IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

• GRASSLAND CRP SIGNUP 206 - June 3 through June 28
• 2024 SPRING ACREAGE REPORTING - Deadline July 15, 2024
• 2023 NAP PRODUCTION RECORDS DUE - July 15, 2024
• CONTINUOUS CRP SIGNUP 61 - Deadline July 31, 2024
• CRP PRIMARY NESTING SEASON - March 15 through July 15
• COUNTY COMMITTEE LAA 2 NOMINATIONS - June 15 through August 1, 2024

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.

THE USDA SERVICE CENTER HAS A DROP BOX AVAILABLE ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE BUILDING

SPRING ACREAGE REPORTING DEADLINE

Operators who have completed the planting of their spring crops are urged to complete the FSA maps, if you received your envelope or contact the office to complete marking the maps. Acreage reporting is not completed until an eligible producer signs an FSA-578, report of acreage by July 15, 2024.

Do not wait to complete the required acreage reporting, especially with wheat harvest fast approaching.

CRP CONTRACT COMPLIANCE

Transmission line easements

Letters are being sent out this week to CRP producers that have easements for both the Tri-State Generation and Xcel Energy transmissions lines. Producers must request a partial termination of the acres impacted by the easement. That termination request needs to be in writing to the County Committee. Once the County Committee acts on the request, the producer is notified and informed of the refund due to CCC.

All CRP producers need to be aware that any activity on the land under any CRP contract must receive prior approval from the FSA County Committee. Producers with Grassland CRP contracts are allowed to graze the CRP acres as it is written into the CRP conservation plan, other uses are not permitted without prior approval

Maintaining approved permanent cover

Once CRP cover is considered established, it is the responsibility of the CRP contract participants to maintain the permanent cover. Examples of non-compliance include control of the following;

• other undesirable weeds, plants, insects, or pests, as determined by COC, are not controlled on the designated acreage.

Prairie dogs are considered a ‘pest’ and must be controlled outside the primary nesting season.

If the FSA County Committee determines that the producer has not made a good faith effort in controlling the pests, the contract can be terminated with refunds required.

FSA COUNTY COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS

Hard to believe, it’s that time of the year already for County Committee (COC) nominations. In Kiowa County, Destiny (Duff) Haase, the current Committee representative for LAA or Local Administrative Area 2 will not be eligible for another term. County Committee members are limited to 3 consecutive 3 year terms and then are considered termed out.

Eligible voters in LAA 2 are eligible for nomination. All nominations must be completed on a form FSA-669A. These committees make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2024 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by Aug. 1, 2024.

Elections for committee members will occur in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA). LAAs are elective areas for FSA committees in a single county or multi-county jurisdiction.

Agricultural producers may be nominated for candidacy for the county committee if they:

• Participate or cooperate in a USDA program.
• Reside in the LAA that is up for election this year.

A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation to FSA, even if they have not applied or received program benefits.

Individuals may nominate themselves or others and qualifying organizations may also nominate candidates. USDA encourages minority, women, urban and beginning farmers or ranchers to nominate, vote and hold office.

Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serve on FSA county committees. The committees are made up of three to 11 members who serve three-year terms. Committee members are vital to how FSA carries out disaster recovery, conservation, commodity, and price support programs, as well as making decisions on county office employment and other agricultural issues.

More Information

Producers should contact their local FSA office today to register and find out how to get involved in their county’s election, including if their LAA is up for election this year. To be considered, a producer must be registered and sign an FSA-669A nomination form. This form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections.

All nomination forms for the 2024 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA Service Center by the Aug.1, 2024, deadline. Election ballots will be mailed to eligible voters in November 2024.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.