, and many others have proven cost-saving benefits. By working together, we can identify strategies that reduce input costs while strengthening the long-term health of your operation.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local NRCS office to talk through what might work best for your farm. Whether you’re an employee helping producers navigate these tools, or a landowner looking to make the most of your resources, know that we are here to support you every step of the way.
To our employees putting conservation on the ground, thank you for your dedication and hard work as always. This fiscal year’s accomplishments would not have been possible without you.
Regards,
Amanda Mathis
NRCS AR State Conservationist
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.
Are you interested in working with USDA to start or grow your farm, ranch, or private forest operation, but don’t know where to start?
Whether you’re looking to access capital or disaster assistance through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) or address natural resource concerns on your land with assistance from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a great place to start is farmers.gov.
Farmers.gov is a one-stop shop for information about the assistance available from FSA and NRCS. The site also offers many easy-to-use tools for farmers, ranchers, and private forestland owners, whether you are reaching out for the first time or are a long-term customer with a years-long relationship with USDA.
With a farmers.gov account you can:
•Complete an AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet, prior to your first meeting with FSA and NRCS.
•View farm loan payments history from FSA.
•View cost share assistance received and anticipated from NRCS conservation programs.
•Request conservation assistance from NRCS as well as view and track your conservation plans, practices, and contracts.
•View, print, and export detailed farm records and farm/tract maps for the current year, which are particularly useful when fulfilling acreage reporting requirements.
•Print FSA-156 EZ, Abbreviated Farm Record and your Producer Farm Data Report for the current year.
•Pay FSA debt using the “Make an FSA Payment” feature
•Apply for a farm loan online, view information on your existing loans, and make USDA direct farm loan payments using the Pay My Loan feature.
Learn how to create a farmers.gov account today!
The USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Direct Farm Ownership loans can help farmers and ranchers become owner-operators of family farms, improve and expand current operations, increase agricultural productivity, and assist with land tenure to save farmland for future generations.
There are three types of Direct Farm Ownership Loans: regular, down payment and joint financing. FSA also offers a Direct Farm Ownership Microloan option for smaller financial needs up to $50,000.
Joint financing allows FSA to provide more farmers and ranchers with access to capital. FSA lends up to 50 percent of the total amount financed. A commercial lender, a state program or the seller of the property being purchased, provides the balance of loan funds, with or without an FSA guarantee. The maximum loan amount for a joint financing loan is $600,000, and the repayment period for the loan is up to 40 years.
The operation must be an eligible farm enterprise. Farm Ownership loan funds cannot be used to finance nonfarm enterprises, and all applicants must be able to meet general eligibility requirements. Loan applicants are also required to have participated in the business operations of a farm or ranch for at least three years out of the 10 years prior to the date the application is submitted. The applicant must show documentation that their participation in the business operation of the farm or ranch was not solely as a laborer.
For more information about farm loans, contact your local USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) borrowers with farms located in designated primary or contiguous disaster areas who are unable to make their scheduled FSA loan payments should consider the Disaster Set-Aside (DSA) program.
DSA is available to producers who suffered losses as a result of a natural disaster and relieves immediate and temporary financial stress. FSA is authorized to consider setting aside the portion of a payment/s needed for the operation to continue on a viable scale.
Borrowers must have at least two years left on the term of their loan in order to qualify.
Borrowers have eight months from the date of the disaster designation to submit a complete application. The application must include a written request for DSA signed by all parties liable for the debt along with production records and financial history for the operating year in which the disaster occurred. FSA may request additional information from the borrower in order to determine eligibility.
All farm loans must be current or less than90 days past due at the time the DSA application is complete. Borrowers may not set aside more than one installment on each loan.
The amount set-aside, including interest accrued on the principal portion of the set-aside, is due on or before the final due date of the loan.
For more information, contact your local USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires Federal agencies to consider all potential environmental impacts for federally funded projects before the project is approved.
For all Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs, an environmental review must be completed before actions are approved, such as site preparation or ground disturbance. These programs include, but are not limited to, the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP), Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program and farm loans. If project implementation begins before FSA has completed an environmental review, the request will be denied. Although there are exceptions regarding the Stafford Act and emergencies, it’s important to wait until you receive written approval of your project proposal before starting any actions.
Applications cannot be approved until FSA has copies of all permits and plans. Contact your local FSA office early in your planning process to determine what level of environmental review is required for your program application so that it can be completed timely.
Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs) and Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) provide financing and marketing assistance for wheat, feed grains, soybeans, and other oilseeds, pulse crops, rice, peanuts, cotton, wool and honey. MALs provide you with interim financing after harvest to help you meet cash flow needs without having to sell your commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. A producer who is eligible to obtain a loan, but agrees to forgo the loan, may obtain an LDP if such a payment is available. Marketing loan provisions and LDPs are not available for sugar and extra-long staple cotton.
FSA is now accepting requests for 2025 MALs and LDPs for all eligible commodities after harvest. Requests for loans and LDPs shall be made on or before the final availability date for the respective commodities.
