Thank you for reading another edition of the Terry County USDA News Bulletin. We have a few important announcements to share with you.
We’re a month away from the 2023 ARC/PLC farm program deadline. Please call the office @ (806)637-7666 for an appointment to signup.
USDA has rolled out two new programs. The Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase 2 and Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program (PARP). The ERP Phase 2 program is for qualifying losses suffered in 2020 & 2021 crop years. PARP is for revenue losses suffered in 2020 crop year. Both programs are very detailed and require some research and figuring before applying. Please refer to the article below along with other resources listed below.
PARP Allowable Gross Revenue Tool
Producers can also stop by the office and pick up a packet containing all the needed forms and fact sheets to start the process of applying for both programs.
Terry County has triggered for 2023 Livestock Forage Program (LFP) for small grain grazing crops. If you planted non-irrigated small grains for grazing and reported the acres on the FSA-578 acreage report, call Scott Snodgrass to setup an appointment to apply.
Terry County is currently taking applications for 2023 Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP). If you anticipate having to haul extra feed or water to livestock or you have to transport the livestock to different grass areas, call the office to submit a notice of loss. The notice of loss must be on file before or within 30 days of when you started hauling feed/water or transporting the livestock.
- Non-irrigated acreage for grazing must be reported on the FSA-578 acreage report to be eligible.
- The hauling/transporting trip must be over 25 miles and less than 1,000 miles. Only loaded miles count.
- To be eligible for water transportation, the acreage must have a pre-existing watering facility on eligible acres.
- Routine trips are not eligible for this program.
Important dates:
March 15, 2023 – Deadline to signup for 2023 ARC/PLC
March 15, 2023 – Deadline to purchase 2023 NAP coverage for spring-planted crops.
June 2, 2023 – Deadline to apply for ERP Phase 2 and PARP
Rolling Out Revenue Based Disaster and Pandemic Assistance Programs
Beginning January 23, 2023, agricultural producers can begin to apply for two new important programs for revenue losses, from 2020 and 2021 natural disasters or the COVID-19 pandemic. Both programs equitably fill gaps in earlier assistance.
First, you may be eligible for assistance through the Emergency Relief Program (ERP)Phase Two if you experienced revenue losses from eligible natural disasters in 2020 and 2021.
You may also be eligible for the Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program (PARP) if you experienced revenue losses in calendar year 2020. PARP is addressing gaps in previous pandemic assistance, which was targeted at price loss or lack of market access, rather than overall revenue losses.
Applications for both new programs are due June 2, 2023, and you can apply for both programs during your same appointment with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).
Historically, FSA programs have been designed to make direct payments to producers based on a single disaster event or for a single commodity loss. For many of you, this may be the first revenue-based program that you’ve applied for with FSA.
Why revenue-based programs?
ERP Phase Two and PARP take a much more holistic approach to disaster assistance, ensuring that producers not just make it through a single growing season but have the financial stability to invest in the long-term well-being of their operations and employees.
In general, ERP Phase Two payments are based on the difference in allowable gross revenue between a benchmark year, representing a typical year of revenue for the producer and the disaster year – designed to target the remaining needs of producers impacted by qualifying natural disasters and avoid duplicative payments. ERP Phase Two revenue loss is based on tax years.
For PARP, an agricultural producer must have been in the business of farming during at least part of the 2020 calendar year and had a decrease in revenue for the 2020 calendar year, as compared to a typical year. PARP revenue loss is based on calendar years.
How to Apply
In preparation for enrollment, producers should gather supporting documentation including:
Schedule F (Form 1040); and
Profit or Loss from Farming or similar tax documents for tax years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 for ERP and for calendar years 2018, 2019 and 2020 for PARP.
Producers should also have, or be prepared to have, the following forms on file for both ERP and PARP program participation:
- Form AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet (as applicable to the program participant);
- Form CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan for an individual or legal entity;
- Form CCC-901, Member Information for Legal Entities (if applicable); and
- Form AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification.
- Form CCC-860, Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification, as certain existing permanent and ad-hoc disaster programs provide increased benefits or reduced fees and premiums.
Most producers, especially those who have previously participated in FSA programs, will likely have these required forms on file. However, those who are uncertain or want to confirm should contact FSA at their local USDA Service Center.
Yes, FSA is stepping outside of the box.
FSA is a big proponent of agricultural producers having a say in the design, implementation and delivery of the programs that directly impact their livelihoods. We also believe that some of the most creative and useful ideas for program and process improvements come from the FSA employees who administer this assistance through our network of more than 2,100 county offices. We want to thank producers across the country, along with the entire FSA workforce, for not just thinking outside of the box but also providing their input to make sure that we can improve and enhance our programs and our approach to assistance to better and more efficiently serve all producers who need our help.
Please visit your local USDA Service Center for more information on ERP Phase Two, PARP and our full portfolio of conservation, prices support, safety-net, credit and disaster assistance programs.
County Conservation Partners Host Annual Local Work Group Meeting
When: March 8th, 2023
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Texas Farm Bureau Insurance
521 W Main Street, Brownfield, TX 79316
March 8th—The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Terry County Soil and Water Conservation Districts are seeking input from the public on how to best serve local citizens through Farm Bill conservation programs and technical assistance. The public is invited to attend their Fiscal Year 2023 Local Working Group (LWG) meeting March 8th, 2023, from 9am – 10am.
