Ohio FSA State Newsletter - September 24, 2025
In This Edition of the Ohio FSA State Newsletter:
Drought conditions continue to worsen across all of Ohio. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows that approximately 2% of the state has now been moved to D3-extreme drought conditions as of September 18, 2025. Approximately 14% of the state has been moved to D2-severe drought, with D1-moderate drought now encompassing nearly the entire state. Finally, Ohio started to receive some much-needed rain this week, which I am very thankful for.
I do want to take a little time to talk about the U.S. Drought Monitor. The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is a map released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are in drought. The map uses five classifications: abnormally dry (D0), showing areas that may be going into or are coming out of drought, and four levels of drought: moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4). It is produced jointly by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the USDA. The USDA uses the USDM map as a trigger for programs that help agricultural producers recover from drought and other natural disasters. View the factsheet, to learn more about the U.S. Drought Monitor and USDA drought programs. You can help by reporting local drought conditions to the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) authors at: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/About/ContactUs.aspx.
Additionally, FSA has online tools that producers can use to help identify what FSA programs they may be eligible for. Visit https://www.farmers.gov/protection-recovery/disaster-tool to learn more about USDA disaster assistance programs by completing five simple steps.
If you have grazing livestock and are experiencing the impacts of this drought, visit the https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/FSA/Home.aspx as it can help you find out whether you qualify for assistance. Qualifying for assistance is based on the U.S. Drought Monitor and on your county’s designated grazing periods. To use this tool, you will need to know your county’s grazing period and for Ohio the 2025 LFP Grazing period starts on April 1, 2025, and ends October 31, 2025.
The Ohio State University (OSU) Extension Service has several drought resources available at: https://kx.osu.edu/page/early-drought-response.
Lastly on a different note, our staff is preparing to issue Conservation Reserve Program rental payments in October and if applicable ARC/PLC payments. Most folks receive these payments electronically, so in order to facilitate this process, please contact your FSA County office if you have closed your bank account, changed accounts or banks, or if your bank has been purchased by another financial institution. Payments can be delayed if we are not aware of these changes.
Additional program details and more in-depth information is provided in our newsletter. Please don’t hesitate to contact your FSA County office with questions about our programs, loans and information that is included in this newsletter edition.
Respectfully,
Don Jones
State Executive Director, Ohio FSA
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) offers multiple programs and loan options for producers to consider will working through this drought.
Livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or cash leased land may be eligible for the 2025 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP). To participate in LFP producers must own, cash or share lease, or contract grow eligible livestock, provide pasture or grazing land to eligible livestock on the beginning date of the qualifying drought, certify that they suffered a grazing loss due to drought, and submit an acreage report to FSA for all grazing land for which a grazing loss is being claimed. FSA maintains a list of counties eligible for LFP and makes updates each Thursday.
The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides eligible producers with compensation for above normal costs of hauling water and feed to livestock as well as transporting livestock to forage or other grazing acres. For ELAP, producers are required to complete a notice of loss and a payment application to their local FSA office no later than March 1, 2026, for 2025 calendar year losses. ELAP also assists commercial apiarists who experience a loss of feed due to drought conditions that may need to purchase short-term feed to sustain the honeybees until additional natural feedstock becomes available.
Additionally, eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers may be eligible for cost-share assistance through the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes or vines. TAP complements the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) or crop insurance coverage, which covers the crop but not the plants or trees in all cases. For TAP, a program application must be filed within 90 days of the disaster event or the date when the loss of the trees, bushes or vines is apparent.
FSA also offers a variety of direct and guaranteed farm loans, including operating and emergency farm loans, to producers unable to secure commercial financing. Producers in counties with a primary or contiguous disaster designation may be eligible for low interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses. Loans can help producers replace essential property, purchase inputs like livestock, equipment, feed and seed, cover family living expenses or refinance farm-related debts and other needs. Additionally, FSA offers several loan servicing options available for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan programs debt to the agency because of reasons beyond their control.
Producers with NAP coverage should report crop damage to their local FSA office and must file a Notice of Loss (CCC-576) within 15 days of the loss becoming apparent, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be reported within 72 hours.
Producers with risk protection through Federal Crop Insurance should report crop damage to their crop insurance agent within 72 hours of discovering damage and be sure to follow up in writing within 15 days.
FSA’s Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) can assist landowners with financial and technical assistance to implement emergency water conservation measures. Emergency haying and grazing of CRP acres may be authorized to provide relief to livestock producers in areas affected by a severe drought. Requests for emergency haying and grazing must be approved by FSA before the activity commences.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can help farmers make their operation more resilient in the face of drought in future years. Through conservation planning and practices that will improve soil health and water conservation, farmers can reduce future crop loss due to drought and enhance resiliency to changing climatic conditions. Financial help for implementing conservation practices may be available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
For those agricultural producers that have not worked with the USDA FSA office before, make an appointment as the initial meeting with FSA and understand that this will take longer than a typical appointment with FSA. That’s because FSA will need to establish a customer record and a farm record. FSA must also determine program eligibility.
