What's Up at the FSA Office?
by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148
Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• April 9 - June 1: Margin Protection Program (MPP) Signup
• May 15 - August 2: Primary Nesting Season. No Mid-Contract Management Activities on CRP Acres
• May 31: Marketing Assistance Loans for Prior Year Harvested Corn and Soybeans
• August 1: ARC/PLC Sign-up
New Signup for the Margin Protection Program Signup for Dairy Producers
The registration and re-enrollment period for coverage year 2018 began April 9, 2018, and continues through June 1, 2018. The re-enrollment period allows dairy producers, including those that previously signed up and those that did not, an opportunity to make new elections for 2018. Coverage begins January 1, 2018. If a dairy operation previously elected coverage for 2018, a new coverage election for 2018 must be made during the re-enrollment period.
If a new election for 2018 is not made, the dairy operation will not have coverage for 2018.
Dairy producers can continue to opt out of the program, but please stop in and write a new note indicating such by June 1.
Changes to the program include:
• Premiums for small and medium-size farms would be eliminated on $4.50 and $5 coverage levels and reduced at all higher levels.
• The lower premium rates would apply to the first 5 million pounds of a farm’s historical production, up from the current limit of 4 million pounds.
• Waivers of administrative fees for socially disadvantaged, limited resource, beginning, and veteran producers; and
• Payments calculated on a monthly rather than a bimonthly basis.
More information can be found at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/Dairy-MPP/index.
Livestock Inventory Records
Producers are reminded to keep updated livestock inventory records. These records are necessary in the event of a natural disaster.
When disasters strike, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) can assist producers who suffered excessive livestock death losses and grazing or feed losses due to eligible natural disasters.
To participate in livestock disaster assistance programs, producers will be required to provide verifiable documentation of death losses resulting from an eligible adverse weather event and must submit a notice of loss to their local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is apparent. For grazing or feed losses, producers must submit a notice of loss to their local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss is apparent and should maintain documentation and receipts.
Producers should record all pertinent information regarding livestock inventory records including:
• Documentation of the number, kind, type, and weight range of livestock
• Beginning inventory supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts
For more information on documentation requirements, contact your local FSA office.
Breaking New Ground
Agricultural producers are reminded to consult with FSA and NRCS before breaking out new ground for production purposes as doing so without prior authorization may put a producer’s federal farm program benefits in jeopardy. This is especially true for land that must meet Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions.
Producers with HEL determined soils are required to apply tillage, crop residue and rotational requirements as specified in their conservation plan.
Producers should notify FSA as a first point of contact prior to conducting land clearing or drainage type projects to ensure the proposed actions meet compliance criteria such as clearing any trees to create new cropland, then these areas will need to be reviewed to ensure such work will not risk your eligibility for benefits.
Landowners and operators complete the form AD-1026 - Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification to identify the proposed action and allow FSA to determine whether a referral to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for further review is necessary.
