The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1143439
D-4 Pike County Planter SWCD Newsletter Quarter 3, 2019 The Press-Dispatch Beacon Ag Group is a department of Beacon Credit Union. Each account insured up to $250,000 by American Share Insurance. By members' choice, this institution is not federally insured. *Crop and livestock insurance and equipment leasing are offered by Plan One Financial Services, LLC DBA Beacon Ag Service, a wholly owned affiliate of Beacon Credit Union and not insured by American Share Insurance. Positioning your family business for the next year has never been more critical. Let's face it, today's market presents new challenges and relying on the past does not guarantee a sure path forward. That's where the conversation starts. Beacon Ag Group was founded on the promise of sharing expert knowledge with the members we serve. As ag people serving ag people, we know that making the right decision means having more options. We listen to your unique challenges and guide the way toward financial success. Let's talk. It all starts with A conversation. CONTACT BEACON AG GROUP AG LOAN OFFICER BRANDON DECKER OR BEACON AG SERVICES* CROP INSURANCE SPECIALIST KALLIE BURKE-SCHUCKMAN TODAY AT (800) 825-6703 OR BEACONAGGROUP.ORG | these management provisions. Non-family joint operations may request to add up to two additional managers for their farming operation based on the size and/or complexity of the operation. If additional farm managers are requested and approved, all members who contribute management are required to complete form CCC-902MR, Management Activity Record. The farm manager should use the form to record management activities including capital, labor and agronomics, which includes crop selection, planting decisions, acquisition of inputs, crop management and marketing decisions. One form should be used for each month and the farm manager should enter the number of hours of time spent for each activity under the date of the month the actions were completed. The farm manager must also document if each management activity was completed on the farm or remotely. The records and supporting business documentation must be maintained and timely made available for review by the appropriate FSA reviewing authority, if requested. If the farm manager fails to meet these requirements, their contribution of active personal management to the farming operation for payment eligibility purposes will be disregarded and their payment eligibility status will be re- determined for the applicable program year. In some instances, additional persons or members of a non-family member joint operation who meet the defini- tion of farm manager may also be allowed to use such a contribution of active personal management to meet the eligibility requirements. However, under no circumstances may the number of farm managers in a non-family joint operation exceed a total of three in any given crop and program year. UPDATE YOUR RECORDS FSA is cleaning up our producer record database. If you have any unreported changes of address or zip code or an incorrect name or business name on file they need to be reported to our office. Changes in your farm operation, like the addition of a farm by lease or purchase, need to be reported to our office as well. Producers participating in FSA and NRCS programs are required to timely report changes in their farming operation to the County Commit- tee in writing and update their CCC-902 Farm Operating Plan. If you have any updates or corrections, please call your local FSA office to update your records. Farm Storage Facility Loans FSA's Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program provides low-interest financing to producers to build or upgrade storage facilities. The low-interest funds can be used to build or upgrade permanent facilities to store commodities. Eligible com- modities include corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, oats, peanuts, wheat, barley, minor oilseeds har vested as whole grain, pulse crops (lentils, chickpeas and dr y peas), hay, honey, renewable biomass, fruits, nuts and veg- etables for cold storage facilities, floriculture, hops, maple sap, r ye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultr y (unprocessed), eggs, and aquaculture (excluding systems that maintain live animals through uptake and discharge of water). Qualified facilities include grain bins, hay barns and cold storage facilities for eligible commodities. Loans up to $50,000 can be secured by a promissor y note/security agreement and loans between $50,000 and $100,000 may require additional security. Loans exceeding $100,000 require additional security. Producers do not need to demonstrate the lack of com- mercial credit availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse range of farming operations, including small and mid-sized businesses, new farmers, operations supplying local food and farmers markets, non-traditional farm products, and underser ved producers. To learn more about the FSA Farm Storage Facility Loan, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport or contact your local FSA county office. To find your local FSA county of- fice, visit http://offices.usda.gov. CLEARING WOODED AREAS, DRAINING, OR BRINGING NEW LAND INTO PRODUCTION