Commodity certificates are available to loan holders who have outstanding nonrecourse loans for wheat, upland cotton, rice, feed grains, pulse crops (dry peas, lentils, large and small chickpeas), peanuts, wool, soybeans and designated minor oilseeds. These certificates can be purchased at the posted county price (or adjusted world price or national posted price) for the quantity of commodity under loan, and must be immediately exchanged for the collateral, satisfying the loan. MALs redeemed with commodity certificates are not subject to Adjusted Gross Income provisions.
To be considered eligible for an LDP, you must have form CCC-633EZ, Page 1 on file at your local FSA Office before losing beneficial interest in the crop. Pages 2, 3 or 4 of the form must be submitted when payment is requested.
Marketing loan gains (MLGs) and loan deficiency payments (LDPs) are no longer subject to payment limitations, actively engaged in farming and cash-rent tenant rules. Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) provisions state that if your total applicable three-year average AGI exceeds $900,000, then you’re not eligible to receive an MLG or LDP. You must have a valid CCC-941 on file to earn a market gain of LDP. The AGI does not apply to MALs redeemed with commodity certificate exchange.
For more information and additional eligibility requirements, contact your local County USDA Service Center at or visit fsa.usda.gov.
The Certified Mediation Program (CMP), administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), offers mediation services to agricultural producers, creditors, and other parties involved in disputes. Mediation is a voluntary process where a neutral mediator assists the parties in negotiating a mutually acceptable resolution.
CMP aims to improve communication, foster understanding, and resolve conflicts without the need for litigation. This program covers a range of issues, including farm loans, adverse decisions by USDA agencies, rural housing loans, and other agricultural disputes.
Eligible applicants include agricultural producers, creditors, and other stakeholders involved in disputes related to farm loans, USDA program decisions, rural housing loans, and other agricultural issues. Mediation is available to any party seeking to resolve conflicts through a neutral and confidential process. Producers and stakeholders are encouraged to check with their local FSA office or certified state mediation program for specific requirements, application procedures, and additional program details.
Learn more on our Certified Mediation Program webpage.
A key part of NRCS’s 90-year history was the establishment of the conservation planning process by Hugh Hammond Bennett. Bennett was the agency’s first chief and is considered the “father of soil conservation.” He believed in considering each farm’s unique conditions when developing a conservation plan.
A conservation plan is a document outlining the strategies and actions that should be taken to protect and manage natural resources on a specific area of land. It serves as a blueprint for achieving conservation goals. To develop a conservation plan, a conservation planner and the customer (farmer, rancher or landowner) collaborate during the conservation planning process.
Bennett believed that agency employees must walk the land with the customer and see their natural resource challenges and opportunities firsthand. Bennett also understood that natural resource concerns could not be treated in isolation; soil, water, air, plants, animals, and humans are all part of an integrated system that is inter-dependent.
Learn more about how conservation planning has evolved over the years.
By Jessica Roles, Public Affairs Specialist
In the flat, farmland of north-central Arkansas, Todd Hart and his brother Greg are doing something most of their neighbors aren’t –they’re growing crops year-round, but not all of them for harvest. Todd and Greg have become local pioneers in soil health by integrating cover crops into their farming system year-round, an uncommon but forward-thinking practice in this part of the state. With support from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) they not only improved the productivity of the fields, but they’re also helping to pave the way for a new era of conservation-minded farming in the region.
Todd and his brother Greg have worked the land since 2000 when they started farming. Although they didn’t start their own production until then, the two brothers were farming at seven years old.
“Farming’s not a job, it’s a way of life,” Todd said. “Soil conservation means taking care of the land that takes care of you. We learned that at a young age through working on our 300-cow dairy farm as kids. Greg is in the field right now. Farming never takes a break.”
Todd’s interest in cover crops started a few years ago when he began noticing signs of soil fatigue on his family’s farm. Like many farmers in Arkansas, he was looking for a solution that would restore vitality to the land while remaining economically sustainable. That’s when he turned to the NRCS.
Through the NRCS Morrilton field office and using the CSP program, Todd received technical guidance and financial assistance that allowed him to start implementing cover crops on a rotational basis. Eventually, with continued support and mentoring from the NRCS district conservationist, Tiffany Williams, he transitioned to using cover crops year-round. Now, between harvests of his primary crops, the Hart’s fields are always rooted with plant species such as soybean and clover, chosen to enrich the soil, prevent erosion, and retain moisture.
“If you get an aerial view of Arkansas in winter, you’ll see brown fields all over, but our field will be bright green,” he said. “And it wouldn’t have been possible without NRCS. The expertise they provide helped me understand how to build a long-term system that works for my soil and my operation. CSP gave me the resources I need to get started.”
In his area, very few farmers have adopted this method of soil care, making Todd’s success even more significant. Year-round cover cropping is labor-intensive and requires a shift in how the land is managed – but Todd believes the long-term benefits are worth it. His soil is richer, more resilient to weather extremes, and better able to support future generations of farming.
Soil conservation, as Todd put it, is the foundation of everything.
