USDA Update
By Eads USDA Service Center Staff
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
- 2nd Tuesday each month – FSA Farm Loan personnel in Kiowa County FSA Office.
- December 13 – Last day to return County Committee Ballots
- December 14th - County Committee Election Ballot count
- December 16 – Deadline for CRP grassland initiative for small scale livestock grazing operations.
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.
COUNTY COMMITTEE ELECTION EXTENSION
The deadline to return the 2016 County Committee ballots has been extended to Tuesday, December 13th. In Kiowa County; Michael Zimmerman is the candidate for LAA -3 (western portion of the county). Due to term limits, current County Committee Chairman, Jeff Salisbury is unable to seek re-election.
The County Committee will county ballots on Wednesday, December 14th at 10:00 a.m. Interested producers are welcome to attend.
CRP Routine Grazing – First grazing period October 1 – November 30th
CRP producers who used the CRP Routine Grazing activity for Contract Management; November 30th was the last day to graze the CRP acres. The next grazing period will be after the Primary Nesting Season; July 16th – September 15th.
Unauthorized grazing is a compliance issue and can result in termination of the CRP contract with all issued payments required to be refunded. Be certain fences are being maintained.
CRP GRASSLANDS
Kiowa County FSA received word this week of acceptance of additional acres for the CRP Grasslands Program. Producers who are interested in the CRP Grasslands are urged to contact the FSA office as the next deadline is December 16th.
CRP Grasslands is part of Conservation Reserve Program, landowners and operators can protect grasslands which in this area are the native grasses. Grazing is allowed, producers who are accepted into the program work with NRCS to develop a grazing plan for the accepted acres. Contract duration is 15 years and rental rate is $15.00 per acre.
Offers are ranked nationally; with ranking deadlines announced four times a year. CRP grasslands is a continuous CRP signup; however when the 2 million acres allotted nationally are accepted, additional signups may be discontinued.
FSA uses the following ranking factors;
- Existence of expiring CRP or Grassland Reserve Program land;
- Existing grassland
- Multi-species cover existence and predominance of native species
- Livestock grazing operation
- Whether the applicant is an eligible new, veteran or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher.
Eligible producers must have owned or operated the land for at least 12 months prior to closing the CRP enrollment period. There is criteria for waiving the 12 month ownership requirement, contact FSA for further information.
SUNFLOWER PRICE LOSS PROGRAM PAYMENTS
Producers who elected Price Loss Coverage for sunflowers will be receiving a small 2015 PLC payment. The final 2015 PLC rate was announced on November 30th. The final payment rate is $.0055 a pound. The sequestration rate of 6.8% does apply to the payment.
DECEMBER INTEREST RATES
December interest rates are as follows:
Farm Storage Facility Loans approved in December –
- 1.125% – 3 year
- 1.375% – 5 year
- 1.750% – 7 year
- 2.000% – 10 and 12 year
Commodity loans disbursed in December interest rate – 1.750 %
LDP RATES
Be reminded, producers who have sold wheat can still request an LDP if they haven’t done so through their local FSA office. Contact the local FSA office to learn more.
Producers with grain on the farm can request an LDP or a Marketing Assistance Loan; but not both on the same bushels.
The website to check daily LDP rates is as follows:
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/price-support/ldp-rates/index
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.
