By Eads USDA Service Center Staff

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

• CRP Routine Grazing Period -   October 1 – November 30^th
• 2^nd Tuesday each month – FSA Farm Loan personnel in Kiowa County FSA Office. 
• CRP GRASSLANDS SIGNUP - No date announced for next ranking period.
• CERTIFICATION 2017 fall crops - November 15^th – wheat, native grass, triticale, alfalfa crop deadline.
• NAP policy deadline -  December 1^st, 2016 - Purchase 2017 policy for Alfalfa, Grass, Mixed Forage

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.

2017 ACREAGE REPORTING AND ACRSI

ACRSI - The Acreage Crop Reporting Streamlining Initiative is a joint effort between FSA, RMA (Risk Management Agency) and the crop insurance industry which is meant to be a time saving tool for producers.  Producers visit either the FSA office or their crop insurance agent to complete the required acreage report.  That information is then shared with the other agency.  However, you must sign acreage reports at both FSA and the crop insurance agent.  Reporting to FSA first will ensure that all insurable and uninsurable crops are reported; including native grass, uninsurable crops and CRP acres.   Producers who fail to report to FSA or their crop insurance agent by the November 15^th deadline will be subject to late-file fees; which is $46.00 per farm. 

     VISIT THE FSA OFFICE AND COMPLETE YOUR ACREAGE REPORT BEFORE NOV. 15^th.

MARKETING ASSISTANCE LOANS

With fall harvest wrapping up; producers with farm or warehouse stored corn and/or grain sorghum may be interested in a Marketing Assistance Loan with FSA.  The MAL loans are 9 month loans that can be paid off any time during the loan period.  At the end of 9 months producers will be given the option to pay off the loan or forfeit the grain to Commodity Credit Corporation. 

Loan rates in Kiowa County are as follows;

Corn - $ 2.10 bu.

Grain Sorghum – $3.39 cwt.

Farm stored

Producers can request a measurement service or certify bushels on the farm.  Certified loans will be subject to spot check. 

Warehouse stored

Producers must pay 9 months of storage and the in–bound charges to receive a warehouse receipt from the elevator. 

A lien search will be conducted on all producers on the loan; any liens on the grain will require a lien waiver before the loan can be disbursed. 

LOAN DEFICIENCY PAYMENTS

The website to check daily LDP rates is as follows:

 http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/price-support/ldp-rates/index

CRP CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

The FSA and NRCS mailed a letter to CRP producers with Signup #43 contracts this week; rescinding the contract management recommendation of treating one-third of the acres. The contact producer on the CRP contract received the letter and was notified to share the information with others on the contract.  In the letter; it was explained that 100% of the acres on the CRP contract will be required to have a contract management performed.  The original contract management activity recommendation remained the same; however that activity or a combination thereof will have to be performed on all acres of the contract.  The contract management activity must be completed by September 30, 2018.   

CRP producers wanting to complete a contract activity different than the NRCS recommended activity are urged to contact the NRCS office.   Producers who complete the haying or grazing must contact the NRCS and FSA office prior to any grazing or haying of the CRP acres.  Haying and grazing requests require the payment reduction to be satisfied with FSA and haying / grazing plan must be completed with NRCS. 

The following is the approved CRP contract management activities.

IMPORTANT ITEMS TO REMEMBER CONCERNING

CRP CONTRACT MANAGEMENT:

• There can be NO activity performed during the Primary Nesting Season of March 15 – July 15 of each year. 
• Permanent CRP cover must be established before performing contract management.
• Paid receipts must be returned to FSA for cost share.  FSA pays only the CRP participant the cost share.
• Fiscal year is October 1 – September 30^th. 

*APPROVED ACTIVITIES COMPLETED IN TWO SEPARATE OPERATIONS*

50% COMPLETED IN ONE FISCAL YEAR –ADDITIONAL 50% THE FOLLOWING YEAR

• ROUTINE HAYING  - 
  • PRIOR AUTHORIZATION FROM FSA AND NRCS REQUIRED BEFORE ACTIVITY CAN START.
  • Perform – July 16^th- Sept. 30 -  Hay removal by November 13th
  • 50% of total contract acres harvested – no spot harvesting
  • 25% annual rental rate reduction on acres hayed for fiscal year
• MECHANICAL TREATMENT (disking or chiseling) – COST SHARE ACTIVITY - $7.00 AN ACRE
  • Perform - November 1^st – March 14^th, or September 1-30^th
  • Disking – 2” – 3” depth
  • Chiseling  - maximum 2’ centers -  4” inch depth
  • Cost share available – submit paid invoices to FSA.
• SHREDDING / FLAIL CHOPPING/ ROTARY MOWING – COST SHARE ACTIVITY -  $7.00 / ACRE
  • PRIOR AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED BY FSA STATE OFFICE PERSONNEL
    • Submit request to FSA to perform this activity.
  • November 1^st – March 14^th or September 1^st – 30th
  • Implement must effectively scatter litter – no piling or windrowing
  • Minimum height requirement – 8” - 50’ to 150’ strips.

*APPROVED ACTIVITY COMPLETED ON 100% ACRES SIMULTANEOUSLY*

• ROUTINE GRAZING –
  • Two 60 days grazing periods- 
    • October 1 – November 30 or July 16^th – September 14^th.
  •  25% payment reduction of annual rental.
  • Zero reduction if by livestock owned by a Beginning Farmer and Rancher (gender does not apply).
  • PRIOR AUTHORIZATION FROM FSA AND NRCS REQUIRED BEFORE ACTIVITY CAN START
• INTERSEEDING – COST SHARE ACTIVITY -  $7.00 FLAT RATE SEEDING ACRE / 50% COST OF SEED NOT TO EXCEED $68.00
  • Perform – November 1^st – March 14^th
  • Seeding information available with NRCS Office.
  • Cost share available for seed cost and seeding through FSA
• HARROWING (RESIDUE MANAGEMENT) - $7.00 ACRE FLAT RATE
  •  Perform – November 1^st – March 14^th or September 1^st – 30th
  •  Spring or spike tooth
  • Cost shares available through FSA

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) Natalie Bond; natalie.bond@co.usda.gov; Mary Rhoades, mary.rhoades@co.usda.gov

SERVICE CENTER OFFICE HOURS: 

Monday through Friday - 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  By appointment only on Friday.

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.