USDA Update – March 9, 2021

Eads USDA Service Center

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

2021 ARCPLC signup – deadline March 15, 2021
2021 NAP DEADLINE - March 15 - spring seeded crops
CRP General CRP signup #56 – Extended indefinitely
CRP EMERGENCY GRAZING AVAILABLE – Contact the FSA Office if interested.

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.

SERVICE CENTER STAFFING

The Service Center received notification last week that all Service Centers nationwide will allow only 25% of the staff to work in the Service Center during the work week. The balance of the employees will telework from home.

There currently is no timeline available as to when this mandate could change. Therefore, it’s vitally important that producers pay close attention to emails from employees and get any paperwork completed timely.

NAP DEADLINE – MARCH 15

The 2021 application for coverage for spring seeded crop deadline for NAP eligible crops is fast approaching. Interested producers must apply for coverage using FSA form CCC-471, “Application for Coverage,” and pay the applicable service fee by Monday, March 15, 2021 at the FSA office where their farm records are maintained. These must be filed by the application closing date. Closing dates vary by crop, so it is important to contact your local FSA office as soon as possible to ensure you don’t miss an application closing date. At the time of application, each producer will be provided a copy of the NAP Basic Provisions, which describes how NAP works and all the requirements you must follow to maintain NAP coverage. NAP participants must provide accurate annual reports of their production in non-loss years to ensure their NAP coverage is beneficial to their individual operation.

The NAP service fee is the lesser of $325 per crop or $825 per producer per administrative county, not to exceed a total of $1,950 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties. Premiums also apply when producers elect higher levels of coverage with a maximum premium of $15,750 per person or legal entity depending on the maximum payment limitation that may apply to the NAP covered producer. The service fee can be waived for beginning, socially disadvantaged, qualifying veteran, and limited resource farmers and rancher. These farmers and ranchers can also receive a 50 percent reduction in the premium.

NAP Buy-Up Coverage Option

NAP offers higher levels of coverage, from 50 to 65 percent of expected production in 5 percent increments, at 100 percent of the average market price. Buy-up levels of NAP coverage are available if the producer can show at least one year of previously successfully growing the crop for which coverage is being requested.

Producers of organics and crops marketed directly to consumers also may exercise the “buy-up” option to obtain NAP coverage of 100 percent of the average market price at the coverage levels of between 50 and 65 percent of expected production.

NAP basic coverage is available at 55 percent of the average market price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of expected production.   

Buy-up coverage is not available for crops intended for grazing.

CRP EMERGENCY GRAZING

Many counties in Colorado are eligible for Emergency grazing of eligible CRP acres. If interested in Emergency grazing of CRP; we encourage producers to contact your local FSA office for more information.

Currently producers can graze at 100% stocking rate until March 15, which is the beginning of the Primary Nesting season for wildlife. Producers can request to graze during the primary nesting season if all of the following occur:

County is eligible for Livestock Forage Program or LFP.
NRCS grazing plans are written at 50% of the normal carrying capacity.

Haying is not authorized during PNS or primary nesting season.

Ineligible acres are: SAFE or State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement acres. In Kiowa those are acres enrolled into the Lesser Prairie Chicken SAFE CRP program.

NRCS will be required to make a site visit to determine if the acres can be grazed. Acres that were grazed last year, could potentially be ineligible this year.

AT NO TIME CAN FEEDING OF BALES BE ALLOWED ON THE CRP ACRES.

2021 ARCPLC ENROLLMENT

REMINDER: Check with your local FSA office to be certain your farms are enrolled for 2021 crop year before March 15.

The election and enrollment are completed on the same form CCC-866 - by signing

To assist producers in making an election there are several different online tools available to help make that decision.

On February 16 - CSU and FSA held a joint webinar to explain the ARCPLC decision process and explain how the online tools can be of assistance. The link is https://youtu.be/UsGxcvES9AQ if you need that emailed to you contact the office.
Visit Farmers.gov website or https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/arcplc_program/index for information on resources and program data
and search ARCPLC decision for more information
On Farmers you will find two online tools to assist you in making your decision. Website addresses are provided below.

https://fd-tools.ncsa.illinois.edu/

https://www.afpc.tamu.edu/tools/farm/farmbill/2018/

Multi – year enrollment

The multi-year election and enrollment was made in 2019 and when the owners made the election for 2019 and 2020 the farm could be enrolled through crop year 2023. However, if there are any changes made to the farm - such as change of operator or owner, expired CRP acres with restored base acres; the multi-year enrollment will no longer be valid. If there are new elections for 2021 crop year; this will void the multi-year enrollment and therefore the operators and owners will need to complete an enrollment every year through March 2023; if they wish to be enrolled into the ARCPLC program.

Reminders

FSA Office employees only explain the programs available; it’s the producer’s responsibility to make the decision on what program to elect.

Be reminded ARC-CO and PLC elections are made by base commodity available on the farm. The election has no bearing on what crop(s) that will be planted in crop year 2021. FSA uses 85% of the farms base acres to compute payments.

Shares are determined by either crop share, cash lease or if multiple operators are involved in growing crops. FSA will determine which producers have ‘control’ of sufficient cropland and an entitlement to a share interest to support the claimed payment share.

ARC-IC which is individual farm coverage is the only program available under ARCPLC that is contingent on what commodities are planted or will be planted. When electing ARC-IC producers are enrolling the entire farm, not the base acres on the farm. A total farm revenue is computed at the end of the crop year and if the total farm revenue exceeds the total farm guarantee; then a payment is computed on only 65% of the base acres on the farm.

Crop year

The office has fielded numerous questions regarding what crop year the election producers are currently making will relate to. The election is for crop year 2021 - which relates to planted wheat and crops that will be planted this spring and summer. Crop years for FSA purposes are determined as crops planted that will be harvested in calendar year 2021. Even though the wheat was planted last year; it’s a 2021 crop for FSA and RMA purposes.

2020 PLC RATES

The 2020 crop year Price Loss Coverage or PLC rates are available below. The 2020 crop year ARCPLC elections were made prior to March 15, 2020. Each commodity goes through a marketing year to determine the final PLC rate for the commodity. For producers who elected PLC for crop year 2020; below are the projected payments. Projections are issued monthly, and these are the February projections.