What's Up at the USDA Office?
Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
May 15 - August 1: Primary Nesting Season - No MCM work on CRP acres
June 30: 2020 ARCPLC Election
July 15: Crop Certification
September 30: PLC Yield Update
May 2020 FSFL Interest Rates
New rates were issued for the month of May and are as follows:
• 0.250% for 3 years
• 0.375% for 5 years
• 0.625% for 7 years
• 0.750% for 10 years
• 0.750% for 12 years
• 0.875% for 15 years
2020 Crop Certification
The on-going COVID19 situation has changed the way we operate at the office. We are doing much more through phone and email. Unfortunately, at this time, it appears we will not be able to certify crops face-to-face at the office. Our office will be mailing out farm maps to the operator for them to mark the crops planted, date planted, and shares. If there is more than one operator on the farm, we would ask the operators who receive the maps to visit with other tenants on that farm to make sure all fields are accurately labeled, and all relevant information included (shares, planting dates, etc.). Then return them to us via mail, email or the drop-box outside the office. We will then load them and get your FSA-578 form ready for you to review and sign. Those 578’s can be mailed to you, emailed, or placed in our dropbox for you to pick up. Review those thoroughly, yet promptly, and return to us via mail, email, or the drop box. Our goal is to start getting maps mailed out the week of May 11.
We ask that you get them marked-up and returned to us as soon as possible. We’ll need time to review, address any questions with you, and get the information loaded. We will then mail the certification for your review and signature, have you mail it back to us (or drop it off), then us validate it in the system. All this needs to be completed by July 15.
This could change as the days progress, but our office wanted to bring this change to your attention. We appreciate your help in getting these completed in whichever manner necessary this year.
Sign Up for the 2020 ARCPLC Program by June 30!
We have mailed out the remaining ARCPLC contracts for farms that still need to be enrolled for the 2020 program year. We were able to complete many 2020 contracts at the time of 2019 signup, but not all. If you receive one, review the letter to ensure everything is completed correctly. If you have any questions, or need the contract modified, please call our office.
The deadline to get these approved is June 30, so don’t delay in getting these back to us.
CRP Reminders
The primary nesting season runs from May 15 - August 1. Contact the FSA office if you need to perform spot maintenance activities on your CRP acres during this time. Cosmetic mowing of your CRP acres is always prohibited, but you can spot treat areas that are threatened by undesirable vegetation throughout the year. A written request must be made before the County Committee grants approval to conduct maintenance during the nesting season.
As a reminder, volunteer trees and woody vegetation must be controlled and removed from CRP acres. Failure to control undesirable vegetation on CRP can result in financial penalties.
Mid-Contract Management (MCM) on CRP Acres
Those that are scheduled for this year would have received a packet from our office this past fall detailing what needs to be done. You do have a few more days to complete the work as your deadline is May 14. If you have technical questions, need a seeding plan, or contractor list contact the NRCS office. Any other questions can be directed to FSA.
Once you complete your MCM, please notify the FSA office, sign the FSA-848B form, and provide acceptable evidence (receipts, invoices, etc.) of practice completion to determine proper cost share payment.
