Expiring CRP Options On October 1, 2014, Gage County will see 275 CRP contracts expire. There will not be a general signup this year, but if you are the owner of one or more of those expiring contracts, you do have a couple of options. First, after October 1 you can break up the ground and farm it. You also have the option of letting the contract expire and using it for hay or grazing. Both of these options will give you the opportunity to re-enroll the land in a future general CRP signup. Certain contracts will be eligible for a one-year extension which will give producers the opportunity to leave the ground in the program for another year while we wait for news of the next general signup. Contracts enrolled under continuous signup may be re-enrolled for up to 10 or 15 years. If your general contract is expiring, you may be able to re-enroll a portion of it under a continuous practice. Finally, the TIP program has been re-authorized under the new Farm Bill. This program assists with the transition of expiring CRP land from a retired or retiring owner or operator to a beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher to return the land to production for sustainable grazing or crop production. The retired or retiring owner or operator must agree to sell, have a contract to sell, or agree to lease long term (at least 5 years) the land enrolled in an expiring CRP contract. The owner will then receive 2 additional years of CRP payments in addition to the cash rent or profit from the sale of the land. The National FSA Office has mailed letters to producers with CRP expiring this year. If you are in receipt of one of these letters, please contact our office, even if it is only to let us know that you plan to let the contract expire. If you have questions about your options we will be more than happy to make an appointment for you to visit with us. Farm Service Agency County Committee Nomination Period Farmer and rancher candidate nominations are currently being accepted for local Farm Service Agency County Committees. Nominees must participate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a County Committee election and reside in the local administrative area (LAA) in which the person is a candidate. To become a nominee, eligible individuals must sign form FSA-669A. This form is available for pickup at our office or you may contact us by email or telephone and we would be happy to send one out to you. Nomination forms must be postmarked or received in the USDA Service Center by close of business on August 1, 2014. Elected County Committee members serve a three-year term and are responsible for making decisions on FSA disaster, conservation, commodity, and price support programs, as well as other important Federal farm program issues.. The Gage County Committee is comprised of three members elected by local producers. The newly elected County Committee member and alternate will take office January 1, 2015. For the 2014 election, nominations are being taken for Gage County Local Administrative Area (LAA) 1 which includes the townships of Clatonia, Highland, Nemaha, Adams, Grant, Holt, Hanover, and Hooker (the upper third of the county). This LAA is currently being served by John Niemeyer who is seeking re-election. An informational meeting will be held at the Gage County FSA Office on Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. to explain the purpose of the County Committee and the election process. For additional information about County Committees, please contact our office or visit www.fsa.usda.gov. Questions? Please contact Jessi Thiede Colgrove, County Executive Director, at 402-223-3125, jessi.colgrove@ne.usda.gov or for Farm Loans, please contact Jeff VanWinkle, Farm Loan Manager, at 402-223-3125, jeff.vanwinkle@ne.usda.gov. |
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