IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

• CRP signup dates – General SU 56 – June 14 – July 23; Continuous SU 55 - June 14 - August 6; CRP Grasslands – July 12 – August 20
• County Committee Nomination Deadline - August 2, 2021
• Spring Acreage Reporting Deadline - July 15
• PRIMARY NESTING SEASON - March 15 - July 15

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. 

THE USDA SERVICE CENTER HAS A DROP BOX AVAILABLE ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE BUILDING. 

CRP SIGNUP UPDATE  

The office has informed all producers with expiring CRP contracts of the revised rental rate.  It’s now the producer’s responsibility to review the information and submit and if they wish to submit and offer, they must do so before July 23 for General CRP or August 6.  

The following information was sent to producers -  

• Cover letter. 
• Example of Enrollment worksheet and areas of the worksheet to give attention. 
• Producer/tract specific Enrollment worksheet.
• Fact sheets for both General and Continuous CRP signups.  

Enrollment date for CRP signup have been announced.  Signup dates are as follows. 

• CRP General - June 14 - July 23 – national ranking to determine acceptance. 
• CRP Continuous – SAFE – Lesser Prairie Chicken or Highly Erodible Land Initiative or HELI June 14 – August 6 – no national ranking to determine acceptance.  Is dependent on NRCS needs and feasibility determination. 
• CRP Grasslands – July 12 – August 20 

Producers need to pay special attention to the enrollment information worksheet; especially information determining if the land qualifies for Continuous SAFE or HELI programs.  Continuous signup offers are referred to NRCS for a needs and feasibility determination before the offer is received.  

SAFE - Lesser Prairie Chicken

To qualify for the SAFE Lesser Prairie Chicken area - 51% of the tract must be physically located in the Lesser Prairie Chicken area and the cover must meet the grass and forb specifications for the practice.  

HELI - Highly Erodible Land Initiative

To qualify for the Highly Erodible Land Initiative or HELI the land must have a weighted water and wind EI number greater than 20.  

All this information can be found on the enrollment information worksheet.  Remember, offers for continuous signup are not subject to national ranking; but must meet certain criteria to qualify.    

Once producers review the information that was sent can call the office to schedule an appointment. Each county office will be handling signup differently; the information sent to producers is pertinent only to producers in Kiowa County.   

Producers can obtain information regarding CRP signup at www.Farmers.gov website.

2021 SPRING ACREAGE REPORTING DEADLINE

REPORTING DEADLINE JULY 15

Producers who have completed planting spring seeded crops and have not reported planted acres to FSA or crop insurance are reminded to file an acreage report before July 15^th with either your crop insurance agent or FSA. 

Call the office if you would like a copy of your maps sent to you; so that you can complete your portion of the acreage report at your leisure.  

 The office will require the following information for acreage reporting be marked on the aerial map by the producer.   

• Crop planted – corn, grain sorghum, millet (proso or common), forage sorghum, 
• Acreage planted – number of acres planted per field
• Plant date of the crop
• Intended use of the crop - most common is for grain, graze or forage.    
• Crop share or cash lease - shares per farm.  If cash leased, current cash lease will need to be on file. 

COC NOMINATION PERIOD – JUNE 15 - AUGUST 2, 2021

County Committee Election Nomination period ends on Monday, August 2, 2021.  In Kiowa County, Local Administrative Area or LAA eligible for election is Area 2 – which is the central portion of the county.  The current representative for this area is Destiny (Duff) Haase.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA and allow grassroots input and local administration of federal farm programs. Farmers and ranchers who are elected to serve on FSA county committees apply using their judgment and knowledge to help with the decisions necessary to administer FSA programs in their counties, ensuring the needs of local producers are met. 

FSA county committees operate within official federal regulations and provide local input on:

• Income safety-net loans and payments, including setting county average yields for commodities.
• Conservation programs.
• Incentive, indemnity, and disaster payments for some commodities.
• Emergency programs; and
• Payment eligibility.

Every eligible agricultural producer should participate in FSA county committee elections--whether you are a beginning or established producer, historically underserved producer (minority and women), or whether you have a large or small operation—because FSA county committees are your link with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Who Can Vote?

Agricultural producers of legal voting age may be eligible to vote if they participate or cooperate in any FSA program. A person who is not of legal voting age but supervises and conducts the operations of an entire farm also may be eligible to vote. Members of American Indian tribes holding agricultural land are eligible to vote if voting requirements are met. More information about voting eligibility requirements can be found in the FSA fact sheet titled “FSA County Committee Election - Eligibility to Vote and Hold Office as a County Committee Member,” located at fsa.usda.gov/elections.

Producers may contact their local FSA county office for more information. To find your local FSA county office, visit farmers.gov.

Nominations

Agricultural producers who participate or cooperate in an FSA program may be nominated for candidacy for the county office. Individuals may nominate themselves or others as a candidate. In addition, organizations representing underserved (minority and women) farmers or ranchers may nominate candidates. 

To become a nominee, eligible individuals must sign nomination form FSA-669A. The form includes a statement that the nominee agrees to serve if elected. Nomination forms are filed in the FSA office that administers a producer’s farm records and is available at the FSA county office or online at fsa.usda.gov/elections.

All nomination forms for the 2021 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA county office by August 2, 2021, or next available business day.