IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

• SERVICE CENTER CLOSED – MONDAY, MAY 29th
• County Committee Meeting – RESCHEDULED TO – May 23^th- 9:00 a.m.
• FARM LOAN Personnel in Kiowa County Service Center – June 13th 
• May 31^st – final date to request Marketing Assistance Loan for corn, grain sorghum and sunflowers.
• March 15^th – July 15^th -  CRP Primary Nesting Season – NO Activity permitted on CRP
• August 1 -  2017 ARCPLC enrollment deadline
• August 1 - COC Nomination Deadline
• CRP Continuous Signup - Lesser Prairie Chicken, CRP Grassland acres are available.  Producers interested are urged to contact FSA Office. 

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.

MEMORIAL DAY

The Service Center will be closed on Monday, May 29^th in observance of Memorial Day.   For myself, Memorial Day is a day that I remember my father and father-in-law who fought in World War II.  They were among the lucky ones to come home alive, raise families and enjoy living the freedoms they fought to uphold. 

There are many soldiers fighting today to maintain our way of life.  On Memorial Day, remember the soldiers that didn’t come home and gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, to those men and women we all owe our respect. 

U.S. SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE

Sonny Perdue was sworn in as the 31^st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture on April 25^th.  Secretary Perdue grew up on a dairy and diversified row crop farm in Bonaire, Georgie.  Being uniquely qualified as a former farmer, agribusiness man, veterinarian, state legislator and governor of Georgia, he has experience the agriculture industry from every possible perspective throughout his life. 

As Secretary of Ago, Perdue says he will champion the concerns of farmers, ranchers, foresters and producers, and will work tirelessly to solve the issues facing our farm families. 

Perdue’s policies as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture will be guided by four principles which will inform his decisions. First, he will maximize the ability of the men and women of America’s agriculture and agribusiness sector to create jobs, to produce and sell the foods and fiber that feed and clothe the world, and to reap the earned reward of their labor. Second, he will prioritize customer service every day for American taxpayers and consumers. Third, as Americans expect a safe and secure food supply, USDA will continue to serve in the critical role of ensuring the food we put on the table to feed our families meets the strict safety standards we’ve established. And fourth, Perdue will always remember that America’s agricultural bounty comes directly from the land. 

CRAZY COLORADO WEATHER

What a wild week of weather in Colorado.  Snow on the Front Range delayed State Track and State Baseball for area schools.  Kiowa County received wonderful moisture.  May has been a wet month and hopefully the trend will continue through the summer months. 

PREVENTED PLANTING

The last date to plant corn is fast approaching, May 25^th.   Producers who file prevented planting with crop insurance and also reminded to inform their FSA office also.  The deadline to file a prevented planting claim is 15 days after the final planting date. 

CROP LOSSES

Producers with failed wheat acres that have been released by Federal Crop Insurance are reminded to report those losses to their FSA office.   There will be a form FSA-576 that will need to be completed and also the office requires a copy of your crop insurance appraisal

BEE KEEPING 101

Prowers County Conservation District, along with CSU and Colorado Parks & Wildlife are holding a Bee Keeping class at the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Building in Lamar @ 2500 S Main Street on Wednesday, May 31^st from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  Lunch is provided and please rsvp to 719-336-3437.   

Kiowa County FSA Committee

• Destiny Haase -  LAA 2 – Central area – Committee Chairperson
• Sean Harkness – LAA 1 – East area – Committee Vice-Chairperson
• Michael Zimmerman – LAA3 – West area – Committee Regular Member

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, Alicia.L.james

KIOWA COUNTY FARM LOAN CONTACT INFO – CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT

Telephone 719-336-3437 (ext2) 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.