USDA Update – June 9, 2020

Eads USDA Service Center Staff

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

PRIMARY NESTING SEASON - March 15 - July 15 - NO ACTIVITY PERMITTED ON CRP
FSA 2020 ACREAGE REPORTING DATE: EXTENDED TO AUGUST 14 – ONLY FOR PLANTED CROPS
CFAP – Signup May 26 – August 28
LFP – Signup ends January 30, 2021
2020- ARCPLC enrollment - Deadline June 30, 2020
2020 PLC YIELD UPDATE – Deadline September 30, 2020
WHIP+ signup - Begins March 23, 2020

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.

USDA Service Centers will continue to operate by phone appointment only for a few more weeks.

COVID-19 USDA GUIDANCE

There is no public access allowed into the Service Center at this time. Customers can call 719-438-5851 and schedule a phone appointment or can call with questions. The staff is working and will continue to provide customer service. Customers can use email, fax and phones to contact the office and/or employees. Contact information is provided below.

USDA Service Centers Open for Business by Phone Appointment Only

U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Centers are encouraging visitors to take precautionary measures to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The Kiowa County USDA Service Center will continue to be open for business by phone appointment only and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While our program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with our producers by phone, and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency are required to call to schedule a phone appointment.

Farm Service Agency: (719) 438-5851 extension 2 - Natural Resources Conservation Service: (719) 438-5851 extension 3.

Employees may also be contacted by email; the email addresses are listed below in the Service Center contact information.

Online services are available to customers with an eAuth account, which provides access to the farmers.gov portal where producers can view USDA farm loan information and payments and view and track certain USDA program applications and payments. Online NRCS services are available to customers through the Conservation Client Gateway. Customers can track payments, report completed practices, request conservation assistance, and electronically sign documents. Customers who do not already have an eAuth account can enroll at farmers.gov/sign-in.

For the most current updates on available services and Service Center status visit farmers.gov/coronavirus.

REPORTING PREVENTED, PLANTED AND FAILED ACRES

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, FSA has provided an extension of 30 additional days to any remaining acreage reporting deadlines. Therefore, the acreage reporting deadline of July 15^th has been extended 30 days after the ARD to August 14. This applies to reporting planted acreage only; it does not apply to the deadlines for reporting prevented planting, failed crops and NAP crops.

Producers who will be submitting prevented planting claims; report the claim to your crop insurance agent first; then notify FSA of the prevented plant and FSA can then contact the insurance agent for the information. FSA will then notify the producer when the FSA paperwork is ready to sign – by email or mail.

If the prevented planted crop is not insured through crop insurance and is insured through the Non-insured crop assistance program or (NAP) program with FSA; a notice of loss must be completed within 15 days after the final planting date. Final planting dates vary by county and crop; therefore, consult with your crop insurance agent for those dates and late-planting policies.

Due to the pandemic, producers will need to work closely with their crop insurance agent as FSA offices do have this extension. However, RMA deadlines are unchanged.

WINDY WEEKEND

Anyone who lived in southeast Colorado this past weekend experienced the ever present, relentless, howling wind. The saddest part was that was all the area received was wind and no rain. The area is extremely dry and very fragile. There were fires in the west part of the county last week and cause is unknown; therefore, it goes without saying, use caution when traveling down the roads or working in the fields.

2020 CENSUS

Saturday morning as the wind howled and I was going through the mail, I came across the 2020 Census that had been placed on our front door a while back. I decided to take the time right then and there to complete the census. You have to understand; I have a master’s degree in professional procrastination; so, for me to decide to take the leap and tackle paperwork was a big step. Surprisingly, it took me less than 5 minutes; so, if you have that white 5x7 envelope taking up space on your counter; take the time to fill it out and send it back in.

For more information on the 2020 census visit the website; 2020 census.gov.

JUNE INTEREST RATES

Interest rates for June 2020 are as follows:

FSFL loans

0.250 – 3-year loan terms
0.375 – 5-year loan terms
0.500 – 7-year loan terms
0.625 – 10-year loan terms
0.750 – 12-year loan terms

DROUGHT CONDITIONS

The past weeks drought monitor author expanded the D3 drought conditions in southeast Colorado and into western Kansas. This past weekend and the relentless wind most certainly did not help the already extremely dry conditions.

2019 PRICE LOSS COVERAGE RATES

The following prices were updated on May 12, 2020. 2019 ARCPLC payments are issued in October 2020 and projected rates are as follows, rates are per bushel unless otherwise noted.

Wheat - 90¢
Barley – 25¢
Corn - 10¢
Grain Sorghum - 70¢
Sunflowers - .0095 per pound

Earlier this year; producers on eligible farms made either ARC-CO, PLC or ARC-IC elections for 2019. The 2019 election and enrollment were completed on the same form; which did confuse some people. By signing the 2019 CCC-866; producers were agreeing to both the election and enrollment for the farm. If 2019 eligible producers on the farm failed to either; make an election or did not sign the CCC-866 form timely; FSA considered the election not valid and the farm was defaulted back to the prior election from the 2014 Farm Bill. Further, the farm is not considered enrolled for 2019 and producers are not eligible for payment on that specific farm.

Farms with operator or ownership changes for crop year 2020 have until June 30^th to complete the enrollment process. The election present on the farm for 2019 is valid for crop year 2020. The next available year for an ARCPLC farm election is 2021.

CORONAVIRUS FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM or CFAP

The FSA Office will be making the first round of CFAP payment this week. It’s a busy time in the office as all employees are having to learn to juggle different programs and priorities can change every hour. With offices not able to accept visitors has made dealing with program deadlines even more challenging. To obtain information or schedule a phone appointment for CFAP; the best course of action is to call your recording county FSA office and information can be provided to you via email, mail or fax. You will be required to sign the application and complete the required eligibility paperwork. Other avenues for obtaining information on the CFAP program and all FSA programs is by visiting www.Farmers.gov/cfap. There is also a USDA- CFAP call center that is open Monday-Friday; 7:30 – 5:00 EST and that number is 1-877-508-8364. It’s important to remember; producers who normally do not participate in FSA programs are eligible for this program.

There are rumors that this is a ‘first come first serve’ program; that is not true. To prevent a lapse in funding; producers receive 80% of the total projected payment initially. If there are funds available after producers receive the initial payment; additional payments could be issued. These payments are also not subject to sequestration.