“We always want to leave things better than when we found it,” Todd said. “That includes the fields we work. When the next generation farmer comes around to use the field, I want that person to have an easy time starting up. If we don’t take care of our soil, we’re gambling with our future. This is about protecting the land so it can keep feeding families long after I’m gone.”
Todd’s story is a reminder that working with the NRCS is more than just a short-term solution – it’s a partnership for long-term success. With programs like CSP, farmers can meet their conservation goals while ensuring the land they love remains productive for years to come. And thanks to innovators like Todd and Greg Hart, Arkansas agriculture is showing that sustainable farming is not only possible – it’s powerful.
Nutrients can help or harm, either leading to bountiful harvests or contributing to water quality issues. How we manage nutrients affects how much is taken up by plants and how much is lost from our farm fields. Farmers and ranchers play an important role in finding solutions to prevent nutrients from making their way into our streams, rivers and other water bodies.
You can help improve water quality by managing nutrients, using the right kind, the right amount, applied at the right time, and using the proper method of application. NRCS can help you use nutrients wisely – through a conservation practice called nutrient management. Nutrient management allows you to achieve optimal agricultural and economic outcomes while improving the quality of air, soil and water.
Through nutrient management, you perform a soil or plant tissue test to determine nutrient needs and apply only the amount needed to optimize crop yields. To improve timing, nutrients should be applied when plants can best absorb them, while considering factors like weather, irrigation events and crops that will follow. Sometimes it’s best to split nutrient applications to increase the chances of nutrient uptake by the crop while minimizing losses through runoff and leaching.
Managing nutrients comes with benefits for you, too. You can see cost savings from lower inputs and potential yield increases, thus creating a win-win situation. For more information, contact your local county USDA Service Center or visit nrcs.usda.gov.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced improvements to the Controlled Environment pilot crop insurance program for the 2026 and succeeding crop years. The Controlled Environment program from USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is specifically for plants grown in fully enclosed controlled environments and provides coverage against plant diseases subject to destruction orders.
Improvements to the program include:
• Expanding the program to an additional 48 counties in 17 states;
• Increasing the upper limit of coverage percentage from 75% to 85%; and
• Providing coverage for quarantines, when certain qualifications are met.
The Controlled Environment program is a dollar plan of insurance, which bases the insured’s guarantee on inventory values reported by the producer and provides coverage for unavoidable damage to plants grown in a controlled environment by the unknown introduction of a regulated plant disease or contamination into the controlled environment at no fault of the producer, resulting in a destruction order or a quarantine, when certain qualifications are met.
The Controlled Environment program adds to other federal insurance products available to nursery and innovative agricultural producers by providing benefits that are not available under the other programs, such as:
• Offering crop insurance coverage through a simple application and policy renewal process similar to the Nursery Value Select (NVS) program;
• Offering new crop insurance coverage specific to the disease and contamination risk in controlled environment operations;
• Offering insurance for producer-selected plant categories that are specific to controlled environments; and
• Allowing controlled environment operations to have controlled environment insurance to be purchased as a standalone policy or in conjunction with the NVS program.
The sales closing date for Atlantic Coast states, Gulf Coast states and West Virginia was May 1, 2025. For all other states, the sales closing date is Sept. 1, 2025.
The Controlled Environment program is available in select counties in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
To learn more about the Controlled Environment crop insurance program, visit the Controlled Environment webpage, the Controlled Environment Ask the Expert, or read through our frequently asked questions.
Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available online at the RMA Agent Locator. Producers can learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting their RMA Regional Office.
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Arkansas USDA-FSA
700 West Capitol Room 3416, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
State Executive Director – William Ty Davis
FSA Phone: 501-301-3000 | FSA Fax: 855-652-2082
Please contact your local FSA Office for questions specific to your operation or county. To find contact information for your local office visit one of the websites below. www.farmers.gov www.fsa.usda.gov Arkansas Farm Service Agency
Persons with disabilities who require accommodations to attend or participate in this meeting/event should contact Rita Smith-Clay at 501-301-3200 or Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.
USDA Service Centers
Arkansas USDA-FSA
700 West Capitol Room 3416, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
FSA State Executive Director – William (Ty) Davis
FSA Phone: 501-301-3000 | FSA Fax: 855-652-2082
www.fsa.usda.gov
www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/Arkansas/index
Arkansas USDA-NRCS
700 West Capitol Room 3416, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
NRCS State Conservationist - Amanda Mathis
NRCS Phone: 501-301-3149
www.nrcs.usda.gov
www.ar.nrcs.usda.gov
USDA-RMA / Jackson, Mississippi Regional Office
803 Liberty Road, Jackson, MS 39232-9000
RMA Regional Director – Roddric Bell
RMA Phone: 601-965-4771 | RMA Fax: 601-965-4517
Jackson, Mississippi | RMA (usda.gov)
Please contact your local Office for questions specific to your operation or county. To find contact information for your local office visit the website below: Get Started at Your USDA Service Center | Farmers.gov
Persons with disabilities who require accommodations to attend or participate in this meeting/event should contact Rita Smith-Clay at 501-301-3200 or Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.
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