Farm Service Agency County Committee Nomination Period Begins June 15th The nomination period for local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees begins Sunday, June 15, 2014. To be eligible to serve 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 where the person is nominated. This year's election is being held for the townships of Alma, Cleveland, Garden Valley, Garfield and Northfield which comprise local administrative area #1. Farmers and ranchers may nominate themselves or others. Organizations representing minorities and women also may nominate candidates. To become a candidate, an eligible individual must sign the nomination form, FSA-669A. The form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections. Nomination forms for the 2014 election must be postmarked or received in the Jackson County USDA Service Center by close of business on Aug. 1, 2014. Elections will take place this fall.
While FSA county committees do not approve or deny farm ownership or operating loans, they make decisions on disaster and conservation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs and other agricultural issues. Members serve three-year terms.
FSA will mail ballots to eligible voters beginning Nov. 3, 2014. Ballots are due back to the local county office either via mail or in person by Dec. 1, 2014. Newly elected committee members and alternates take office on Jan. 1, 2015. Contact the Jackson County FSA office if you are interested in serving on the FSA County Committee or know someone who is interested. USDA Announces Programs to Conserve Sensitive Land and Help Beginning Farmers Farmers and landowners committed to protecting and conserving environmentally sensitive land may sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) beginning June 9. The Secretary 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 provides incentives to producers who utilize conservation methods on environmentally-sensitive lands. For example, farmers are monetarily compensated for establishing long-term vegetative species, such as approved grasses or trees (known as "covers") 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 voluntary program starts 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 Transition Incentives Program provides two additional years of payments for retired farmers and ranchers who transition expiring CRP acres to socially disadvantaged, military 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 million through 2018. As part of the 2014 Farm Bill, participants meeting specific qualifications may have the opportunity to terminate their CRP contract during fiscal year 2015 if the contract has been in effect for a minimum of five years and if other conditions are also met. For more information on CRP and other FSA programs, visit a local FSA county office or go online to www.fsa.usda.gov.
USDA Farm Service Agency Announces Tree Assistance Program (TAP) Sign-up Orchardists and nursery tree growers who experienced losses from natural disasters that occurred on or after October 1, 2011, can sign up for the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). The signup for losses that occurred from October 1, 2011 through 2014 is January 31, 2015. Applications for losses that occur in 2015 and later years must be filed within 90 days of each disaster event or when the losses become apparent. TAP was authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014 as a permanent disaster program. TAP provides financial assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes and vines damaged by natural disasters. Eligible tree types include trees, bushes or vines that produce an annual crop for commercial purposes. Nursery trees include ornamental, fruit, nut and Christmas trees that are produced for commercial sale. Trees used for pulp or timber are ineligible. To qualify for TAP, orchardists must suffer a qualifying tree, bush or vine loss in excess of 15 percent, as adjusted for normal mortality from an eligible natural disaster. The eligible trees, bushes or vines must have been owned when the natural disaster occurred; however, eligible growers are not required to own the land on which the eligible trees, bushes and vines were planted. If the TAP application is approved, the eligible trees, bushes and vines must be replaced and/or rehabilitated within 12 months from the date the application is approved. The cumulative total quantity of acres planted to trees, bushes or vines, for which a producer can receive TAP payments, cannot exceed 500 acres annually Livestock Disaster Assistance Sign-up Underway Livestock disaster program enrollment is underway. 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 October 1, 2011. 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 federally managed land. Eligible livestock 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 application and supporting documentation by January 30, 2015.
- In Wisconsin, LFP is eligible for the following counties for 2012 only- Adams, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Jackson, Jefferson, Iowa, Juneau, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Marquette, Milwaukee, Monroe, Ozaukee, Portage, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Wood.
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 January 30, 2015. In 2015 and later Notice of Losses must be filed within 30 days for the loss becoming apparent or if earlier January 30 of the immediately preceding calendar year.
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, supplemented if possible by photographs or video records of ownership and losses
- Dates of death supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts
- Inventory of animals before the deaths occurred.
- For listing of documentation requirements, please contact your local FSA Office
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) - ELAP provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees 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 program years 2015 and later, Notice of Loss must be filed within 30 days of the losses becoming apparent or November 1, whichever is earlier.
For more information, producers can review the LFP, LIP, ELAP and TAP Fact Sheets on the Farm Bill webpage. Producers are encouraged to make an appointment with their local FSA office to apply for these programs. Beginning Farmer Loans FSA assists beginning farmers 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 beginning farmer as a person who: - Has operated a farm for not more than 10 years
- Will materially and substantially participate in the operation of the farm
- Agrees to participate in a loan assessment, borrower training and financial management program sponsored by FSA
- Does not own a farm in excess of 30 percent of the county's average size farm.
Additional program information, loan applications, and other materials are available at your local USDA Service Center. You may also visit www.fsa.usda.gov. 2013 ACRE Participation in 2013 ACRE requires production reports for planted acres that must be submitted for the covered commodities planted on the farm by July 15, 2014. Failure to report production 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. Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Compliance Landowners and operators are reminded that in order to receive payments from USDA, they must be compliant with Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions. Farmers with HEL determined soils must apply tillage, crop residue and rotation requirements as specified in their conservation plan. Producers should notify FSA prior to conducting land clearing or drainage projects to ensure compliance. If producers intend to clear any trees to create new cropland, these areas will need to be reviewed to ensure any work will not jeopardize eligibility for benefits. Landowners and operators can complete form AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification to determine whether a referral to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is necessary. For more information on Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation provisions, contact a FSA County Office or visit the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay),
(866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users). |
No comments:
Post a Comment