What's up at the FSA Office?
by Cindy Mensen, Acting Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148
Dates to Remember:
July 15: Deadline to certify a 2016 crop report (FSA-578)
Aug 1: Deadline to sign-up for the 2016 ARC-Co Program (sign a CCC-861)
Aug 1: Last day to request a farm or tract reconstitution for 2016 crop year
July 1 – Sept 30: Sign-up for the 2017 MPP-Dairy program
Sept 1: Premiums are due for 2016 MPP buy-up coverage
2016 Certification
We are getting very close to the deadline for certifying your acres for the 2016 crop year—Friday July 15th. Even if you have reported your acres to your crop insurance agent, you must still sign form 578 at the Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in order to remain eligible for all FSA payments and benefits. Call the FSA office at 563-568-2148 if you have questions about your farm’s certification reporting status.
If Disaster Occurs, Apply to FSA for Assistance
For livestock deaths: FSA has a Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) that provides assistance to eligible producers for livestock that dies because of adverse weather events. LIP compensates livestock owners and contract growers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality rates. Adverse weather events include losses due to lightning, floods, blizzards, wildfires, extreme heat or extreme cold. If bad weather was the reason your livestock perished, you need to report that to FSA within 30 days of the weather event.
Keep track of your normal death loss as well, because FSA will need documentation of all deaths to complete your application. For example, if you have a herd of 133 beef cows, 1.5 % has been determined by USDA to be the normal mortality rate – or two head. So if you have three cows die from natural causes, and then five cows die from a lightning strike, a LIP application would allow FSA to pay you for all five of the cows that perished from the adverse weather occurrence. The three cows would not be eligible for payment, but they would fulfill the normal mortality portion of the LIP calculation for eligibility. Remember to gather detailed proof to document your total herd numbers, and bring in dated photographs or vet reports to document reasons for the deaths (including the normal mortality deaths).
If you are a contract grower, copies of those contracts need to be provided to the FSA office so we can verify your share of the loss. Again, report weather related losses within 30 days of the weather event and make your final application for payment no later than January 30th following the year of the loss. If you have questions, please call the Waukon FSA office.
For cropland disaster from torrential rains or flooding: FSA has the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP). When an adverse weather event causes severe damage to your land, please let the FSA office know about it. ECP is meant to serve landowners when the damage is beyond the farmer’s financial ability to repair.
USDA staff will need to see the damage prior to it being repaired. Land that is under a maintenance agreement from a previous federal or state funded project, such as terraces, is not eligible for ECP until the term for the maintenance agreement has ended.
For building or equipment damage: FSA’s Farm Loan Programs (FLP) has emergency loans at low interest rates to help you rebuild or replace when disaster strikes. Vicky Hinsenbrock, Farm Loan Manager, comes to the Waukon USDA Service Center every Wednesday morning from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. If you would like to set up an appointment to talk with her, please call 563-568-2148.
