The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/340091
the Press-Dispatch Pike County Planter swCD newsletter July and august 2014 D- 3 June 2014 farm Service agency news By amy R. Barber County Executive Director of the Pike County Farm Service Agency FSA CouNTy CoMMiTTee NoMiNATioN PeRioD oPeN The nomination period for the Dubois County Farm Ser vice Agency (FSA) county committee is now open. All farmers and landowners in Local Ad- ministrative Area (LAA) #1 or Clay, Logan and Madison Townships are eligible to participate in this year's county committee elections by nominating candidates by the August 1 deadline. Our County Committee member from that area has reached his term limitation (Jeff Davis), so we need someone to step for ward to ser ve. County committees are a vital link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provide an opportunity to farmers for their opinions and ideas to be heard. Nationwide, we have been see- ing an increase in the number of nomina- tions of women and minority candidates, and I hope that trend continues locally. To be eligible to ser ve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local administrative area in which the person is a candidate. Farmers may nominate themselves or others, and organizations representing minorities and women also may nominate candidates. To become a candidate, an eligible individual must sign the nomina- tion form, FSA-669A. The form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available online at http:// www.fsa.usda.gov/elections. Nomina- tion forms for the 2014 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA Ser vice Center by close of business Aug. 1, 2014. Elections will take place this fall. While FSA county committees do not approve or deny farm ownership or operat- ing loans, they make decisions on disaster and conser vation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs and other agricultural issues. Members ser ve three-year terms. Nation- wide, there are about 7,800 farmers ser v- ing on FSA county committees. Commit- tees consist of three to 11 members who are elected by eligible producers. FSA will mail ballots to eligible voters be- ginning Nov. 3. The voted ballots are due back to the local county office either via mail or in person by Dec. 1. Newly-elected committee members and alternates take office Jan. 1, 2015. CRoP RePoRTiNg/ CeRTiFiCATioN After spring planting, producers should certify their 2014 acreage. Filing an accu- rate acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed acreage and pre- vented planting acreage, can prevent the loss of benefits for a variety of programs. Failed acreage must be reported within 15 days of the disaster event and before disposition of the crop. Prevented planting must be reported no later than 15 days after the final planting date (i.e. June 20 is final date for prevented planting corn and July 7 is the final day for soybeans). Acreage reports are required for many Farm Ser vice Agency programs. Acreage reports are to be certified by the Dec. 15 deadline on small grains, Jan. 15 for apples, and a July 15 deadline on all other crops. Acreage reports on crops covered by NAP are due in the county office by the earlier of these dates or 15 calendar days before the onset of har vest or grazing of the specific crop acreage being reported. uSDA ANNouNCeS PRogRAMS To CoNSeRve SeNSiTive LAND AND HeLP BegiNNiNg FARMeRS Farmers, ranchers and landowners com- mitted to protecting and conser ving envi- ronmentally sensitive land may now sign up for the Conser vation Reser ve Program (CRP). The Secretar y also announced that retiring farmers enrolled in CRP could receive incentives to transfer a portion of their land to beginning, disadvantaged or veteran farmers through the Transition Incentives Program (TIP). CRP is one of the largest voluntar y con- ser vation programs in the countr y. This initiative helps farmers and ranchers lead the nation in preventing soil erosion, im- proving water quality and restoring wildlife habitat, all of which will make a difference for future generations. The Conser vation Reser ve Program provides incentives to producers who uti- lize conser vation methods on environmen- tally-sensitive lands. For example, farmers are monetarily compensated for establish- ing long-term vegetative species, such as approved grasses or trees (known as "cov- ers") to control soil erosion, improve water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat. CRP consists of a "continuous" and "general" sign-up period. Continuous sign up for the voluntar y program started June 9. Under continuous sign-up authority, eligible land can be enrolled in CRP at any time with contracts of up to 10 to 15 years in duration. In lieu of a general sign-up this year, USDA will allow producers with general CRP contracts expiring this September to have the option of a one-year contract extension. In addition, the new grassland provisions, which will allow producers to graze their enrolled land, will enable producers to do so with more flexibility. The average age of farmers and