TN State Newsletter- September 30, 2026
In This Issue:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the deadline for farmers to apply for Stages 1 and 2 of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) to Sept. 30, 2026. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is providing greater flexibility for farmers who experienced quality losses on eligible crops.
Now, when applying for this key program, farmers who experienced quality-related discounts can use verifiable and reliable documentation to show quality losses due to natural disasters occurring 2023 and 2024. Farmers also now have the flexibility to use a quality loss percentage for crops having a final use that is different from their intended use.
SDRP provides more than $16 billion in disaster relief payments to producers who suffered revenue, quality or production losses to crops, trees, bushes, or vines due to qualifying disaster events in calendar years 2023 and 2024. These payments are authorized under the American Relief Act, 2025.
Producers with indemnified losses can apply through SDRP Stage 1, which leverages Federal Crop Insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) data as the basis for calculating payments. Producers with non-indemnified (including shallow losses), uncovered (uninsured), and quality losses can apply for Stage 2 assistance. Eligible producers can receive SDRP payments for both Stages 1 and 2, if applicable, and for one or both calendar years 2023 and 2024, depending on losses.
Required Documentation for SDRP Quality Losses
FSA is now allowing producers to use verifiable and reliable documentation to demonstrate quality-related discounts on production impacted by natural disasters.
For quality losses, producers are required to provide third-party verifiable documentation of the grading factors or nutrient tests and acceptable production records that illustrate eligible affected production. Verifiable documentation must be dated within 30 days of harvest. FSA county committees can consider grading factors or nutrient tests taken more than 30 days after harvest if the test or grading factor represents crop condition at the time of harvest.
Verifiable third-party documentation for one producer can be considered verifiable for all producers with similar documentation, providing flexibility for vertically integrated operations that serve as the buying point for multiple operations, including their own.
For producers with documentation that includes expected price, actual price received due to quality discounts, and quantity of affected production, FSA county committees have the flexibility to use knowledge of the disaster event and impact on other producers to determine documentation is reliable.
Flexibility for Quality-Related Discounts
To address quality-related economic impacts for SDRP Stage 1 and Stage 2 insured and NAP crops that were intended for fresh but sold as processed or could not be sold in a recognized market, FSA updated policy for crops with a final use different from the intended use (secondary use) and for crops not sold in a recognized market (salvage value). In these cases, producers will be required to provide acceptable production records documenting the actual production and price received.
Stage 1 Quality Loss Applications with Missing Production Data
For SDRP Stage 1 quality losses, some applications were not generated because the pre-quality adjusted production information used to calculate the Quality Loss Percentage was unavailable. Although this production information will not be available before the SDRP application deadline of Sept. 30, 2026, producers are still required to file an application by the deadline.
Once FSA receives missing production data, impacted producers will be notified and provided with adequate time to review and re-sign SDRP applications.
Online Quality Loss Calculator
For assistance determining quality loss percent, producers can use the quality loss calculators on the SDRP webpage.
For more information on SDRP, visit fsa.usda.gov/sdrp. Producers can request an application or make an appointment online with their FSA county office.
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The Farm Service Agency (FSA) makes Recourse Marketing Assistance Loans when the commodity offered as collateral does not meet the quality eligibility requirements according to U.S. grading standards.
Recourse loans must be repaid at principal plus interest. The recourse loan commodity cannot be delivered or forfeited in satisfaction of the outstanding loan.
The following are considered recourse loans:
- high moisture corn and grain sorghum
- acquired grain for high moisture corn or grain sorghum loans
- distress loans on any commodity that is not stored in eligible storage (with a loan term of 90 days)
- any commodity otherwise eligible for nonrecourse loan, but the commodity does not meet the quality eligibility requirements according to U. S. grading standards.
Recourse loans are also available for contaminated commodities that remain merchantable at the full loan rate.
A producer may receive a nonrecourse loan for low quality commodities at a reduced loan rate. The reduced loan rate is 20 percent of the applicable base county loan rate.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is helping organic producers and handlers cover certification costs as part of the Department’s effort to put Farmers First and Make America Healthy Again. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting applications to help with organic certification costs for the 2025 and 2026 program years through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which covers up to 75% of eligible organic certification costs. Producers and handlers must apply by Dec. 31, 2026, for both program years.
Cost Share Assistance
OCCSP provides cost share assistance to producers and handlers for the costs of obtaining or maintaining organic certification under the National Organic Program, which is administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. Producers and handlers are eligible to receive 75% of the costs, up to $750 for each of the following scopes: crops, wild crops, livestock, processing/handling and state organic program fees.
FSA will make payments as applications are received on a first-come, first-served basis until available funds are depleted.
Eligibility
To be eligible for OCCSP, a producer or handler must have their USDA organic certification for the applicable program year at the time of application and must have paid fees or expenses related to the initial certification or renewal from a certifying agent during the program year. For program year 2025, they must have possessed a
USDA organic certification at any time during the program year.
