What's Up at the USDA Office?
Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
October 31: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program
December 5: Last day to return COC ballots
December 9: Dairy Margin Coverage Program
December 15: Crop Reporting for Fall-Seeded Small Grains
Farm Loan Presence in Allamakee County
The USDA/FSA Farm Loan team will have a Loan Officer in our office every Tuesday during normal business hours (8-4:30). If you would like to visit with the loan officer, please call or stop in.
2023 Dairy Margin Coverage Program
Signup for the 2023 Dairy Margin Coverage Program began October 17 and runs through December 9. Signup is voluntary unless you locked in coverage at the initial signup. A decision tool has been created and can be found at https://dairymarkets.org. This tool provides forecasted estimates of feed and milk prices through 2023, historical analysis of the program for the past 5 years, and remaining 2022 projections.
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.
County Committee (COC) Election
It’s that time of year when FSA begins the process of the county committee election. This year the election will be for LAA -1, which includes French Creek, Hanover, Makee, Waterloo, Union City, Union Prairie townships. Essentially the NW portion of the county. The nomination period begins June and runs through early August. You can nominate yourself or someone else by completing the appropriate form at our office or download it online. Once nominations are finalized, producers who reside in LAA-1 will cast ballots which will be mailed to you in November. These ballots are due back to the FSA office by early December. The elected member will take office on January 1. Eligible households in these townships should have received an informational postcard.
CRP Reminders
The primary nesting season ended August 1, so contract-holders can complete and maintenance on CRP without prior approval from their FSA office. Please remember that cosmetic mowing of your CRP acres is always prohibited, as are the establishment of trails through your acres. Temporary deer stands are only allowed during the hunting season and must be removed immediately once the season is over. 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.
USDA Accepting Applications to Help Cover Costs of Organic, Transitioning Producers
Agricultural producers and handlers who are certified organic, along with producers and handlers who are transitioning to organic production, can now apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Organic and Transitional Education Certification Program (OTECP) and Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which help producers and handlers cover the cost of organic certification, along with other related expenses. Applications for OTECP and OCCSP are both due October 31, 2022.
OTECP covers:
• Certification costs for organic producers and handlers (25% up to $250 per category).
• Eligible expenses for transitional producers, including fees for pre-certification inspections and development of an organic system plan (75% up to $750).
• Registration fees for educational events (75% up to $200).
• Soil testing (75% up to $100).
Meanwhile, OCCSP covers 50% or up to $500 per category of certification costs in 2022.
This cost share for certification is available for each of these categories: crops, wild crops, livestock, processing/handling and State organic program fees.
Producers can receive cost share through both OTECP and OCCSP. Both OTECP and OCCSP cover costs incurred from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022. Producers have until October 31, 2022 to file applications, and FSA will make payments as applications are received.
To apply, producers and handlers should contact the Farm Service Agency (FSA) at their local USDA Service Center. As part of completing the OCCSP applications, producers and handlers will need to provide documentation of their organic certification and eligible expenses. Organic producers and handlers may also apply for OCCSP through participating State agencies.
Additional details can be found on the OTECP and OCCSP webpages.
