Agriculture USDA Service Center Update

USDA Update – October 18, 2021

Eads USDA Service Center Staff

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

  • NOVEMBER 15, 2021 - 2022 Fall acreage certification date. 
  • DECEMBER 1, 2021 - Noninsured Assistance Program (NAP) application for coverage deadline - native grass
  • JANUARY 30, 2022 - 2021 LIVESTOCK FORAGE PROGRAM - January 31, signup deadline.  

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. 

COVID-19 UPDATE - The USDA Service Center received instructions last week that all customers visiting any Service Center will be required to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.  

OCTOBER PAYMENTS

The majority of 2020 ARCPLC payments have been issued, along with 2021 CRP annual rental payments.  Producers who have not received notification of receiving the CRP annual rental payment by Friday, October 22, then please contact the office. 

November 15, 2021 - all Fall seeded crops, i.e. Wheat, Triticale. 

Producers have until November 15, 2021 to report fall planted crop acres intended for harvest or grazing in crop year 2022.  Service Center staff continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email, and other digital tools. 

To file a crop acreage report, you will need to provide:

  • Crop and crop type or variety.
  • Intended use of the crop.
  • Number of acres of the crop.
  • Map with approximate boundaries for the crop.
  • Planting date(s).
  • Planting pattern, when applicable.
  • Producer shares.
  • Irrigation practice(s).
  • Acreage prevented from planting, when applicable.
  • Other information as required.

NRCS FIELD VISITS

Producers who have accepted offers into the CRP Grasslands program can expect to see NRCS employees conducting field visits over the next few months.  NRCS has a deadline of December 17, 2021 to complete a final Conservation plan for the accepted offers.    

USDA Expands Farmers.gov to Include Farm Records

Producers with farmers.gov accounts can now access farm records and maps online, the latest self-service feature added to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website.

You can quickly and easily access your land information in real time by desktop computer, tablet or phone. Capabilities include:

  • View print and export detailed farm records such as cropland, base acres, yields, CRP acres, land ownership details, and much more.
  • View, print and export farm/tract maps that can be provided to lenders, chemical or fertilizer providers, and FSA for reporting acreage and crop insurance agents; and
  • Export common land unit (field) boundaries as ESRI shapefiles.

The ability to access these records on demand without a visit to the service center saves you time and money.

Farmers.gov now includes the most popular functionalities from FSAFarm+, the FSA portal for producers, while providing enhanced functionality and an improved user experience. A new enhancement expands the scope of accessibility to include farmers and ranchers who are members of an entity, as well as people with a power of attorney form (FSA-211) on file with FSA. 

Managing USDA Business Online

Using farmers.gov, producers, entities and those acting on their behalf can also:

  • View, upload, download, and e-sign conservation documents.
  • Request financial assistance, including submitting a program application.
  • View and submit conservation requests.
  • View technical references and submit questions.
  • Access information on current and past conservation practices, plans and contracts.
  • Report practice completion and request practice certification.
  • View farm loan and interest information (producers only). 

Future plans include adding the ability to import and view other shapefiles, such as precision agriculture planting boundaries.

To access your information, you’ll will need a USDA eAuth account to login to farmers.gov. After obtaining an eAuth account, producers should visit farmers.gov and sign into the site’s authenticated portal via the Sign In/Sign Up link at the top right of the website. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge are the recommended browsers to access the feature.

In addition to the self-service features available by logging into farmers.gov, the website also has ample information on USDA programs, including pandemic assistance, farm loans, disaster assistance, conservation programs and crop insurance.

            KIOWA COUNTY FARM SERVICE AGENCY COUNTY COMMITTEE

  • Michael Zimmerman – LAA 3 – West area – Committee Chairperson
  • Sean Harkness – LAA 1 – East area – Committee Vice-Chairperson
  • Destiny Haase - LAA 2 – Central area – Committee Regular Member

USDA SERVICE CENTER CONTACT INFORMATION

409 E Lowell Ave.

PO Box 188 – Eads, CO  81036

Telephone 719-438-5851 FSA (Ext 2), NRCS (Ext 3). FSA Fax number: fax2mail 844-332-7501

FSA - Farm Service Agency  

NRCS – Natural Resource Conservation Service

KIOWA COUNTY FARM LOAN CONTACT INFO – CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT

Telephone 719-336-3437 (ext2) 

SERVICE CENTER OFFICE HOURS:  

Monday through Friday - 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  

RECEIVE USDA INFORMATION

Visit website www.Farmers.gov  for up-to-date information for FSA/NRCS programs.

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Subscribe to GovDelivery emails:  Visit www.fsa.usda.gov/subscribe  or contact your local FSA Office. 

For information on programs visit our website located at www.fsa.usda.gov or like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.  USDA is an equal opportunity employer.

Agriculture Kiowa County Sheridan Lake Haswell Eads Column USDA