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 is underway.  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 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.  At this time, an individual or entity is eligible if a crop loss due to drought was filed with insurance in the 2018 crop year.  WHIP+ signup is ongoing with no deadline at this time.  The county office is creating a register list for producers interested in signing up for the program.  If you have farms administered in the Terry county office, please contact us and 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

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 Reports Record Enrollment in Key Farm Safety-Net Programs

Producers signed a record 1.77 million contracts for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2019 crop year, which is more than 107 percent of the total contracts signed compared with a 5-year average. USDA also reminds producers that June 30 is the deadline to enroll in ARC and PLC for the 2020 crop year.

Producers interested in enrolling for 2020 should contact their FSA county office. Producers must enroll by June 30 and make their one-time update to PLC payment yields by September 30.

FSA attributes the significant participation in the 2019 crop year ARC and PLC programs to increased producer interest in the programs under the 2018 Farm Bill and to an increase in eligible farms because of the selling and buying of farms and new opportunities for beginning farmers and military veterans with farms having 10 or fewer base acres. Enrollment for 2019 ended March 16.

USDA Service Centers, including FSA county offices, are open for business by phone only, and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.

For more information on ARC and PLC, download the program fact sheet or the 2014-2018 farm bills comparison fact sheet. Online ARC and PLC election decision tools are available at www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc. To locate the nearest USDA Service Center, visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.

USDA Service Centers Open for Business by Phone Appointment Only

U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Centers are encouraging visitors to take precautionary measures to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.  

The Terry County USDA Service Center will continue to be open for business by phone appointment only and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While our program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with our producers by phone, and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency are required to call to schedule a phone appointment.   

Farm Service Agency: (806) 637-7666 extension 2

Natural Resources Conservation Service:  (806) 637-7666 extension 3

Employees may also be contacted by email at the following email address: 

kyle.longoria@usda.gov
kayla.wise@usda.gov
gary.brashears@usda.gov 
rena.mcniel@usda.gov 
scott.snodgrass@usda.gov 
haley.jones@usda.gov 

Online services are available to customers with an eAuth account, which provides access to the farmers.gov portal where producers can view USDA farm loan information and payments and view and track certain USDA program applications and payments. Through FSA’s website, customers with an eAuth account can apply for certain programs and view FSA data on FSAfarm+, including farm records and maps. Online NRCS services are available to customers through the Conservation Client Gateway. Customers can track payments, report completed practices, request conservation assistance, and electronically sign documents. Customers who do not already have an eAuth account can enroll at farmers.gov/sign-in. 

For the most current updates on available services and Service Center status visit farmers.gov/coronavirus.