What's Up at the USDA Office?
Deadlines/Dates
May 14 - August 2: Primary Nesting Season
June 1: The final day to apply for a Marketing Assistance Loan (MAL) for Corn or Soybeans
June 19: Office closed in observance of Juneteenth
July 3: Office closed in observance of Independence Day
July 13-19: Allamakee County Fair
July 15: Deadline to Report Acres
August 12: Deadline to submit an SDRP application
FSA Ready for Your 2026 Acreage Report
Once you’ve finished planting for the 2026 season, it’s essential to promptly report your crop acreage to the Allamakee County FSA office. Timely reporting ensures you remain eligible for USDA program benefits; missing the deadline could jeopardize your future participation. To streamline the process, Allamakee County producers are strongly encouraged to submit their acreage reports immediately after completing planting. If your 2026 planting is done and you haven’t yet begun certification, feel free to call the Allamakee County FSA at (563) 568-2148, Ext. 2, to start your report today.
USDA Issues Second Supplemental Disaster Payment to Farmers, Extends Program Deadline to August 12
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is maximizing disaster assistance support for producers by issuing a second Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) payment to eligible producers who have approved program applications for losses due to natural disasters in calendar years 2023 and 2024. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already provided $6.7 billion in SDRP payments to eligible producers. Additionally, USDA is extending the program deadline to give producers and FSA more time to address any program application changes that could impact payments. The original April 30 deadline has been extended to August 12, 2026, for SDRP Stage 1 and Stage 2. Initial SDRP payments were factored at 35%, but after further analysis, USDA is increasing the payment factor to 70%, meaning producers with approved applications will receive an additional 35% of their calculated SDRP payment. These payments were automatic and should have already hit your accounts. Future SDRP payments will also be made using a 70% payment factor.
SDRP Stage 1
The first stage, announced in July 2025, remains available to producers who received an indemnity under crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for eligible crop losses due to qualifying 2023 and 2024 natural disaster events.
SDRP Stage 2
Stage 2 of SDRP covers eligible crop, tree, bush and vine losses that were not covered under Stage One program provisions, including non-indemnified (shallow loss), uncovered and quality losses.
Eligibility
Eligible losses must be the result of natural disasters occurring in calendar years 2023 and/or 2024. These disasters include wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, tornadoes, winter storms, freeze (including a polar vortex), smoke exposure, excessive moisture, qualifying drought, and related conditions. To qualify for drought related losses, the loss must have occurred in a county rated by the U.S. Drought Monitor as having a D2 (severe drought) for eight consecutive weeks, D3 (extreme drought), or greater intensity level during the applicable calendar year. For more information on SDRP, please visit fsa.usda.gov/sdrp. Payment limitation is currently $125,000 for each program year for specialty/high value crops and for other crops. An optional increase in payment limitation may apply if at least 75% of a person’s or legal entity’s average AGI is derived from farming, ranching, or forestry operations. Applicants requesting an optional increase in payment limitation must complete FSA-510 and provide a certification from a licensed CPA or attorney certifying at least 75% of the person’s or legal entity’s average AGI is derived from farming, ranching, or forestry operations. It is the producer’s responsibility to complete and return the FSA-510, with a CPA or attorney certification included, to the FSA County Office by August 12, 2026.
Creating a Farmers.gov Account Makes Receiving USDA Assistance Easy, Efficient
Are you interested in working with USDA to start or grow your farm, ranch, or private forest operation, but don’t know where to start? Whether you’re looking to access capital or disaster assistance through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) or address natural resource concerns on your land with assistance from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a great place to start is farmers.gov. Farmers.gov is a one-stop shop for information about the assistance available from FSA and NRCS. The site also offers many easy-to-use tools for farmers, ranchers, and private forestland owners, whether you are reaching out for the first time or are a long-term customer with a years-long relationship with USDA.
With a farmers.gov account you can:
• Complete an AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet, prior to your first meeting with FSA and NRCS.
• View farm loan payments history from FSA.
• View cost share assistance received and anticipated from NRCS conservation programs.
• Request conservation assistance from NRCS as well as view and track your conservation plans, practices, and contracts.
• View, print, and export detailed farm records and farm/tract maps for the current year, which are particularly useful when fulfilling acreage reporting requirements.
• Print FSA-156 EZ, Abbreviated Farm Record and your Producer Farm Data Report for the current year.
• Pay FSA debt using the “Make an FSA Payment” feature
• Apply for a farm loan online, view information on your existing loans, and make USDA direct farm loan payments using the Pay My Loan feature.
FSA Offers Joint Financing Option on Direct Farm Ownership Loans
The USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Direct Farm Ownership loans can help farmers and ranchers become owner-operators of family farms, improve and expand current operations, increase agricultural productivity, and assist with land tenure to save farmland for future generations. There are three types of Direct Farm Ownership Loans: regular, down payment and joint financing. FSA also offers a Direct Farm Ownership Microloan option for smaller financial needs up to $50,000. Joint financing allows FSA to provide more farmers and ranchers with access to capital. FSA lends up to 50 percent of the total amount financed. A commercial lender, a state program or the seller of the property being purchased, provides the balance of loan funds, with or without an FSA guarantee. The maximum loan amount for a joint financing loan is $600,000, and the repayment period for the loan is up to 40 years. The operation must be an eligible farm enterprise. Farm Ownership loan funds cannot be used to finance non-farm enterprises, and all applicants must be able to meet general eligibility requirements. Loan applicants are also required to have participated in the business operations of a farm or ranch for at least three years out of the 10 years prior to the date the application is submitted. The applicant must show documentation that their participation in the business operation of the farm or ranch was not solely as a laborer.
Highly Erodible Land (HEL) & Wetland Conservation Compliance
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 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 BEFORE 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 HEL 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 RMA. Contact the Allamakee County USDA office (563) 568-2148 ext.2 with all your HEL or WC compliance related questions!