Agricultural producers are reminded to consult with FSA and NRCS before breaking out new ground for production purposes as doing so without prior authoriza- tion may put a producer's federal farm program benefits in jeopardy. This is especially true for land that must meet Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conser vation (WC) provisions. Producers with HEL determined soils are required to apply tillage, crop residue and rotational requirements as specified in their conser vation plan. Producers should notify FSA as a first point of contact prior to conducting land clearing or drainage type projects to ensure the proposed actions meet compliance criteria such as clearing any trees to create new cropland, then these areas will need to be reviewed to ensure such work will not risk your eligibility for benefits. Landowners and operators complete the form AD-1026– Highly Erodible Land Conser vation (HELC) and Wetland Conser vation (WC) Certification to identify the proposed action and allow FSA to determine whether a referral to Natural Resources Conser vation Ser vice (NRCS) for further review is necessar y. Reminder to FSA Direct and Guaranteed Borrowers with Real Estate Security Farm Ser vice Agency would like to remind farm loan borrowers who have pledged real estate as security for their loans of key items for maintaining loan collateral. It is required that borrowers must obtain prior consent or approval by either FSA for direct loans or by a guaranteed lender, for any transaction affecting real estate security. Examples of these transactions include, but are not limited to: • Leases of any kind; • Easements of any kind; • Subordinations; • Partial releases, and • Sales Failure to meet or follow the requirements set forth in the loan agreement, promissor y note, and other security instruments could lead to non-monetar y default which could jeopardize your current and future loans. It is critical that borrowers keep an open line of com- munication with their FSA loan staff or guaranteed lender when it comes to changes in their operation. For more information on borrower responsibilities, read Your FSA Farm Loan Compass. SUBMIT LOAN REQUESTS FOR FINANCING EARLY The Farm Loan team in FLP Office Knox County is already working on operating loans for spring 2019 so it is important that potential borrowers submit their requests early so they can be timely processed. The farm loan team can help determine which loan programs are best for ap- plicants. FSA offers a wide range of low-interest loans that can meet the financial needs of any farm operation for just about any purpose. The traditional farm operating and farm ownership loans can help large and small farm opera- tions take advantage of early purchasing discounts for spring inputs as well expenses throughout the year. Microloans are a simplified loan program that will provide up to $50,000 to eligible applicants. These loans, targeted for smaller operations and non-traditional opera- tions, can be used for operating expenses, starting a new agricultural enterprise, purchasing equipment, and other needs associated with a farming operation. The staff at the FLP Office Knox County FSA office can provide more details on farm operating and microloans and provide loan applications. Loans to beginning farmers and members of underser ved groups are a priority. Other types of loans available include: • Marketing Assistance Loans allow producers to use el- igible commodities as loan collateral and obtain a 9-month loan while the crop is in storage. These loans provide cash flow to the producer and allow them to market the crop when prices may be more advantageous. • Farm Storage Facility Loans can be used to build per- manent structures used to store eligible commodities, or for storage and handling trucks, or portable or permanent handling equipment. A variety of structures are eligible under this loan, including bunker silos, grain bins, hay storage structures and refrigerated structures for veg- etables and fruit. A producer may borrow up to $500,000 per loan. Please call the FLP Office Knox County office at 812- 882-8210 if you have questions about farm ownership, farm operating loans or microloans available through FSA. For Marketing Assistance (commodity) Loans or Farm Storage Facility Loans, please contact your farm program office at the Pike County office at 812-354-6120. In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Additionally, program informa- tion may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call 866-632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: 202-690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. FSA NEWS Continued from page 2 It's been a ver y, ver y wet spring and many farmers were unable to get corn in the ground and have switched to soybeans last minute. However, if you were prevented from planting and are considering a cover crop rather than allow the ground to remain fallow, you may qualify for cost-share help from the Middle Patoka 319 grant if your land is in the crit- ical area of the Middle Patoka watershed. Call the Pike SWCD office or the water- shed coordinator for more information. The watershed coordi- nator is Julie Loehr and can be reached at 812-779-7924. Middle Patoka River Watershed Update