PROMO 660 x 440 Agriculture USDA Service Center Update

USDA Update

USDA Service Center Staff

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

March 15 – July 15^th - Primary Nesting Season for CRP. No practice or management activity allowed.
April 15, 2016 – Deadline to submit CCC-861A, ‘Request for waiver of administrative county methods for ARC-CO yields’.
May 31 – Last day to request commodity loan for grain sorghum, corn and sunflowers
July 15 - Production submission deadline for 2015 NAP crops.
August 1 – Deadline to request farm reconstitution for 2016.
August 1 - 2016 ARC-PLC Enrollment Deadline

USDA Expands Microloans to Help Farmers Purchase Farmland and Improve Property

Producers, Including Beginning and Underserved Farmers, Have a New Option to Gain Access to Land

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin offering farm ownership microloans, creating a new financing avenue for farmers to buy and improve property. These microloans will be especially helpful to beginning or underserved farmers, U.S. veterans looking for a career in farming, and those who have small and mid-sized farming operations.

The microloan program, which celebrates its third anniversary this week, has been hugely successful, providing more than 16,800 low-interest loans, totaling over $373 million to producers across the country. Microloans have helped farmers and ranchers with operating costs, such as feed, fertilizer, tools, fencing, equipment, and living expenses since 2013. Seventy percent of loans have gone to new farmers.

Now, microloans will be available to also help with farm land and building purchases, and soil and water conservation improvements. FSA designed the expanded program to simplify the application process, expand eligibility requirements and expedite smaller real estate loans to help farmers strengthen their operations. Microloans provide up to $50,000 to qualified producers, and can be issued to the applicant directly from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).

This microloan announcement is another USDA resource for America’s farmers and ranchers to utilize, especially as new and beginning farmers and ranchers look for the assistance they need to get started. To learn more about the FSA microloan program visit www.fsa.usda.gov/microloans, or contact your local FSA office. To find your nearest office location, please visit http://offices.usda.gov

Loans for Targeted Underserved Producers

FSA has a number of loan programs available to assist applicants to begin or continue in agriculture production. Loans are available for operating type loans and/or to purchase or improve farms or ranches.

While all qualified producers are eligible to apply for these loan programs, FSA has provided priority funding for members of targeted underserved applicants.

A targeted underserved applicant is one of a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of his or her identity as members of the group without regard to his or her individual qualities.

For purposes of this program, targeted underserved groups are women, African Americans, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

FSA loans are only available to applicants who meet all the eligibility requirements and are unable to obtain the needed credit elsewhere.

INTEREST RATES

April interest rates are as follows:

Crop year Commodity Loan - 1.625

Farm Storage Facility Loans - FSFL

7 year term - 1.625

10 year term – 1.875

12 year term – 2.000

USDA SERVICE CENTER CONTACT INFORMATION

Telephone

719-438-5851

FSA (Ext 2), NRCS (Ext 3).