The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1143439
D-2 Pike County Planter SWCD Newsletter Quarter 3, 2019 The Press-Dispatch Committed to Helping You Grow Maximize the efficiency of your farm with reliable, high-performance fuel! We're committed to delivering premium, top quality diesel fuel at a good price. HERITAGE PARTNERSHIP 504 West Walnut Street, Washington 812-254-3671 • 800-326-1966 www.HeritageOil.com Your Local Delivery Man TIM FEARS 812-486-9311 PETROLEUM llc LUBRICANTS FROM Fixed Contracts (locking in your fuel costs) 1220 Willow St., Vincennes • 812-882-2507/812-882-0210 • Winter Hours: Monday-Friday 8-4 Imaginative design and engineering make BROCK ® bins superior performers Whether your on-farm storage consists of a couple of bins with an auger or a whole row of bins with an integrated loading and unloading system, BROCK ® bins are the right choice for the job. Grain bin foundations are designed to secure the bins against 90 mph (145 kph) winds, even when empty. The bin anchor system supplies a strong, load bearing connection to the foun- dation. This design, combined with the foundation sealant, helps to provide a weather-tight seal. These are just a couple of ways BROCK ® bins are DIFFERENT BY DESIGN™ to offer the security of long-term storage. Hwy. 41 South Princeton, IN john@kieselent.com • www.kieselent.com (812) 386-6580 Mon-Fri 7:30am-4:30pm, Sat. 8:00am-Noon i n c o r p o r a t e d SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 812-354-8500 We're not afraid to shed some light on the truth. By Amy R. Barber County Executive Director of the Pike County Farm Service Agency USDA EXTENDS DEADLINE TO REPORT SPRING-SEEDED CROPS FOR TWELVE STATES INCLUDING INDIANA USDA is extending the deadline to report acres for agricultural producers in states impacted by flooding and heavy moisture. This new July 22 deadline applies to producers in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Ten- nessee and Wisconsin for reporting spring-seeded crops to USDA's Farm Ser vice Agency (FSA) county offices and crop insurance agents. Filing a timely crop acreage report is important to maintaining eligibility for USDA conser vation, disaster assistance, safety net, crop insurance, and farm loan programs. A crop acreage report documents all crops and their intended uses and is an important part of record- keeping for your farm or ranch. Producers filing reports with FSA county offices are encouraged to set up an appointment before visiting the office. Producers who set up appointments before the July 22 deadline are considered timely filed, even if the appointment occurs after the deadline. Producers not in these select states must file spring- seeded crops by the original July 15 deadline. Other USDA Efforts to Help Producers USDA has taken additional steps to help impacted producers, including: • Updating the haying and grazing date for producers who have planted cover crops on prevented plant acres; •Offering special sign-ups through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program for assistance to plant cover crops; and • Extending the deadline to report prevented plant acres in certain places. For more information, visit our Prevented or Delayed Planting webpage. To learn more, contact your FSA county office or visit fsa.usda.gov or farmers.gov/prevented-planting. NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR THE 2019 COUNTY COMMITTEE ELECTIONS The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Ser- vice Agency (FSA) encourages all farmers, ranchers, and FSA program participants to take part in the Pike County Committee election nomination process. FSA's county committees are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA and allow grassroots input and local administration of federal farm programs. Committees are comprised of locally elected agricul- tural producers responsible for the fair and equitable administration of FSA farm programs in their counties. Committee members are accountable to the Secretar y of Agriculture. If elected, members become part of a local decision making and farm program deliver y process. A county committee is composed of three to 11 elected members from local administrative areas (LAA). Each member ser ves a three-year term. One-third of the seats on these committees are open for election each year. County committees may have an appointed advisor to further represent the local interests of underser ved farm- ers and ranchers. Underser ved producers are beginning, women and other minority farmers and ranchers and landowners and/or operators who have limited resources. All nomination forms for the 2019 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA ser vice center by Aug. 1, 2019. For more information on FSA county committee elections and appointments, refer to the FSA fact sheet: Eligibility to Vote and Hold Office as a COC Member available online at: fsa.usda.gov/elections. PIKE COUNTY FSA HOLDS COUNTY COMMITTEE ELECTION INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP The Pike County USDA Farm Ser vice Agency (FSA) is hosting an informational workshop regarding the 2019 County Committee Election process on July 19, 2019 at 1:00 pm at the located Pike County USDA Conference Room at 2103 E Main St in Petersburg. Producers, includ- ing minority, women and new farmers, are encouraged to attend the workshop and participate in the 2019 election. The county committee nomination period began on June 14, 2019. Nomination forms must be postmarked or received in the Pike County FSA office by close of busi- ness on Aug. 1, 2019. For election purposes, counties are divided into local administrative areas (LAA). Each LAA nominates and elects one producer to ser ve a three-year term on the FSA county committee. Each year, an election is held in an LAA where a com- mittee member's three-year term is expiring. For 2019, an election will be held in LAA 3, which includes Lockhart, Marion, Monroe, and Patoka Townships. To be eligible to ser