Producers need to evaluate the impact on their operation and contact their local FSA County office to schedule an appointment to timely report all crop, livestock and farm infrastructure damages and losses. To expedite FSA disaster assistance, producers will likely need to provide documents, such as farm records, herd inventory, receipts and pictures of damages or losses. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent.
The Ohio FSA reminds producers of approaching application deadlines for purchasing risk coverage for some crops through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). NAP provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops impacted by natural disasters that result in lower yields, crop losses, or prevented crop planting.
NAP covers losses from natural disasters on crops for which no permanent federal crop insurance program is available, including forage and grazing crops, fruits, vegetables, floriculture, ornamental nursery, aquaculture, turf grass and more.
Upcoming application deadlines for NAP coverage for the 2026 production season include:
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September 30, 2025 -- Deadline to obtain 2026 NAP coverage for Aquaculture, Christmas trees, Floriculture, Ginseng, Mushrooms, Turf grass Sod and Watercress.
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October 2, 2025 --Deadline to obtain for 2026 NAP coverage on winter wheat, rye, barley and speltz.
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November 20, 2025 -- Deadline to obtain 2026 NAP coverage on apples, asparagus, blueberries, caneberries, cherries, chestnuts, forage for hay and pasture, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries, honey, maple sap and hops.
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March 15, 2026 – Deadline to obtain 2027 NAP coverage on forage sorghum, oats, potatoes, Soybeans, Sunflowers and all spring planted specialty crops grown for food.
NAP basic coverage is available at 55% of the average market price for crop losses that exceed 50% of expected production. Buy-up coverage is available in some cases. NAP offers higher levels of coverage, ranging from 50% to 65% of expected production in 5% increments, at 100% of the average market price. Producers of organic crops and crops marketed directly to consumers also may exercise the “buy-up” option to obtain NAP coverage of 100% of the average market price at coverage levels ranging between 50% and 65% of expected production. Buy-up coverage is not available for crops intended for grazing.
For all coverage levels, the NAP service fee is the lesser of $325 per crop or $825 per producer per county, not to exceed a total of $1,950 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties. Premiums apply for buy-up coverage.
If a producer has a Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification (form CCC-860) on file with FSA, it may serve as an application for basic coverage for all eligible crops beginning with crop year 2022. These producers will have all NAP-related service fees for basic coverage waived. These producers may also receive a 50% premium reduction if higher levels of coverage are elected on form CCC-471, prior to the application closing date for each crop.
To learn more about NAP visit fsa.usda.gov/nap or contact your FSA County office.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds agricultural producers that the final date to apply for or make changes to their existing crop insurance coverage is quickly approaching for fall planted crops. Sales closing dates vary by crop and location, but the next major sales closing date is Sept. 30.
Producers are encouraged to visit their crop insurance agent soon to learn specific details for the 2026 crop year. Crop insurance coverage decisions must be made on or before the applicable sales closing date. The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) lists sales closing dates in the Actuarial Information Browser, under the “Dates” tab.
Producers can also access the RMA Map Viewer tool to visualize the insurance program date choices for acreage reporting, cancellation, contract change, earliest planting, end of insurance, end of late planting period, final planting, premium billing, production reporting, sales closing, and termination dates, when applicable, per commodity, insurance plan, type, and practice. Additionally, producers can access the RMA Information Reporting System tool to specifically identify applicable dates for their operation, using the “Insurance Offer Reports” application.
Federal crop insurance is critical to the farm safety net. It helps producers and owners manage revenue risks and strengthens the rural economy. Producers may select from several coverage options, including yield coverage, revenue protection, and area risk plans of insurance.
Crop insurance options include Whole-Farm Revenue Protection and Micro Farm. Whole-Farm Revenue Protection provides a risk management safety net for all commodities on the farm under one insurance policy and is available in all counties nationwide. Micro Farm aims to help direct market and small-scale producers that may sell locally, and this policy simplifies record keeping and covers post-production costs such as washing and value-added products.
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. RMA’s Basics for Beginners provides information for those new to crop insurance.
FSA program payments are issued electronically into your bank account. In order to make timely payments, you need to notify your FSA servicing office if you close your account or if your bank information is changed for whatever 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.
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.
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 FSA County office with questions or visit fsa.usda.gov/microloans.
Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs) and Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) provide financing and marketing assistance for wheat, feed grains, soybeans, and other oilseeds, pulse crops, 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.
