Image
PROMO 660 x 440 Agriculture USDA Service Center Update

USDA Update

Eads USDA Service Center Staff

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

  • NOW!! - File form CCC-633 EZ page 1 with FSA before losing beneficial interest to maintain Loan Deficiency Payment (LDP) eligibility. (To request payments, producers need to submit page 2 of the CCC-633EZ).
  • FARM LOAN Personnel in Kiowa County Service Center – June 13th 
  • March 15th – July 15th -  CRP Primary Nesting Season – NO Activity permitted on CRP
  • August 1 -  2017 ARCPLC enrollment deadline
  • August 1 - COC Nomination Deadline
  • CRP Continuous Signup - Lesser Prairie Chicken, CRP Grassland acres are available.  Producers interested are urged to contact FSA Office. 

                                                                                                  

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.

LAND TENURE - CRP

In FY 17, 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 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 one of the following programs:

  • CRP – Grasslands
  • CSP – Conservation Stewardship Program as determined by NRCS.
  • EQIP- Environmental Quality Incentives Program as determined by NRCS.

The following practices are eligible for termination under land tenure provisions.

  • CP-1, Establishment of Permanent Introduced Grasses and Legumes
  • CP-2, Establishment of Permanent Native Grasses
  • CP-10, Grass Already Established
  • CP-3 and CP11 – Tree practices

There are other land eligibility requirements that must be met, in Kiowa County land that with an erodibility index greater than 15 is not eligible.  We encourage producers who are interested to contact their local FSA office.

ACREAGE REPORTS

When producers have completed planting the spring crops, please be reminded to report the crop, acres and plant dates to FSA.  The final reporting date is July 15, 2017.  After that date, the report of acreage will be considered late-filed and will a fee will be charged.

COUNTY COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS

The County Committee nomination period begin June 15th and ends on August 1, 2017.  In Kiowa County this year Local Administrative Area - 1 (LAA) which is the east end of the county and is currently represented by Sean Harkness will hold election. 

County committees are made up of farmers and ranchers elected by other producers in their communities to guide the delivery of farm programs at the local level.  Members serve three-year terms.  

Farmers and ranchers may nominate themselves or others.  To be eligible to serve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in an agency administered program, and reside in the LAA area where the election is being held.   To become a candidate, an eligible individual must sign an FSA-669A nomination form.  Producers who are interesting in serving, please contact the FSA office.

Census of Agriculture Countdown Begins for America’s Farmers and Ranchers

America’s farmers and ranchers will soon have the opportunity to strongly represent agriculture in their communities and industry by taking part in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the census, to be mailed at the end of this year, is a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches, and those who operate them.

The Census of Agriculture highlights land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures, and other topics. The 2012 Census of Agriculture revealed that over three million farmers operated more than two million farms, spanning over 914 million acres. This was a four percent decrease in the number of U.S. farms from the previous census in 2007. However, agriculture sales, income, and expenses increased between 2007 and 2012. This telling information and thousands of other agriculture statistics are a direct result of responses to the Census of Agriculture.

Producers who are new to farming or did not receive a Census of Agriculture in 2012 still have time to sign up to receive the 2017 Census of Agriculture report form by visiting www.agcensus.usda.gov and clicking on the ‘Make Sure You Are Counted’ button through June. NASS defines a farm as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year (2017).

Kiowa County FSA Committee

  • Destiny Haase -  LAA 2 – Central area – Committee Chairperson
  • Sean Harkness – LAA 1 – East area – Committee Vice-Chairperson
  • Michael Zimmerman – LAA3 – West area – Committee Regular Member

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, Alicia.L.james

KIOWA COUNTY FARM LOAN CONTACT INFO – CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT

Telephone 719-336-3437 (ext2) 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.