ve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in a program admin- istered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the LAA in which the person is a candidate. Farmers may nominate themselves or others. Orga- nizations representing minorities and women also may nominate candidates. To become a candidate, an eligible individual must sign an FSA-669A nomination form. The form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available at fsa.usda.gov/elections. Nationwide, there are approximately 7,800 farmers and ranchers ser ving on FSA county committees. These individuals make decisions on disaster and conser vation programs, emergency programs, commodity price sup- port loan programs and other agricultural issues. Commit- tees consist of three to 11 members who are elected by eligible producers. Persons with disabilities who require accommodations to attend or participate in this meeting should contact Amy Barber at 812-354-6120, ext. 102, or Federal Relay Ser vice at 1-800-877-8339, by July 17, 2019. EVERY SEASON IS #SCAMSEASON Remember to discuss your USDA Farm Ser vice Agency (FSA) account information only with people you recognize and trust. If you have questions about your FSA accounts, contact the Pike County FSA office at 812-354-6120 ext 2. USDA OFFERS PRODUCERS OPTIONS TO RE-ENROLL OR EXTEND EXPIRING CRP CONTRACTS Farmers and ranchers with expiring Conser vation Reser ve Program (CRP) contracts may now re-enroll in certain CRP continuous sign-up practices or, if eligible, se- lect a one-year contract extension. USDA's Farm Ser vice Agency (FSA) is also accepting offers from landowners who want to enroll for the first time in one of the countr y's largest conser vation programs. FSA's 52nd sign-up for CRP runs from June 3 to August 23. This year's CRP continuous sign-up includes practices such as grass water ways, filter strips, riparian buffers, wetland restoration and others. View a full list of practices approved for this sign-up. Continuous sign-up contracts last for 10 to 15 years. Soil rental rates are set at 90 per- cent of 2018 rates. Incentive payments are not offered for these practices. Producers interested in applying for CRP continuous practices, including those under existing CREP agree- ments, or who want to extend their contract, should contact their USDA ser vice center by August 23. To locate your local FSA office, visit www.farmers.gov. More information on CRP can be found at www.fsa.usda. gov/crp. USDA REOPENS CONTINUOUS CRP SIGNUP USDA's Farm Ser vice Agency (FSA) began accepting applications on June 3, 2019 for certain practices under the continuous Conser vation Reser ve Program (CRP) sign-up and will offer extensions for expiring CRP con- tracts. The 2018 Farm Bill reauthorized CRP, one of the countr y's largest conser vation programs. FSA stopped accepting applications last fall for the continuous CRP sign-up when 2014 Farm Bill authority expired. Since passage of the 2018 Farm Bill last Decem- ber, Fordyce said FSA has carefully analyzed the language and determined that a limited sign-up prioritizing water- quality practices furthers conser vation goals and makes sense for producers as FSA works to fully implement the program. Continuous CRP Sign-up This year's sign-up will include such practices as grassed water ways, filter strips, riparian buffers, wetland restoration and others. View a full list of practices ap- proved for this program. Continuous sign-up enrollment contracts are 10 to 15 years in duration. Soil rental rates will be set at 90 percent of the existing rates. Incentive payments will not be of- fered for these contracts. Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Sign-up FSA will also reopen sign-up for existing Conser vation Reser ve Enhancement Program (CREP) agreements. Fact sheets on current CREP agreements are available on this webpage. Other CRP Signup Options FSA will open a CRP general sign-up in December 2019 and a CRP Grasslands sign-up later. CRP Contract Extensions A one-year extension will be offered to existing CRP participants who have expiring CRP contracts of 14 years or less. Producers eligible for an extension will receive a letter describing their options. Alternatively, producers with expiring contracts may have the option to enroll in the Transition Incentives Program, which provides two additional annual rental payments on the condition the land is sold or rented to a beginning farmer or rancher or a member of a socially disadvantaged group. More Information Producers interested in applying for continuous CRP practices, including those under existing CREP agree- ments, or who need an extension, should contact their USDA ser vice center beginning June 3. To locate your local FSA office, visit www.farmers.gov. More information on CRP can be found at www.fsa.usda.gov/crp. ACTIVELY ENGAGED PROVISIONS FOR NON-FAMILY JOINT OPERATIONS OR ENTITIES Many Farm Ser vice Agency programs require all pro- gram participants, either individuals or legal entities, to be "actively engaged in farming." This means participants provide a significant contribution to the farming opera- tion, whether it is capital, land, equipment, active personal labor and/or management. For entities, each partner, stockholder or member with an ownership interest, must contribute active personal labor and/or management to the operation on a regular basis. Joint operations comprised of non-family members or partners, stockholders or persons with an ownership in the farming operation must meet additional payment eligibility provisions. Joint operations comprised of family members are exempt from these additional requirements. For 2016 and subsequent crop years, non-family joint op- erations can have one member that may use a significant contribution of active personal management exclusively to meet the requirements to be determined "actively en- gaged in farming." The person or member will be defined as the farm manager for the purposes of administering Farm Service Agency News See FSA NEWS on page 4