This meeting is an opportunity to bring farmers, ranchers, conservationists, and others together to discuss natural resource needs and set local conservation priorities. The information gathered at these listening sessions helps provide NRCS and the Districts the necessary technical and financial support to help land managers make on-the ground management decisions that produce positive ecological outcomes at the local and state level. This input helps determine collaborative efforts for natural resource priorities and identifies opportunities to address them with conservation practices that improve soils, watershed health, biodiversity, and farmers’ livelihoods.
Conservation stakeholders and others interested in obtaining Federal technical and financial assistance to improve private land in Terry County are encouraged to participate in this meeting.
For more information, please contact Zachary Williams, District Conservationist, at (806)638-6019 or via email at zachary.williams2@usda.gov. A request for accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting. For more information, visit the NRCS Web site at http://www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov/.
Contact:
Zachary Williams, District Conservationist
Zachary.Williams2@usda.gov
806-638-6019
Farmers Can Now Make 2023 Crop Year Elections, Enroll in Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Programs
Agricultural producers can now change election and enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage programs for the 2023 crop year, two key safety net programs offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Signup began Oct. 17, 2022, and producers have until March 15, 2023, to enroll in these two programs. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has started issuing payments totaling more than $255 million to producers with 2021 crops that have triggered payments through ARC or PLC.
2023 Elections and Enrollment
Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2023 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Also, if a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm and makes an election change for 2023, they must sign a new contract.
If producers do not submit their election by the March 15, 2023 deadline, their election remains the same as their 2022 election for crops on the farm. Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the farm.
Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium and short grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.
Web-Based Decision Tools
In partnership with USDA, the University of Illinois and Texas A&M University offer web-based decision tools to assist producers in making informed, educated decisions using crop data specific to their respective farming operations. Tools include:
Gardner-farmdoc Payment Calculator, a tool available through the University of Illinois allows producers to estimate payments for farms and counties for ARC-CO and PLC.
ARC and PLC Decision Tool, a tool available through Texas A&M that allows producers to obtain basic information regarding the decision and factors that should be taken into consideration such as future commodity prices and historic yields to estimate payments for 2022.
2021 Payments and Contracts
ARC and PLC payments for a given crop year are paid out the following fall to allow actual county yields and the Market Year Average prices to be finalized. This month, FSA processed payments to producers enrolled in 2021 ARC-CO, ARC-IC and PLC for covered commodities that triggered for the crop year.
For ARC-CO, producers can view the 2021 ARC-CO Benchmark Yields and Revenues online database, for payment rates applicable to their county and each covered commodity. For PLC, payments have triggered for rapeseed and peanuts.
For ARC-IC, producers should contact their local FSA office for additional information pertaining to 2021 payment information, which relies on producer-specific yields for the crop and farm to determine benchmark yields and actual year yields when calculating revenues.
By the Numbers
In 2021, producers signed nearly 1.8 million ARC or PLC contracts, and 251 million out of 273 million base acres were enrolled in the programs. For the 2022 crop year signed contracts surpassed 1.8 million, to be paid in the fall of 2023, if a payment triggers.
Since ARC and PLC were first authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and reauthorized by the 2018 Farm Bill, these safety-net programs have paid out more than $34.9 billion to producers of covered commodities.
Crop Insurance Considerations
ARC and PLC are part of a broader safety net provided by USDA, which also includes crop insurance and marketing assistance loans.
Producers are reminded that ARC and PLC elections and enrollments can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products.
Producers on farms with a PLC election have the option of purchasing Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) through their Approved Insurance Provider; however, producers on farms where ARC is the election are ineligible for SCO on their planted acres for that crop on that farm.
Unlike SCO, the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) is unaffected by an ARC election. Producers may add ECO regardless of the farm program election.
Upland cotton farmers who choose to enroll seed cotton base acres in ARC or PLC are ineligible for the stacked income protection plan (STAX) on their planted cotton acres for that farm.
More Information
For more information on ARC and PLC, visit the ARC and PLC webpage or contact your local USDA Service Center.
RMA Offers Virtual and In- Person “Roadshow” Workshops About Improvements to the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection and Micro Farm Insurance Options
USDA is offering a workshop with virtual and in-person options on Feb. 25 for agricultural producers and stakeholders to learn about the latest updates and improvements to the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) and the Micro Farm insurance options. WFRP and Micro Farm are two of the most comprehensive risk management options available. These insurance options are especially important to specialty crop, organic, urban and direct market producers. Both programs serve as safety nets for all commodities on a farm under one policy and are available in all counties nationwide. The roadshow workshops are part of RMA’s broader efforts to increase participation in crop insurance and educate producers about policy improvements.
Improvements include:
Doubling the maximum insurable revenue under WFRP, now up to $17 million
More than tripling the size of farm operations eligible for Micro Farm to $350,000 in approved revenue
Reducing paperwork requirements for WFRP
In-person Roadshow Workshops:
February 25, 2023
In-person event: at the Michigan Family Farms Conference
Conference information: www.miffs.org/mffc2023Address: Kalamazoo Valley Community College (Texas Township Campus), 6767 W O Avenue
Hosted by: RMA Springfield Regional Office
More information is available on the RMA Roadshow webpage.
