What's up at the FSA Office?

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• February 19: Office closed in observance in George Washington’s Birthday

Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation Compliance
Landowners and operators are reminded that in order to receive payments from USDA, compliance with Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions are required. Farmers with HEL determined soils are reminded of tillage, crop residue, and rotation requirements as specified per their conservation plan. Producers are to notify the USDA Farm Service Agency prior to conducting land clearing or drainage projects to insure compliance. Failure to obtain advance approval for any of these situations can result in the loss of eligibility and all Federal payments.

USDA Looking to Lease Office Space for Farm Service Office
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency in Waukon, Iowa, is interested in leasing approximately 5315 rentable square feet of office and related space together with approximately 40 onsite, paved parking spaces.  The rentable space shall yield a minimum of 4621 to a maximum of 4855 contiguous ANSI/BOMA office area square feet of first class, high quality office space.  The space must be ready for occupancy within nine months after the lease award.

The area to be considered must be within an area bound on the north by Mt. Olivet Road and A44; on the east by 4 Corners Road; on the south by Hwy 9, Hwy 76, and Dundee Road; and on the west by Bluebird Road north to Mount Olivet Road.

Expressions of Interest should include the following:
1.  Building Name and Address, and location of space within the building
2.  Rentable Square Feet offered and full-service rental rate per square foot
3.  ANSI/BOMA Usable Square Feet and Common Area Factor
4.  Amount of on-site paved parking available
5.  Contact information for Owner or Authorized Agent

Written notice of space availability must be received by February 16, 2018, and sent to:

Audrey Rivas
Realty Specialist
10500 Buena Vista Court
Des Moines, Iowa 50322
Phone: (515) 331-8426
Email: Audrey.rivas@ia.usda.gov

Measurement Service
Farmers who would like a guarantee on their crop plantings and land use acreages can make it official by using the FSA measurement service. Producers must file a request with the county office staff and pay the cost of a field visit to have stake and referencing done on the farm. Measurement service is available using digital imagery. If an on-site visit is not required producers are charged a reduced rate.

Loans for Targeted Underserved Producers
FSA has a number of loan programs available to assist applicants to begin or continue in agriculture production. Loans are available for operating purposes and/or to purchase or improve farms or ranches. While all qualified producers are eligible to apply for these loan programs, the FSA has provided priority funding for underserved applicants. An underserved applicant is one of a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of his or her identity as members of the group without regard to his or her individual qualities. For purposes of this program, underserved groups are women, African Americans, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders. If producers or their spouses believe they would qualify as underserved, they should contact their local FSA office for details. FSA loans are only available to applicants who meet all eligibility requirements and are unable to obtain the needed credit elsewhere.

USDA Farm Service Agency Offers Text Alerts to Allamakee County Producers
Producers can text IAAllamakee to FSANOW (372-669) to subscribe to text message alerts from Allamakee County. Standard text messaging rates apply. Contact your wireless carrier for details associated with your particular data plan. Participants may unsubscribe at any time.