USDA Update – January 22, 2025
USDA Update – January 22, 2025
Eads USDA Service Center Staff
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
- 2024 Livestock Forage Program – Kiowa, Prowers, Baca eligible for one month payment. DEADLINE TO APPLY - January 30, 2025
- 2025 ARCPLC Election and Enrollment - January 21 through April 15, 2025
- Monday, February 17th, President’s Day
UPCOMING SERVICE CENTER CLOSURES:
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.
FSA EMAIL ADDRESS
All FSA offices in Colorado now have one email address that will reach all employees in that specific county FSA office. There are times, customers will email one employee in a county office and that employee may not be available that day. With one office email, producers emailing program applications or supporting documents that may be required by a certain date, they can be assured the information has reached all employees in the office timely.
Kiowa County FSA office email address is SM.SA.CO.KIOWA@USDA.GOV.
To email another county office in the state, the user would only need to change the county name on the address. Ex. To email Cheyenne County, the email address would be SM.SA.CO.CHEYENNE@USDA.GOV.
All employees still have their own personal email addresses.
2025 ARCPLC Election and Enrollment
The 2018 Farm Bill has been extended for one year, which means most programs that were available, will be extended. The extension includes a 2025 ARCPLC election and enrollment which will begin on January 21stand will continue until April 15, 2025.
The office will begin printing the ARCPLC contracts using the same election that was on file for 2024. The office will be sending out a postcard to the operators in February explaining the contracts have been printed and to please stop by the office and sign the contracts.
Producers have the choice between three programs.
Price Loss Coverage (PLC) PLC program payments are issued when the effective price of a covered commodity is less than the respective reference price for that commodity. The effective price equals the higher of the market year average price (MYA) or the national average loan rate for the covered commodity.
ARC-CO or Agricultural Risk Coverage-County makes a payment when the market year average (MYA) price times the county yield falls below the county guarantee, which is calculated at 86 percent of the 5-year Olympic Average of prices and yields.
ARC-IC or Agricultural Risk Coverage – Individual is a revenue-based program. Payment earned when current year farm crop revenues fall below farm benchmark revenue levels. ARC-IC is elected for all covered commodities at the farm level. Neither PLC nor ARC-CO cannot be elected on an ARC-IC farm. An ARC-IC farm includes all ARC-IC farms elected and enrolled in the state. ARC-IC benchmarks, guarantees, and payment rates are calculated at the farm level and weighted to the producer’s share of covered commodities planted on the ARC-IC farm. If earned, Payment is issued on 65 percent of the total base acres on the farm.
Annual Review of Payment Eligibility for New Crop Year
FSA and NRCS program applicants for benefits are required to submit a completed CCC-902 Farming Operation Plan and CCC-941 Average Gross Income (AGI) Certification and Consent to Disclosure of Tax Information for FSA to determine the applicant’s payment eligibility and establish the maximum payment limitation applicable to the program applicant.
Participants are not required to annually submit new CCC-902s for payment eligibility and payment limitation purposes unless a change in the farming operation occurs that may affect the previous determination of record. A valid CCC-902 filed by the participant is considered to be a continuous certification used for all payment eligibility and payment limitation determinations applicable for the program benefits requested.
Participants are responsible for ensuring that all CCC-902 and CCC-941 and related forms on file in the county office are updated, current, and correct. Participants are required to timely notify the county office of any changes in the farming operation that may affect the previous determination of record by filing a new or updated CCC-902 as applicable.
Changes that may require a NEW determination include, but are not limited to, a change of:
- Shares of a contract, which may reflect:
- A land lease from cash rent to share rent
- A land lease from share rent to cash rent (subject to the cash rent tenant rule
- A modification of a variable/fixed bushel-rent arrangement
- The size of the producer’s farming operation by the addition or reduction of cropland that may affect the application of a cropland factor
- The structure of the farming operation, including any change to a member's share
- The contribution of farm inputs of capital, land, equipment, active personal labor, and/or active personal management
- Farming interests not previously disclosed on CCC-902 including the farming interests of a spouse or minor child
- Certifications of average AGI are required to be filed annually for participation in an annual USDA program. For multi-year conservation contracts and NRCS easements, a certification of AGI must be filed prior to approval of the contract or easement and is applicable for the duration of the contract period.
Participants are encouraged to file or review these forms within the deadlines established for each applicable program for which program benefits are being requested.