FSA is now accepting requests for 2025 MALs and LDPs for all eligible commodities after harvest. For more information and additional eligibility requirements, contact your FSA County Office.
USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced it approved changes to the Triticale crop insurance program for the 2026 and succeeding crop years. The program provides actual production history yield protection to producers who grow triticale for grain.
Beginning with the 2026 crop year, RMA will expand the program to 257 counties and will allow insureds in counties with both winter and spring sales closing dates to revise their coverage up until the spring sales closing date when there is no winter-planted acreage. Adding this flexibility ensures triticale coverage matches the existing coverage for wheat. In Ohio the expansion of counties include: Ashland, Ashtabula, Auglaize, Darke, Fairfield, Hancock, Knox, Licking, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Paulding, Ross, Shelby, Tuscarawas, Union, Van Wert, and Warren Counties.
By allowing coverage revisions up to the spring sales closing date, we are giving producers the flexibility to secure appropriate coverage for their planted acres. Sales closing dates vary by region. Producers interested in obtaining coverage should check with a crop insurance agent to verify the sales closing date for their area.
Producers insured $13 million in covered liabilities on 69,000 acres of triticale during the 2025 crop year.
Contact a crop insurance agent to see how Federal Crop Insurance can meet the specific needs of your operation. 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. RMA’s Basics for Beginners provides information for those new to crop insurance.
Successful 2025 enrollment for CRP’s many enrollment options
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced acceptance of 1.78 million acres into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) through 2025 General, Continuous, Grassland, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program enrollments.
According to USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), about 25.8 million acres are currently enrolled in CRP, the agency’s flagship conservation program through which landowners, farmers and ranchers voluntarily convert marginal or unproductive cropland into vegetative cover that improves water quality, prevents erosion, restores wildlife habitat and in the case of Grassland CRP, enables participants to conserve grasslands while also continuing most grazing and haying practices.
FSA received offers on more than 2.6 million acres. The program’s total acreage is capped at 27 million acres for fiscal year 2025 of which 1.8 million was available for enrollment, after offsetting for expiring acres and an administrative reserve, making for a highly competitive process for those who submitted offers for CRP.
About 955,795 acres are expiring Sept. 30 this year. Producers submitted re-enrollment offers for just over 624,000 acres and offers for enrollment of new land totaled 2 million acres.
Kansas, South Dakota and Colorado hold the top three slots for accepted acres for all 2025 CRP enrollment opportunities.
The American Relief Act, 2025, extended provisions for CRP through Sept. 30, 2025.
The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) opened enrollment on July 10 for the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP), which provides assistance for eligible crop losses due to natural disasters in 2023 and 2024.
Eligible U.S. Drought Monitor Losses
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. View the list of counties eligible for SDRP due to qualifying drought for 2023 and 2024.
Other Eligible Disaster Events and Related Conditions
Producers who received an indemnity in 2023 or 2024 but did not qualify based on the U.S. Drought monitor may still be eligible for assistance. If your county did not trigger based on the U.S. Drought Monitor, do not certify “drought” as the cause of loss on your application as it will not be approved. Instead, producers should review all qualifying disaster events and related conditions such as excessive heat or excessive wind and select all applicable causes of loss.
Below is a list of all qualifying disaster events with the eligible related conditions in parentheses:
- Wildfires
- Hurricanes (including related excessive wind, storm surges, tornadoes, tropical storms, and tropical depression)
- Floods (including related silt and debris)
- Derechos (including related excessive wind)
- Excessive heat
- Tornadoes
- Winter storms (including related blizzard and excessive wind)
- Freeze (including a polar vortex)
- Smoke exposure
- Excessive moisture
- Qualifying drought
Related conditions must have occurred as a direct result of the indicated disaster event.
Losses due to Hail
Hail is not a qualifying disaster event, but you may be eligible if it was directly related to a qualifying disaster event.
For example, if a producer’s crop suffered damage from hail, but the hail damage was directly related to a tornado, then this would qualify for an SDRP payment since tornado is a qualifying disaster event.
Documentation for Spot Checks
Producers who certify that a qualifying disaster event caused the loss should be prepared to provide documentation to support their self-certification if they are selected for a spot check. Documentation is not required to be submitted with your application. Additionally, producers are not required to verify the cause of loss with their crop insurance agent.
Producers should complete the pre-filled application that was mailed on July 9. If you received a crop insurance indemnity in 2023 or 2024 and did not receive an application, please visit your local FSA office and they can print your pre-filled application.
For additional help with your application, please review the FSA-526 Instructions for Stage 1. Learn more about SDRP, eligibility and future insurance requirements by visiting fsa.usda.gov/sdrp.
Assistance for losses due to flooding and wildfire on non-federally managed land
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced eligible livestock producers will receive 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. The program is expected to provide approximately $1 billion in recovery benefits. Sign-up begins on Monday, September 15. Livestock producers have until October 31, 2025, to apply for assistance.
