What's Up at the USDA Office?
Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
May 14: 2025 deadline to complete spring CRP Mid-Contract Management (MCM) activities
May 14 – Deadline to establish new cool season grass practice CRP seedings
May 15-August 1: Primary Nesting Season (PNS)
May 26: Office Closed in observance of Memorial Day
May 31: Deadline to request a Marketing Assistance Loan (MALs) for 2024 farm stored or warehouse stored grain
Conservation Reserve Program Reminders
Required Management (RM) - All Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contract holders with a Required Management (RM) requirement for 2025 are required to complete management by May 14, 2025. Please be aware, RM activities are prohibited during the primary nesting season of May 15-August 1. The following options exist for management; disking, spraying, burning, or inter-seeding in combination.
CRP Establishment - New seeding establishments must be completed according to an approved conservation plan, abiding by the time frames established for the required cover of the contract.
Extensions for CRP Establishment or RM may be granted on a case-by-case basis but will only be issued for poor weather conditions and for extenuating circumstances. Failure to complete your RM or seeding establishment may result in a penalty or contract termination. Upon completion of your respective practice, please contact our office to finalize certification paperwork and submit your required bills. In turn, our office will calculate and issue any approved cost-share accordingly.
CRP Maintenance - All contract holders are required to maintain the seeding on their CRP contracts in order to remain in compliance. Plantings should be free of weeds, volunteer trees, equipment, livestock, buildings, and annually tilled crops. CRP contracts should be maintained according to required widths and seeding specifications agreed to in the signed CRP-1 contract. Non-compliance determinations may result in a standard payment reduction or termination of CRP contract. Requests to conduct spot treatment/mowing of CRP may be granted during the primary nesting season of May 15-August 1, upon written request. At no time, other than in the first establishment years, should complete mowing of CRP be occurring. Permissive uses of CRP are granted according to COC decision.
Please contact our office if you have questions about what an authorized use of CRP is or if you have any questions regarding your CRP contract.
Emergency Commodity Assistance Program
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 sent pre-filled applications to producers who submitted acreage reports to FSA for 2024 eligible ECAP commodities soon after the signup began on March 19, 2025. Many of you have already applied for ECAP in person. If you did, you do not need to submit the mailed application to our office.
Allamakee Eligible Commodities and Payment Rates
• Corn - $42.91
• Soybeans - $29.76
• Sorghum - $42.52
• Wheat - $30.69
• Oats - $77.66
• Barley - $21.67
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 Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP)
Producers must submit Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) applications to their local FSA county office by Aug. 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.
ECAP Payments and Calculator
ECAP payments will be issued as applications are approved. Initial ECAP payments will be factored by 85% to ensure that total program payments do not exceed available funding. If additional funds remain, FSA may issue a second payment.
ECAP assistance will be calculated using a flat payment rate for the eligible commodity multiplied by the eligible reported acres. Payments are based on acreage and not production. For acres reported as prevented plant, ECAP assistance will be calculated at 50%.
For ECAP payment estimates, producers are encouraged to visit fsa.usda.gov/ecap to use the ECAP online calculator.
USDA Farm Loan Program Changes Now in Effect
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) updates to the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Farm Loan Programs are officially in effect. These changes, part of the Enhancing Program Access and Delivery for Farm Loans rule, are designed to increase financial flexibility for agricultural producers, allowing them to grow their operations, boost profitability, and build long-term savings.
These program updates reflect USDA’s ongoing commitment to supporting the financial success and resilience of farmers and ranchers nationwide, offering critical tools to help borrowers manage their finances more effectively.
What the new rules mean for you:
• Low-interest installment set-aside program: Financially distressed borrowers can now defer up to one annual loan payment at a reduced interest rate. This simplified option helps ease financial pressure while keeping farming operations running smoothly.
• Flexible repayment terms: New repayment options give borrowers the ability to increase their cash flow and build working capital reserves, allowing for long-term financial planning that includes saving for retirement, education, and other future needs.
• Reduced collateral requirements: FSA has lowered the amount of additional loan security needed for direct farm loans, making it easier for borrowers to leverage their existing equity without putting their personal residence at risk.
These new rules provide more financial freedom to borrowers. By giving farmers and ranchers better tools to manage their operations, we’re helping them build long-term financial stability. It’s all about making sure they can keep their land, grow their business, and invest in the future.
If you’re a Farm Service Agency (FSA) borrower or considering applying for a FSA loan, now is the time to take advantage of these new policies. We encourage you to reach out to your local FSA farm loan staff to ensure you fully understand the wide range of loan making and servicing options available to assist with starting, expanding, or maintaining your agricultural operation.
Highly Erodible Land (HEL) & Wetland Conservation Compliance Reminders
Landowners and operators are reminded that in order to receive payments from USDA, compliance with Highly Erodible Land (HEL) & Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions are required.
Farmers with Highly Erodible Land 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 breaking sod, clearing land (tree removal), & of any drainage projects (tiling, ditching, etc.) to ensure compliance.
Failure to update certification of compliance, with form AD-1026, triggering applicable Highly Erodible Land and/or wetland determinations, for any of these situations, can result in the loss of FSA farm program payments, FSA farm loans, NRCS program payments, and premium subsidy to Federal Crop Insurance administered by Risk Management Agency (RMA).