ranch- ers in the United States is 58 years, and twice as many are 65 or older compared to those 45 or younger. The cost of buying land is one of the biggest barriers to many interested in getting started in agriculture. The Transition Incentives Program is ver y useful as we work to help new farmers and ranchers get started. The Transition Incen- tives Program provides two additional years of payments for retired farmers and ranch- ers who transition expiring CRP acres to socially disadvantaged, militar y veteran, or beginning producers who return the land to sustainable grazing or crop production. Sign up will also begin June 9. TIP funding was increased by more than 30 percent in the 2014 Farm Bill, providing up to $33 mil- lion through 2018. LiveSToCk DiSASTeR ASSiSTANCe SigN-uP uNDeRWAy Livestock disaster program enrollment opened April 15, 2014. These disaster programs are authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill as permanent programs and provide retroactive authority to cover losses that occurred on or after Oct. 1, 2011. To expedite applications, all producers who experienced losses are encouraged to bring records documenting those losses to their local FSA Office. Producers should record all pertinent information of natural disaster consequences, including: • Documentation of the number and kind of livestock that have died, supple- mented if possible by photographs or video records of ownership and losses • Dates of death supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts • Costs of transporting livestock to safer grounds or to move animals to new pastures • Feed purchases if supplies or grazing pastures are destroyed • Crop records, including seed and fertilizer purchases, planting and produc- tion records. Eligible producers can sign-up for the following livestock disaster assistance programs: livestock Forage Disaster Program (lFP): • LFP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers that have suffered grazing losses due to drought on privately owned or cash leased land or fire on feder- ally managed land. Eligible producers must physically be located in a county affected by a qualifying drought during the normal grazing period for the county. Producers who suffered eligible grazing losses should submit a completed CCC- 853 and supporting documentation by Januar y 30, 2015. livestock indemnity Program (liP): • LIP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers that have suffered livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather and attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law. Producers who suffered livestock death losses should submit a notice of loss and an application for payment to their local FSA office by Januar y 30, 2015. emergency assistance for livestock, honeybees and Farm- Raised Fish Program (elaP) • ELAP provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honey- bees and farm-raised fish that have losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires. ELAP assistance is provided for losses not covered by LFP and LIP. Producers who suffered eligible livestock, honeybee or farm-raised fish losses during 2012 and 2013 program years must submit a notice of loss and application for payment to their local FSA office by August 1, 2014. For 2014 program year losses, the notice of loss and an application for payment must be submitted by November 1, 2014. For more information, producers can review the LFP, LIP and ELAP Fact Sheets on the Farm Bill webpage. Producers are encouraged to make an appointment with their local FSA office to apply for these programs. uSDA eNCouRAgeS eARLy RegiSTRATioN FoR FSA PRogRAMS USDA recommends that farmers and ranchers register in advance for FSA programs in order to improve the sign-up process and expedite implementation of programs. Producers are encouraged to report farm records and business struc- ture changes. Examples of updates or changes to report include: • New producers or producers who have not reported farm records to FSA. • Producers who have recently bought, sold or rented land. Those producers need to ensure that changes have been reported and properly recorded by local FSA county office personnel. Reports of purchased or sold property should include a copy of the land deed, and if land has been leased, then documentation should be provided that indicates the producer had/has con- trol of the acreage. • Producers that have changed busi- ness structures (e.g. formed a partner- ship or LLC) need to ensure that these relationships and shares are properly recorded with FSA. Even family farms that have records on file may want to ensure that this is recorded accurately as it may impact payment limits. Farm records can be updated during business hours at FSA Ser vice Centers that administer the county where the farm or ranch is located. Producers can contact their local FSA Ser vice Center in advance to find out what paper work they may need. In addition, bank account information should be supplied or updated if necessar y to ensure that producers receive payments as quickly as possible through direct deposit. For further information about our disas- ter programs and USDA's Farm Bill imple- mentation plan, visit FSA's 2014 Farm Bill Web page. FSA Ser vice Center locations can be found on the FSA website. 