Qualifying Disaster Events
To streamline program delivery, FSA has determined eligible counties with qualifying floods and qualifying wildfires in 2023 and 2024. For losses in these counties, livestock producers are not required to submit supporting documentation for floods or wildfires. A list of approved counties is available at fsa.usda.gov/elrp.
For losses in counties not listed as eligible, livestock producers can apply for ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW but must provide supporting documentation to demonstrate that a qualifying flood or qualifying wildfire occurred in the county where the livestock were physically located or would have been physically located if not for the disaster event. FSA county committees will determine if the disaster event meets program requirements.
Acceptable documentation includes:
- Photographs documenting impact to livestock, land, or property
- Insurance documentation
- Emergency declaration reports
- News articles
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration storm event database records
- Other FSA disaster program participation records
- Other documentation determined acceptable by the FSA county committee
Livestock and Producer Eligibility
For ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW, FSA is using covered livestock criteria similar to the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) which includes weaned beef cattle, dairy cattle, beefalo, buffalo, bison, alpacas, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, ostriches, reindeer, and sheep.
Wildfire assistance is available on non-federally managed land to participants who did not receive assistance through LFP or the ELRP 2023 and 2024 for drought and wildfire program delivered to producers in July of this year.
When producers submit their application, they must provide documentation to support eligible livestock inventories as of the beginning date of the qualifying disaster event.
Livestock producers can receive assistance for one or both years, 2023 and 2024, and for multiple qualifying disaster events, if applicable. However, producers cannot exceed three months of assistance per producer, physical location county, and program year.
Payment Calculation
Eligible producers can receive up to 60% of one month of calculated feed costs for a qualifying wildfire or three months for a qualifying flood using the same monthly feed cost calculation that is used for LFP.
ELRP 2023 and 2024 for drought and wildfire and ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW have a combined payment limit of $125,000 for each program year. Producers who already received the maximum payment amount from ELRP 2023 and 2024 for drought and wildfire will not be eligible to receive an additional payment under ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW. Eligible producers may submit form FSA-510, Request for an Exception to the $125,000 Payment Limitation for Certain Programs, to be considered for an increased payment limit of $250,000.
Supplemental Disaster Assistance Timeline
USDA is fully committed to expediting remaining disaster assistance provided by the American Relief Act, 2025. On May 7, we launched our 2023/2024 Supplemental Disaster Assistance public landing page where the status of USDA disaster assistance and block grant rollout timeline can be tracked. The page is updated regularly and accessible through fsa.usda.gov. Contact your local FSA county office for more information.
Farm Operating Loans, Direct -- 4.875%
Farm Ownership Loans, Direct -- 5.875%
Limited Resource Loans -- 5.000%
Farm Ownership Loans, Down Payment -- 1.875%
Farm Ownership – Joint Financing -- 3.875%
Emergency Loans -- 3.750%
Farm Storage Facility Loan, 3 year -- 3.750%
Farm Storage Facility Loan, 5 year -- 3.875%
Farm Storage Facility Loan, 7 year -- 4.000%
Farm Storage Facility Loan, 10 year -- 4.375%
Farm Storage Facility Loan, 12 year -- 4.500%
Sugar Storage Facility Loans, 15 year -- 4.750%
Commodity Loans -- 5.000%
September 30 - Deadline to obtain 2026 NAP coverage for Aquaculture, Christmas trees, Floriculture, Ginseng, Mushrooms, Turf grass Sod and Watercress.
October 13 ----- Columbus Day Holiday. USDA Service Center is Closed.
November 3 --- County Committee ballots mailed to voters.
November 11 -- Veterans Day Holiday. USDA Service Center Closed.
November 20 -- Last Day to apply for coverage for asparagus, blueberries, caneberries, cherries, chestnuts, forage for hay and pasture, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries, honey, hops and maple syrup.
November 27 -- Thanksgiving Day Holiday. USDA Service Center Closed.
December 1 ---- Last day to return voted ballots to the USDA Service Center.
December 15 -- Deadline to report the 2026 Fall Seeded Crops for fall barley, fall wheat and all other fall-seeded small grains.
Top of page
Ohio FSA State Office
200 North High Street, Room 540
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: 614-255-2441
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Visit the Ohio FSA website at: www.fsa.usda.gov/oh
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State Executive Director:
Don Jones
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Deputy State Executive Director:
Traci Garza
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Administrative Officer:
Stephanie Moran
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Conservation Chief:
Brandi Koehler
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Farm Loan Chief:
Andrew Huey
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Price Support Chief:
Trevor Kerr
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Production Adjustment / Compliance and Risk Management Chief:
Matt Kleski
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