Hello fellow Terry County Farmers and Ranchers,
Thank you for reading another edition of our monthly newsletter. We have several important dates we would like to share with you.
The County Office is having to make some temporary changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our doors are currently not open to the public. A few staff members are allowed to be in the office each day to answer the phone and perform other duties. When not in the office, staff members are teleworking from home so e-mails will be checked daily. E-mail or US mail will be the go to for acquiring signature on documents. We are all still here to serve the producers, so please give us a call or e-mail if you need anything.
2020 ARC/PLC signup has begun. The ARC/PLC election chosen for the 2019 signup will stay the same for 2020. So no decision will need to be made, just signing up for 2020 farms. IMPORTANT: if you picked up land for the 2020 crop year, please notify the county office before signing up for 2020 ARC/PLC, and no later than June 1st 2020. Producers are also reminded to provide FSA with copies of current cash lease agreements.
Terry County is eligible for WHIP+ disaster payments for the 2018 crop year. WHIP+ signup will begin in late March – early April. At this time the county office is creating a register list for producers interested in signing up for the program. If Terry county is your recording county, please contact the county office so we can place you on the WHIP+ register list. When we get to your name on the list, we will call you to set up an appointment.
IMPORTANT DATES
March 1 – June 1, 2020 – CRP primary nesting season
May 15, 2020 – Deadline to sign up for CRP Grasslands
June 1, 2020- Deadline to make farm changes for 2020 crop year.
June 30, 2020- Deadline to sign-up for 2020 ARC/PLC
July 15, 2020 – Deadline to certify spring crops
USDA Opened Signup for Added Causes of Loss Under WHIP+ and Announced Disaster Assistance for Sugar Beet Producers
USDA announced additional disaster assistance available to agricultural producers, including producers impacted by drought and excess moisture as well as sugar beet growers. Through WHIP+, USDA is helping producers recover from losses related to 2018 and 2019 natural disasters.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) opened signup on March 23 for producers to apply for eligible losses of drought (D3 or above) and excess moisture. USDA is also entering into agreements with six sugar beet processing cooperatives to distribute $285 million to grower members of those cooperatives who experienced loss.
In June 2019, more than $3 billion was made available through a disaster relief package passed by Congress and signed by President Trump. In December 2019, Congress passed, and President Trump signed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 that provides an additional $1.5 billion for the continuation of disaster assistance program delivery.
WHIP+ New Qualifying Disaster Events
The bill added excessive moisture and D3 and D4 drought as qualifying losses for WHIP+ assistance.
Producers who suffered either of these types of loss in 2018 and/or 2019 can apply for WHIP+ assistance at their local FSA office. For drought, a producer is eligible if any area of the county in which the loss occurred was rated D3 (Extreme Drought) or higher on the U.S. Drought Monitor during calendar years 2018 or 2019.
WHIP+ Sugar Beet Loss Assistance
As also directed in the bill, USDA will provide $285 million through sugar beet processing cooperatives to compensate grower members for sugar beet crop losses in 2018 and 2019. Details will be finalized in agreements between USDA and participating sugar beet processing cooperatives. Sugar beet producers who are members of these cooperatives and experienced losses may contact their cooperative for more information about how this sugar beet crop assistance will be administered.
WHIP+ for Quality Loss
In addition, producers have reported widespread crop quality loss from eligible disaster events that results in price deductions or penalties when marketing the damaged crops. The Appropriations bill expands WHIP+ to include assistance for crop quality loss. FSA is gathering data and input from producers and stakeholders regarding the extent and types of quality loss nationwide.
Eligibility
To be eligible for WHIP+, producers must have suffered losses of certain crops, trees, bushes, or vines in counties with a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration or a Secretarial Disaster Designation (primary counties only) for the following named natural disaster events; hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, typhoons, volcanic activity, snowstorms, wildfires, and now excessive moisture that occurred in 2018 or 2019. Also, losses located in a county not designated by the Secretary as a primary county may be eligible if the producer provides documentation showing that the loss was due to a qualifying natural disaster event.
For drought, counties having a D3 or D4 Drought Monitor classification in any portion of the county anytime during calendar year 2018 or 2019 will also be eligible.
A list of counties that received qualifying hurricane declarations and designations is available at farmers.gov/recover/whip-plus. The U.S. Drought Monitor is available at https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.
Because livestock losses are covered by other disaster recovery programs offered through FSA, these losses are not eligible for WHIP+.
USDA Stands Up New Team to Better Serve Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is standing up a new team of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) staff that will lead a department-wide effort focused on serving beginning farmers and ranchers.
To institutionalize support for beginning farmers and ranchers and to build upon prior agency work, the 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to create a national coordinator position in the agency and state-level coordinators for four of its agencies – Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Risk Management Agency (RMA), and Rural Development (RD).
Sarah Campbell was selected as the national coordinator to lead USDA’s efforts. A beginning farmer herself, Campbell held previous positions with USDA and has a wealth of experience working on issues impacting beginning farmers and ranchers. She recently served as acting director of customer experience for the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center, where she led the piloting of innovative, customer-centric initiatives.
In her new role, she will work closely with the state coordinators to develop goals and create plans to increase beginning farmer participation and access to programs while coordinating nationwide efforts on beginning farmers and ranchers.
Each state coordinator will receive training and develop tailored beginning farmer outreach plans for their state. Coordinators will help field employees better reach and serve beginning farmers and ranchers and will also be available to assist beginning farmers who need help navigating the variety of resources USDA has to offer.
More on Beginning Farmers
Twenty seven percent of farmers were categorized as new and beginning producers, with 10 years or less of experience in agriculture, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture.
USDA offers a variety of farm loan, risk management, disaster assistance, and conservation programs to support farmers, including beginning farmers and ranchers. Additionally, a number of these programs have provisions specifically for beginning farmers, including targeted funding for loans and conservation programs as well as waivers and exemptions.
More Information
Learn more about USDA’s resources for beginning farmers as well as more information on the national and state-level coordinators at newfarmers.usda.gov and farmers.gov. For more information on available programs in your area, contact your local USDA service center.
FSA Offers Joint Financing Option on Direct Farm Ownership Loans
The USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Direct Farm Ownership loans are a resource to 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.
Depending on the applicant’s needs, 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.
To be eligible, 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 FSA Loan programs, contact your local FSA office or visit fsa.usda.gov. To find your local FSA office, visit offices.usda.gov.