There are four USDA organic regulation recognized scopes that must be individually inspected and certified: crops, livestock, wild crops, and handling. The scopes must be listed on the producer or handler’s organic certificate to be eligible for OCCSP. Eligible costs include:
- Application and administrative fees for USDA organic certification
- Inspection fees for USDA organic certification, including travel and per diem costs for organic inspectors
- USDA organic certification costs, including fees necessary to access international markets with which AMS has equivalency agreements or arrangements
- State organic program fees
- User and sale assessment fees for USDA organic certification
- Postage costs for materials related to obtaining or renewing USDA organic certification.
How to Apply
To apply, producers and handlers should contact their local FSA county office. As part of completing the OCCSP application, producers and handlers will need to provide documentation of their organic certification and eligible expenses. Organic producers and handlers may also apply for OCCSP through participating state agencies.
Opportunity for State Agency Participation
FSA will soon announce a 30-day application period for state agencies to apply through grants.gov to administer OCCSP.
If a state agency chooses to participate in OCCSP, both the state agency and FSA county offices in that state will accept OCCSP applications and make payments to eligible certified operations. However, producers and handlers may not receive OCCSP payments for the same scope through both the state agency and their FSA county office.
For more information, producers and handlers can visit the OCCSP webpage or contact their local FSA county office.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) has noticed a rise in fraudulent scams that target FSA farm loan customers by obtaining publicly available information about your FSA Farm Program participation or Farm Loan information. These unauthorized contacts are made through email, text messages, phone calls, or social media to gain your personal information so the scammer can access your bank account or gain additional personal information.
Signs of a Scam:
- Emails or messages urging immediate action or requesting personal details.
- Unexpected attachments or links in emails from unknown sources.
- Calls or texts claiming to be from FSA requesting passwords, PINs, Social Security numbers, or credit card information.
- Offers that seem too good to be true, particularly investment or debt relief schemes.
- Messages from unfamiliar social media accounts or door-to-door solicitations related to banking.
How to Protect Yourself:
- Always verify communications are coming from official sources. If you have concerns about a contact being genuine, please reach out to your local FSA Service Center directly.
- Do not click on links or download attachments from suspicious emails or texts.
- Use strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication when available.
Report suspicious activity to FSA immediately and, if applicable, submit a report to the U.S. General Services Administration here.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is putting farmers first and reaffirming this commitment by updating its strategic priorities, motto and mission and vision statements for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). These updates complement NRCS’s historic role in providing practical, voluntary, and locally led conservation solutions for producers. The new NRCS motto and mission and vision statements are:
Motto: Keeping Working Lands in Working Hands
Mission Statement: We deliver practical, voluntary, and locally led conservation solutions that help producers conserve natural resources, strengthen agricultural production, and keep working lands productive for generations to come.
Vision Statement: An America where working lands remain productive, resilient, and in the hands of those who steward them.
NRCS is also updating its strategic priorities to guide agency operations, program delivery, stakeholder engagement and modernization efforts through fiscal year 2026 and beyond. NRCS’s seven priorities include:
- Preserve and protect agricultural land;
- Shift to outcome-based conservation and farmer empowerment;
- Re-center field engagement and strengthen technical expertise;
- Expand wildlife conservation and outdoor access;
- Strengthen partnerships by streamlining processes and accountability;
- Optimize mission delivery by strengthening workforce culture; and
- Modernize NRCS infrastructure and technology.
Learn more about the priorities at nrcs.usda.gov/about/priorities.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced that producers insured under the Canola and Rapeseed crop insurance program will have the option to elect separate enterprise units for each crop type, giving them more precise risk management tools tailored to the distinct characteristics of each type they grow.
Current enterprise units are available by county, irrigation practices, and organic practices. Beginning with the 2027 crop year, producers will be able to elect enterprise units at the type-level, rather than combining all types into a single enterprise unit. This aligns the options for canola and rapeseed producers with those already available to wheat producers.
Fall and spring canola and rapeseed types may be further divided into omega 3, oleic, high oleic, and high erucic types, depending on a producer’s geographic growing area. Because winter canola can produce significantly higher yields than spring canola and matures earlier, type-level enterprise units will help ensure that premium costs account for each type’s distinct risk profile.
Producers who elect enterprise units by type may elect:
- a single enterprise unit covering all types combined,
- a separate enterprise unit for each individual type, or
- if requirements are met, an enterprise unit for some types while insuring remaining types as basic or optional units.
Enterprise units by type are not further divisible by irrigation or organic practice. Interested producers should contact a crop insurance agent for more information and to enroll.
Top of page
FSA in Tennessee
579 U.S. Courthouse
801 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37203
Phone: 615-277-2600
Service Center Locator
Farm Service Agency
State Executive Director - Mike Mayfield
Deputy State Executive Director - Tyeisha Samples
State Committee Members
George McDonald, Chairperson
Perry Dykes
Wesley "Worth" Eubanks
Charlotte Kelley
Jared "Bo" Jackson
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