USDA Update
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
- CRP Contract Management - Contact FSA or NRCS with questions. Producers have been notified of required completion dates.
- County Committee Meeting – Tuesday, December 5th
- October 1st – November 30th - Fiscal Year 2018 First CRP grazing period – Contract Management. FSA and NRCS approval required
- November 12th - Last date to remove hay bales from CRP (FSA prior approval required)
- December 1, 2017 - 2018 Non-insurable Crop Assistance Program (NAP) application closing date for Alfalfa, Grass, Mixed Forage
- 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 – December 12th
- CRP Continuous Signup - CRP Grassland OFFERS ONLY. 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.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
The Eads USDA Service Center employees wish all the producers we serve a Happy Thanksgiving. This has been an outstanding year for agriculture in Kiowa County. The moisture received produced outstanding crop yields and the native pasture recovered from the devastating drought years. We hope you enjoy the Thanksgiving Day with your family and friends. We are thankful for the producers we serve.
CRP GRAZING
Producers utilizing the grazing option to complete CRP contract management and have cattle currently grazing the CRP land have until November 30th to graze the CRP land. The livestock must be removed from the CRP by the end of November. The next grazing period will be July 16th to September 16th, 2018.
Producers that do not have the livestock removed by the December 1st, the CRP participants will be determined out of compliance and payment reductions or contract terminations of the contract could occur.
NRCS 2018 EQIP DEADLINE
Dec. 15, 2017 is the deadline to submit an application for the 2018 EQIP program. The EQIP provides financial assistance to install conservation practices such as livestock water pipeline, tanks and terraces that will address natural resource concerns on your operation.
FSA STATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR APPOINTED
FSA state employees welcome Clarice Navarro- Ratzlaff as the newly appointed State Executive Director for FSA. She started her duties at the State Office in Denver on Monday, November 13, 2017. Prior to being appointed, she was elected to represent House District 47, covering parts of Pueblo, Fremont and Otero counties. She was elected in 2012 and was reelected for three terms. Welcome aboard, Clarice we look forward to working with you to improve American agriculture.
COUNTY COMMITTEE ELECTION DEADLINE
The County Committee ballots have been streaming in, remember the last day to return your ballot is December 4th. In Kiowa County, the ballots will be counted on Tuesday, December 5th at 9:00 a.m. at the Service Center. Sean Harkness is the incumbent in the eastern portion of the county, referred to for FSA purposes as LAA 1. Sean has served one three year term and is seeking re-election for his second three year term.
County committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and USDA. Farmers and ranchers elected to county committees help deliver FSA programs at the local level, applying their knowledge and judgment to make decisions on commodity price support programs; conservation programs; incentive indemnity and disaster programs for some commodities; emergency programs and eligibility. FSA committees operate within official regulations designed to carry out federal laws.
USDA Processing Pending Conservation Reserve Program Continuous Enrollment Offers
Acceptance of Most 2018 Offers Temporarily Suspended
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will process many pending eligible offers for land enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and will temporarily suspend accepting most new offers until later in the 2018 fiscal year.
All current, eligible CRP continuous enrollment offers made through Sept. 30, 2017, except for those made under the Pollinator Habitat Initiative (CP42), will be approved, Additionally, FSA is temporarily suspending acceptance of most offers going forward to provide time to review CRP allocation levels, and to avoid exceeding the statutory cap of 24 million acres.
The CRP acreage cap is a provision of the 2014 Farm Bill. Current enrollment is about 23.5 million acres nationwide. USDA is accepting all pending continuous enrollment offers that were made beginning on May 4, 2017, and extending through Sept. 30, 2017, except Pollinator Habitat Initiative offers. Pollinator acreage offers are being declined because the program has met its acreage enrollment goal. Effective immediately, USDA is suspending acceptance of all new CRP continuous offers received or submitted after Sept. 30, 2017. The suspension will continue until later in the 2018 fiscal year.
However, FSA will continue to accept eligible offers for CRP Grasslands enrollment.
In return for enrolling in CRP, USDA, through FSA, provides participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance. Landowners enter into contracts that last between 10 and 15 years. CRP pays farmers and ranchers who remove sensitive lands from production and plant certain grasses, shrubs and trees that improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and increase wildlife habitat. Payment totals for 2017 were announced earlier this week totaling over $1.6 billion.
For more information about CRP, contact your local FSA office or visit www.fsa.usda.gov/crp. To locate your local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.
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
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. Friday, by appointment only.
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.
