Kiowa County USDA Service Center Staff

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

• CRP EMERGENCY GRAZING available. Contact FSA to being the process. GRAZING IS NOT AUTHORIZED UNTIL FSA APPROVAL IS GRANTED.
• CRP CONTRACT MANAGEMENT - management activities are now authorized. For grazing producers MUST contact FSA to determine if grazing can be completed.
• AUGUST 12, 2026- SDRP - Supplemental Disaster Relief Program – Stage 1 and Stage 2 – application. NEW DATE – PROGRAM HAS BEEN EXTENDED
• AUGUST 31, 2026 - Review base allocation summary, deadline to notify FSA regarding acreage corrections, resolving subsequent acres or opting-out.
• SEPTEMBER 15, 2026 - Deadline for notifying FSA to be considered a Qualifying Pass-Through Entity or QPTE for 2026 forward. Specific to LLC’s and S-Corps only.
• LIVESTOCK FORAGE PROGRAM - Kiowa County eligible for 4-month payment. Apply before March 1, 2027. VISIT Farmers.gov for more information regarding deadlines and programs available through FSA and NRCS.

SDRP Stage 1 Quality Loss Applications

FSA will be contacting certain producers that have a potential SDRP stage 1 quality loss payment. The application must be signed by August 12, 206, but FSA will not approve or disapprove the application until information is received from crop insurance.

It’s important that producers who are notified by email respond quickly. Applications not signed and returned by August 12, 2026 will not be accepted.

CRP GRASSLANDS ACCEPTANCE - INTERIM CPO’s

Producers that were accepted into Grassland CRP Signup 208 have been notified and if they determined to move forward with the offer, the next step will be for NRCS to write a conservation plan for the offer. Producers will need to sign an interim plan as NRCS will not have the complete conservation plan completed before the contract takes effect on October 1, 2026. FSA will in Eads will be contacting producers to sign the interim plan.

CONTRACT MANAGEMENT ACTIVITES

July 15th was the end of primary nesting season in Colorado and contract management activities can resume.

STRIP TILLAGE

If producers are doing strip tillage on 51% of the acres, it’s always a good idea to contact FSA to ensure that all the necessary paperwork has been completed. NRCS maintains a list of contractors that can complete the activity. The list can be emailed if you contact the FSA office.

GRAZING

Producers begin the grazing requests with FSA, NRCS completes a site visit to determine if the land is suitable for grazing. If the land can be grazed, NRCS will complete a grazing plan and a revision of the conservation plan. The CRP producer will sign the required paperwork, not the individual with the livestock. It is the responsibility of the CRP producer to maintain compliance with the terms and conditions of the CRP contract. Once all the paperwork has been completed and approved, grazing can begin. FSA will issue final approval.

DROUGHT MONITOR

There were no major changes to the drought monitor last week. Parts of the county received some moisture throughout last week; however the vast majority didn’t receive anything from the ‘monsoon’ system (See page A5)

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LIVESTOCK FORAGE PROGRAM

Below is an updated chart of the new LFP triggers that were implemented with The Working Families Tax Cuts Act or WFTCA.

LFP Program Year 2026 and Subsequent Years

Update drought intensities and payment factors for LFP program year 2026 and subsequent years as follows.

Kiowa County will begin working on LFP applications later this week and will begin contacting producers for their signatures.

Producers with grazing land physically located in Kiowa are eligible to apply for LFP.

Eligible producer must have control and risk in the two triggering factors.

• Land - control and risk in native pasture physically located in a county that is eligible for LFP. All leased land will require a written lease signed by at least 50% or more of the current ownership.
• Livestock - ownership, control and risk in livestock that normally graze the native pasture. Cattle located in feedlots are not eligible. Livestock must have been owned at least 60 days prior to the qualifying date of drought. Kiowa qualified on 5-26-2026; therefore ownership on livestock must be 3-26-2026 or before.

Payment is paid on 60% of the lessor value, land or livestock.

Contact FSA to apply.

NOTE: Cheyenne County is also eligible for LFP; however, due to staff shortage in that office; they will not actively begin accepting LFP applications until after July 15th. Kiowa County is accepting the questionnaires; however, we will not begin processing any applications until after July 15th. Thank you for your patience.