What's Up at the USDA Office?
Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
April 15: 2025 Agriculture Risk Coverage & Price Loss Coverage Program (ARC/PLC) Signup deadline
May 14: 2025 deadline to complete spring CRP Mid-Contract Management (MCM) activities
May 15-August 1: Primary Nesting Season (PNS)
May 31: Deadline to request a Marketing Assistance Loan (MALs) for 2024 farm stored or warehouse stored grain
USDA Expediting $10 Billion in Direct Economic Assistance to Agricultural Producers
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, on National Agriculture Day, announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year. Administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), ECAP will help agricultural producers mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices.
Authorized by the American Relief Act, 2025, these economic relief payments are based on planted and prevented planted crop acres for eligible commodities for the 2024 crop year. To streamline and simplify the delivery of ECAP, FSA will begin sending pre-filled applications to producers who submitted acreage reports to FSA for 2024 eligible ECAP commodities soon after the signup period opens on March 19, 2025. Producers do not have to wait for their pre-filled ECAP application to apply. They can visit fsa.usda.gov/ecap to apply using a login.gov account or contact their local FSA office to request an application once the signup period opens.
Eligible Commodities and Payment Rates
The commodities below are eligible for these per-acre payment rates:
Wheat $30.69
Corn $42.91
Sorghum $42.52
Barley $21.67
Oats $77.66
Peanuts $75.51
Soybeans $29.76
Dry peas $16.02
Lentils $19.30
Small Chickpeas $31.45
Large Chickpeas $24.02
Upland cotton & Extra-long staple cotton $84.74
Long & medium
grain rice $76.94
Eligible oilseeds:
Canola $31.83
Crambe $19.08
Flax $20.97
Mustard $11.36
Rapeseed $23.63
Sunflower $27.23
Sesame $16.83
Safflower $26.32
Producer Eligibility
Eligible producers must report 2024 crop year planted and prevented planted acres to FSA on an FSA-578, Report of Acreage form. Producers who have not previously reported 2024 crop year acreage or filed a notice of loss for prevented planted crops must submit an acreage report by the Aug. 15, 2025, deadline. Eligible producers can visit fsa.usda.gov/ecap for eligibility and payment details.
Applying for ECAP
Producers must submit ECAP applications to their local FSA county office by August 15, 2025. Only one application is required for all ECAP eligible commodities nationwide. ECAP applications can be submitted to FSA in-person, electronically using Box and One-Span, by fax or by applying online at fsa.usda.gov/ecap utilizing a secure login.gov account.
If not already on file for the 2024 crop year, producers must have the following forms on file with FSA:
• Form AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet.
• Form CCC-901, Member Information for Legal Entities (if applicable).
• Form CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan for an individual or legal entity.
• Form CCC 943, 75 percent of Average Gross Income from Farming, Ranching, or Forestry Certification (if applicable).
• AD-1026, Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification.
• SF-3881, Direct Deposit.
Except for the new CCC-943, most producers, especially those who have previously participated in FSA programs, likely have these forms on file. However, those who are uncertain and want to confirm the status of their forms or need to submit the new Form-943, can contact their local FSA county office.
Completing CRP Mid-Contract Management (MCM)
CRP contracts require mid-contract management (MCM) at least once during the contract period. Please refer to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) prepared Conservation Plan of your MCM options or contact the office with questions.
FSA reminders have been mailed out to CRP participants to complete MCM for 2025. If you have completed required Mid-Contract Maintenance on your CRP acres, please turn in the bills as they are due by May 14th. In Iowa it is required that producers submit all bills associated with the work completed. Submitting bills is mandatory, regardless even if a producer has stated that they would not like to receive cost share. These bills must include the following items:
• Dates of work performed
• Cost per hour charged for labor
• Type of equipment used
• Charge for equipment
• Type and cost of materials used
• Any other applicable information
If the producer performed the practice using personal labor, owned equipment, or owned materials, then signed and itemized statements must be submitted.
We have form FSA-848B in office that also requires your signature. If you need to request an extension due to unforeseen circumstances, please discuss with FSA. All CRP maintenance activity must be done outside the Primary Nesting Season dates of May 15 to August 1.
Maintenance is recommended throughout the life of the CRP to sustain practice standards. Preserve filter strip and waterway widths and avoid crop encroachment, remove woody vegetation and noxious weeds. If left unattended and not maintained, CRP participant may be subject to an FSA non-compliance violation and suffer financial penalties.
Deadline to Apply for 2025 ARC/PLC is April 15th
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting enrollments and elections for the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) for 2025 from January 21 to April 15. ARC and PLC provide financial protections to farmers from substantial drops in crop prices or revenues and are vital economic safety nets for most American farms. The American Relief Act, 2025 extended many Farm Bill-authorized programs for another year, including ARC and PLC.
Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2025 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Also, if a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm it will continue for 2025 unless an election change is made.
If producers do not submit their election revision by the April 15 deadline, their election remains the same as their 2024 election for commodities on the farm from the prior year. Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the cropland.
Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.
USDA also reminds producers that ARC and PLC elections and enrollments can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products including Supplemental Coverage Option, Enhanced Coverage Option and, for cotton producers, the Stacked Income Protection Plan (commonly referred to as STAX).
For more information on ARC and PLC, producers can visit the ARC and PLC webpage or contact your Allamakee County USDA Service Center at 563-568-2148 ext.2.
Applying for FSA Direct Loans
FSA offers direct farm ownership and direct farm operating loans to producers who want to establish, maintain, or strengthen their farm or ranch. Direct loans are processed, approved and serviced by FSA loan officers.
Direct farm operating loans can be used to purchase livestock and feed, farm equipment, fuel, farm chemicals, insurance, and other costs including family living expenses. Operating loans can also be used to finance minor improvements or repairs to buildings and to refinance some farm-related debts, excluding real estate.
Direct farm ownership loans can be used to purchase farmland, enlarge an existing farm, construct and repair buildings, and to make other improvements on the farm.
The maximum loan amount for direct farm ownership loans is $600,000 and the maximum loan amount for direct operating loans is $400,000 and a down payment is not required. Repayment terms vary depending on the type of loan, collateral and the producer’s ability to repay the loan. Operating loans are normally repaid within seven years and farm ownership loans are not to exceed 40 years.
Please contact your local FSA office for more information or to apply for a direct farm ownership or operating loan.
