What's up at the FSA Office?

by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• December 15: Report acreages intended to be used for forage and pasture in 2018
• December 15: Sign up for, or opt out of, the 2018 Margin Protection Program
• December 25: Office closed for Christmas

Fall Forage Certification
Make sure you stop in and certify all forage and fall seeded crops by December 15! This includes all hay and pasture acres you are planning on cropping for the 2018 crop year. Also any cover crops that were seeded this fall will need to be reported. If reported after the December 15 deadline a $46 late-filed fee per farm can be assessed. 

December Farm-Stored Facility Loans
New rates were issued just last week for the month of October and are as follows:
• 1.75% for 3 years
• 2.00% for 5 years
• 2.25% for 7 years
• 2.375% for 10 years
• 2.375% for 12 years
• 2.500% for 15 years

Marketing Assistance Loans
As harvest wraps up on the 2017 crop, the FSA office would like to remind producers that marketing assistance loans are available through our office. The 2017 loan rates are $1.87 for corn, and $4.99 for beans. If you do take out a marketing assistance loan with us, we will need a copy of your driver’s license, as well as your spouse’s. 

Update Your Records
FSA is cleaning up our producer record database. If you have any unreported changes of address, zip code, phone number, email address or an incorrect name or business name on file they need to be reported to our office. Changes in your farm operation, like the addition of a farm by lease or purchase, need to be reported to our office as well.
Producers participating in FSA and NRCS programs are required to timely report changes in their farming operation to the County Committee in writing and update their CCC-902 Farm Operating Plan. If you have any updates or corrections, call your local FSA office to update your records. 

The Census of Agriculture is a Producer’s Voice, Future, and Opportunity
In December farmers and ranchers across the nation will receive the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Producers can mail in their completed census form, or respond online via the improved web questionnaire. The online questionnaire has been revised extensively to make it more convenient for producers. 
Conducted once every five years, the census of agriculture is a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches, and those who operate them; it is the only source of uniform, comprehensive, and impartial agriculture data for every state and county in the nation.
Farmers and ranchers, trade associations, government, extension educators, researchers, and many others rely on census of agriculture data when making decisions that shape American agriculture – from creating and funding farm programs to boosting services for communities and the industry. The census of agriculture is a producer’s voice, future, and opportunity.