2013 ACRe Participation in 2013 ACRE requires production reports for planted acres that must be submitted for the covered com- modities and peanuts planted on the farm by July 15, 2014. Failure to report produc- tion for those covered commodities and peanuts planted on ACRE farms may result in contract termination. If the contract is terminated, all payments, including direct payments previously received plus interest will be required to be refunded. FARM SToRAge FACiLiTy LoAN PRogRAM The Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) Program allows producers of eligible commodities to obtain low- interest financ- ing to build or upgrade farm storage and handling facilities. The new maximum principal amount of a loan through FSFL is $500,000. Partici- pants are now required to provide a down payment of 15 percent, with CCC provid- ing a loan for the remaining 85 percent of the net cost of the eligible storage facility and permanent dr ying and handling equip- ment. New loan terms of 7, 10 or 12 years are available depending on the amount of the loan. Interest rates for each term rate may be different and are based on the rate which CCC borrows from the U.S. Treasur y Department. Payments are available in the form of a partial disbursement and the remaining final disbursement. The partial disburse- ment will be available after a portion of the construction has been completed. The final fund disbursement will be made when all construction is completed. The maximum amount of the partial disburse- ment will be 50 percent of the projected and approved total loan amount. Applications for FSFL must be submit- ted to the FSA county office that maintains the farm's records. An FSFL must be approved before any site preparation or construction can begin. For more informa- tion about FSFL, visit your FSA county office or www.fsa.usda.gov. BegiNNiNg AND LiMiTeD ReSouRCe LoANS FSA has a program to assist beginning farmers and or members of socially dis- advantaged groups to finance agricultural enterprises. Under these designated farm loan programs, FSA can provide financing to eligible applicants through either direct or guaranteed loans. FSA defines a begin- ning farmer as a person who: • Has operated a farm for no more than 10 years • Will materially and substantially par- ticipate in the operation of the farm • Agrees to participate in a loan as- sessment, borrower training and financial management program sponsored by FSA • Does not own a farm in excess of 30 percent of the county's median size • Each member of an entity must meet the eligibility requirements. Loan approval is not guaranteed. Additional program information, loan ap- plications and other materials are available at the local USDA Ser vice Center or visit www.fsa.usda.gov and www.nrcs.usda.gov. LoANS FoR THe SoCiALLy DiSADvANTAgeD FSA has farm operating loans as well as loans to purchase or improve farms or ranches to assist applicants to begin or continue in agriculture production. While all qualified producers are eligible to apply for these loan programs, FSA has priority funding for socially disadvantaged applicants. A socially disadvantaged applicant is a person who is a member of a group that has been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice without regard to the members' individual qualities. For purposes of this program, socially dis- advantaged groups are women, African- Americans, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. FSA loans are available to applicants who meet all the eligibility requirements and are unable to obtain the needed credit elsewhere. DATeS To ReMeMBeR June 15, 2014—County Committee (COC) nomination period begins. July 4—Offices closed in obser vance of Independence Day. July 15 —Deadline for reporting 2013 production for ACRE farms. Final crop cer- tification date for all crops except fall mint, apples, small grains and honey. Deadline for reporting 2013 production and applying for payment for NAP crops having a July 15 acreage reporting deadline. August 1—Last day to file 2014 COC nomination forms. End of Wildlife Nesting Season. Deadline to request farm reconsti- tutions for 2014. September 1—Offices Closed for Labor Day The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its program and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, famil- ial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohib- ited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimi- nation, write to USDA, Assistant Secretar y for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Sec- retar y for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call toll free at 866-632- 9992 (English) or 800-877-8339 (TDD) or 866-377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or 800-845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 407 E. KEntucKy • Holland (812) 536-3486 Equipment Company www.BLESCHBROS.com