IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

• FSA 2020 ACREAGE REPORTING DATE:  CONSIDERED TIMELY FILED BY AUGUST 14, 2020
• TIP DEADLINE - 2020 EXPIRING CONTRACTS - AUGUST 17, 2020
• CFAP – Signup May 26 – August 28
• LFP – Signup ends January 30, 2021
• 2020 PLC YIELD UPDATE – Deadline September 30, 2020
• WHIP+ signup - Begins March 23, 2020 

The USDA SERVICE CENTER has a DROP BOX and a DOORBELL located by the east entrance to the Service Center.  

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. 

DROUGHT MONITOR

Included in the UDPATE week are two maps of the High Plains region and the difference in two weeks.  One map is from July 14 and the other is the map from this past week.  There have been improvements made in Colorado, but in Wyoming areas are now in a D3 rating.

Colorado counties of Yuma and Washington have also moved to a D3 rating.  The central portion of Kiowa County continues to receive a tenth here and there, total rainfall for the weather station here at the Service Center in Eads reflected .45 for the month of July.  It was good to start off the month of August with a tenth of rain, praying August is a wet month for the area.  Wheat drilling is just around the corner and having moisture to drill into is always helpful.  

HAYING CRP ACREAGE 

The primary nesting season ended July 15 and FSA offices received information regarding haying CRP acreage last week.  Due to the fact Kiowa County is approved for Livestock Forage Program (LFP), producers wishing to hay CRP acreage will be limited to 50% of the contract acreage.   The swathing and baling must be completed prior to September 24, 2020 and the bales must be removed within 15 days after baling.

CRP participants requesting CRP emergency haying and grazing must do the following: 

• Submit a signed request on a CRP-117.
• Sign the terms and conditions provided by the FSA Office. 
• Obtain a modified conservation plan. 
  • NRCS will be doing a field inspection prior to approval for haying. 

CRP - TRANSITION INCENTIVE PROGRAM 

The deadline for enrollment into the CRP-TIP program for contracts that expire September 30, 2020 is fast approaching.  The form CRP-1R, TIP agreement must be signed by Monday, August 17, 2020 by all contract participants and the producer the land is being transitioned and returned to the FSA Office.  

The Transition Incentives Program (TIP), assists with the transition of expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land from an owner or operator to a beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher to return land to production for sustainable grazing or crop production.

The 2018 Farm Bill authorizes $50 million for fiscal years 2019 through 2023 for TIP. The Food Security Act of 1985, as amended, authorized CRP and is governed by regulations published in 7 CFR Part 1410.

Owners or operators participating in TIP may receive up to two additional annual rental payments after their CRP contract expires provided the beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher is not a family member.

The owner or operator must agree to permit the beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher to make conservation and land improvements according to an approved conservation plan during the last two years of the CRP contract.  Beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers participating in TIP may re-enroll otherwise eligible land under CRP’s continuous signup provisions including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers must materially and substantially participate in the operation of the farm or ranch involved in CRP contract modification. Also, the beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher may be eligible for enrollment in USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program or the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, provided all eligibility requirements are met.  Beginning farmer or rancher means a person, or for entities has at least 50 percent interest in that entity, who:

• Has not been a farm or ranch operator for more than 10 years Veteran farmer or rancher means a person, or for entities has at least 50 percent interest in that entity, who served in the Armed Forces and who has:
• Obtained status as a veteran during the most recent 10-year period, or 
• Operated a farm or ranch for no more than 10 years.