USDA Update
By Eads USDA Service Center Staff
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
- County Committee Meeting - 2nd Tuesday each month.
- 2nd Tuesday each month – FSA Farm Loan personnel in Kiowa County FSA Office. .
- SERVICE CENTER CLOSED – January 16th – Martin Luther King Jr. birthday
Disclaimer: Information in this UPDATE is pertinent to Kiowa County FSA only. Producers reading this and that do not have FSA interest in Kiowa County are advised to contact their local FSA Office.
CRP LAND TENURE
On December 29, USDA announced the intent to offer land tenure provisions for CRP contract terminations.
The land tenure provisions will be available to CRP participants with acreage devoted to certain practices that meet eligibility criteria. The opportunity for CRP participants to terminate acreage under the land tenure provisions begins January 9, 2017.
Land enrolled under eligible CRP contracts is eligible for termination under the land tenure provisions if the land is transferred by sale or lease to own transaction to either the of the following;
- A beginning farmer or rancher
- A socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher, including family members.
Acreage terminated under Land Tenure provisions will be eligible for priority enrollment consideration into:
- CRP- Grasslands, if meeting eligibility criteria
- Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) as determined by NRCS
- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) as determined by NRCS
CRP practices eligible for termination are
- CP- 2, Establishment of permanent Native Grasses
- CP10, Grass already established
Land that IS NOT eligible for termination is
- Land transferred before January 9, 2017
- Land that was transferred at any time during FY 2017 (October 1, 2016 to January 9th, 2017) and a succession in interest to a CRP-1 has already been completed
- Land that is located within an average 120 feet of a perennial stream or other permanent waterbody
- Land with an erodibility index (EI) of more than 15.
- Land located within a federally designated wellhead protection area
- Land that is covered by an easement under CRP
- Land enrolled under CREP (Kiowa county has no CREP contracts)
CONSERVATION PLANS
Landowners requesting land tenure provisions for agricultural purposes are urged to meeting NRCS about proposed land use activities which may impact their eligibility for other USDA benefits.
CRP prorated payments will be issued beginning October 1, 2016 to date of sale to the CRP participant.
There is of course paperwork that needs to be completed prior to the land tenure being completed. Producers who are interested please contact your local FSA office for further information.
CRP CONTINUOUS SIGNUP – 50
CRP Continuous Signup #50 was announced October 1st. Land located in the Lesser Prairie Chicken area or HELI (Highly Erodible Land Initiative). Land with a weighted soil erodibility number equal to or higher than 20 for the 3 predominant soils, qualify for this signup.
Nationally, USDA is close the 24 million acre CAP that is mandated by the 2014 Farm Bill. Producers who make offers to enroll into CRP will be ranked nationally; which is not the normal process for Continuous Signup’s. However, currently there are 23.9 million acres enrolled; therefore the maximum CAP on acres is very close to being reached. A General CRP signup in 2017 is highly unlikely.
The State has an allocated number of acres for both SAFE and HELI CRP programs. The HELI acres are close to be being depleted with eligible offers. Producers having any interest in the HELI program are urged to contact the office.
LDP RATES
Be reminded, producers who have sold their wheat can still request an LDP if they haven’t done so through their local FSA office. The FSA office will use the rate for the day of sale or loss of beneficial interest. Contact the local FSA office to learn more.
Producers with grain on the farm can request an LDP or a Marketing Assistance Loan; but not both on the same bushels.
The website to check daily LDP rates is as follows:
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/price-support/ldp-rates/index
Unauthorized Disposition of Grain
With the down turn in commodity prices; the office has disbursed a large number of marketing assistance loans (MAL) on wheat. The MAL is available for corn and grain sorghum also.
If loan collateral has been disposed of through feeding, selling or any other form of disposal without prior written authorization from the county office staff, it is considered unauthorized disposition. The financial penalties for unauthorized dispositions are severe and a producer’s name will be placed on a loan violation list for a two-year period. Always call before you haul any grain under loan
USDA SERVICE CENTER CONTACT INFORMATION
Telephone 719-438-5851 FSA (Ext 2), NRCS (Ext 3). FSA Fax number: fax2mail 844-332-7501
E-mail individuals firstname.lastname@co.usda.gov (Example firstname.lastname@co.usda.gov, dawna.weirich, charla.ferris, hallie.barlow, marvin.watson, marlin.miller
KIOWA COUNTY FARM LOAN CONTACT INFO – CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT
Telephone 719-336-3437 (ext2) Natalie Bond; natalie.bond@co.usda.gov; Mary Rhoades, mary.rhoades@co.usda.gov
SERVICE CENTER OFFICE HOURS:
Monday through Friday - 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. By appointment only on Friday.
FSA INFORMATION
For information on programs visit our website located at www.fsa.usda.gov or like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
