USDA ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO FRUIT, VEGETABLE AND WILD RICE PLANTING RULES Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced fruit, vegetable and wild rice provisions that affect producers who intend to participate in certain programs authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014. Producers who intend to participate in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs are subject to an acre-for-acre payment reduction when fruits and nuts, vegetables or wild rice are planted on the payment acres of a farm. Payment reductions do not apply to mung beans, dry peas, lentils or chickpeas. Planting fruits, vegetables or wild rice on acres that are not considered payment acres will not result in a payment reduction. Farms that are eligible to participate in ARC/PLC but are not enrolled for a particular year may plant unlimited fruits, vegetables and wild rice for that year but will not receive ARC/PLC payments for that year. Eligibility for succeeding years is not affected. Planting and harvesting fruits, vegetables and wild rice on ARC/PLC acreage is subject to the acre-for-acre payment reduction when those crops are planted on either more than 15 percent of the base acres of a farm enrolled in ARC using the county coverage or PLC, or more than 35 percent of the base acres of a farm enrolled in ARC using the individual coverage. Fruits, vegetables and wild rice that are planted in an approved double-cropping practice will not cause a payment reduction if the farm is in a double-cropping region as designated by the USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation. USDA AWARDING $6 MILLION TO PREPARE FARMERS FOR NEW FARM BILL PROGRAMS USDA is awarding $6 million to universities and cooperative state extension services to develop online decision tools and other materials and train experts to educate producers about several key farm bill programs. The new Web tools will help farmers and ranchers determine what participation in programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill will mean for their businesses. North Carolina State University receives $57,460. North Carolina A&T State University receives $24,907. The University of Illinois (lead for the National Coalition for Producer Education), along with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri and the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M (co-leads for the National Association of Agricultural and Food Policy), will receive a total of $3 million to develop the new online tools and train state-based extension agents who can in turn help educate farmers. The new resources will help farmers and ranchers make an educated choice between the new Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program and the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program. Using the new online tools, producers will be able to use data unique to their specific farming operations combined with factors like the geographical diversity of crops, soils, weather and climates across the country to test a variety of financial scenarios before officially signing up for the new program options later this year. Once a producer enrolls in the ARC or PLC program, he or she must remain in the program through the 2018 crop year. New tools will be provided for other programs as well. Sign-up for the newly established Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP) begins late this summer and enrollment for "buy-up" provisions under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) will begin early next year. An online MPP tool will be available when sign up begins and the NAP buy-up provision resource will become available to producers in the fall for the 2015 crop year. USDA will also award $3 million to state cooperative extension services—a nationwide network of experts based at land-grant universities—for outreach and education on the new Farm Bill programs. Funds will be used to conduct public education outreach meetings where producers can speak with local extension agents and Farm Service Agency (FSA) staff. Outreach meetings will begin late this summer to help farmers and ranchers understand the new programs and their options. While universities work to create new online tools, producers now have access to a preliminary website that gives them a chance to begin familiarizing themselves with the new programs and the type of information they will need to consider when deciding which program options work better for them. At this site, farmers and ranchers can view ARC and PLC projected payments, ARC guarantees, and PLC payment rate projections. These tables are available on the FSA website. Visit www.fsa.usda.gov or the local FSA office for information about FSA and the 2014 Farm Bill programs. SECRETARY ANNOUNCES PROGRAMS TO CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCES AND HELP BEGINNING FARMERS Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced two programs this week to help producers protect the land through conservation and assist beginning farmers in obtaining land. Beginning June 9, farmers, ranchers and landowners can sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to help protect and conserve environmentally sensitive land. CRP is a voluntary program that compensates producers for establishing long-term vegetative species, such as approved grasses or trees to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat. 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). TIP provides two additional years of payments to retired farmers and ranchers who transition expiring CRP acres to socially disadvantaged, military veteran, or beginning producers who then return the land to sustainable grazing or crop production. To learn more visit: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2014/06/0112.xml&contentidonly=true 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. USDA KICKS OFF THE 2014 "FEDS FEED FAMILIES" NATIONWIDE FOOD DRIVE USDA kicked off the 6th annual Feds Feed Families Campaign on June 2, 2014. The food drive is an annual event in which Federal employees, nationwide, collect food for distribution by food banks, food pantries, and shelters. The Feds Feed Families program started in 2009. The 2014 food drive officially began on June 2, 2014 and will run through August 27, 2014. All Federal agencies across the country participate in the campaign and Federal employees are asked to donate non-perishable food items throughout the summer. Donations are given to local food banks across the country – having a positive impact to help food banks address food insecurity. Secretary Vilsack noted that the latest USDA estimates show that in 2012, food insecurity affected 14.5 percent of American households at some point. If you are interested in making a donation to the annual "Feds Feed Families" Food Drive, please contact your local USDA Service Center at (252) 752-6112. For more information on the Feds Feed Families campaign, visit: http://www.usda.gov/fedsfeedfamilies. COC ELECTION NOMINATION PERIOD USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the nomination period for Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committees begins Sunday, June 15, 2014. "County Committees are a vital link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture," said Vilsack. "I hope that every eligible farmer and rancher will participate in this year's County Committee elections. Through the County Committees, farmers and ranchers have a voice; their opinions and ideas get to be heard on federal farm programs." Vilsack added, "We've seen an increase in the number of nominations of women and minority candidates, and I hope that trend continues."
The Pitt County FSA Office will accept nominations for candidates for the 2014 County Committee Election to represent Local Administrative Area (LAA) 2, which includes the Ayden, Farmville, Grifton, Swift Creek, and Winterville townships.. 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. I. Jason Tyson currently holds this seat and is eligible for re-election.
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 Pitt County USDA Service Center by close of business on August 1, 2014.
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. Nationwide, there are about 7,800 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA County Committees. Committees consist of three to 11 members that are elected by eligible producers.
COC Election Dates: - June 15, 2014 - The nomination period begins.
- August 1, 2014 - Last day to file nomination forms (FSA-669A).
- November 3, 2014 - FSA Election ballots mailed to eligible voters.
- December 1, 2014 -Last day to return completed ballot.
- January 1, 2015 - Newly elected County Committee members take office.
For additonal information about County Committee Elections contact the Pitt County FSA Office.The nomination form (FSA-669A) is available at USDA Service Centers or online. 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