What's Up at the USDA Office?
Deadlines/Dates
August 31: Deadline to complete Non-Emergency Haying of CRP; Deadline to Review Base Allocation Summary
September 15: Deadline to Update Payment Eligibility for Entities
September 30: Deadline to Complete FY26 Mid-Contract Management on CRP; Deadline to remove livestock from Non-Emergency Grazing of CRP; Deadline to apply for SDRP Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 1 Quality Loss; Office Fiscal Year Rollover
October 1: FY27 Mid-Contract Management on CRP Opens
December 31: Deadline to Apply for OCCSP
USDA Helps Organic Producers with Certification Costs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is helping organic producers and handlers cover certification costs as part of the Department’s effort to put Farmers First and Make America Healthy Again. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting applications to help with organic certification costs for the 2025 and 2026 program years through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which covers up to 75% of eligible organic certification costs. Producers and handlers must apply by Dec. 31, 2026, for both program years.
Cost Share Assistance
OCCSP provides cost share assistance to producers and handlers for the costs of obtaining or maintaining organic certification under the National Organic Program, which is administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. Producers and handlers are eligible to receive 75% of the costs, up to $750 for each of the following scopes: crops, wild crops, livestock, processing/handling and state organic program fees.
FSA will make payments as applications are received on a first-come, first-served basis until available funds are depleted.
Eligibility
To be eligible for OCCSP, a producer or handler must have their USDA organic certification for the applicable program year at the time of application and must have paid fees or expenses related to the initial certification or renewal from a certifying agent during the program year. For program year 2025, they must have possessed a USDA organic certification at any time during the program year.
There are four USDA organic regulation recognized scopes that must be individually inspected and certified: crops, livestock, wild crops, and handling. The scopes must be listed on the producer or handler’s organic certificate to be eligible for OCCSP. Eligible costs include:
• Application and administrative fees for USDA organic certification
• Inspection fees for USDA organic certification, including travel and per diem costs for organic inspectors
• USDA organic certification costs, including fees necessary to access international markets with which AMS has equivalency agreements or arrangements
• State organic program fees
• User and sale assessment fees for USDA organic certification
• Postage costs for materials related to obtaining or renewing USDA organic certification.
How to Apply
To apply, producers and handlers should contact their local FSA county office. As part of completing the OCCSP application, 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.
Opportunity for State Agency Participation
FSA will soon announce a 30-day application period for state agencies to apply through grants.gov to administer OCCSP.
If a state agency chooses to participate in OCCSP, both the state agency and FSA county offices in that state will accept OCCSP applications and make payments to eligible certified operations. However, producers and handlers may not receive OCCSP payments for the same scope through both the state agency and their FSA county office.
For more information, producers and handlers can visit the OCCSP webpage or contact their local FSA county office.
Book Appointments Online with the Allamakee County FSA Office
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is putting farmers first by offering a new option to schedule appointments online with the Allamakee County Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. Following a successful pilot program, FSA is using a digital appointment platform across the agency to allow producers to conveniently make farm program or farm loan program appointments online.
Appointments can be scheduled through FSA’s digital platform, Microsoft Bookings, using a mobile device, tablet, laptop or desktop computer. To assist producers in finding their local FSA office to make an appointment, FSA has also launched a new FSA County Office locator that is searchable by state and by county. Each county office contact page has a unique link for producers to make an appointment online and shows contact information for the local FSA office and the farm loan team. Scheduled appointments may be in-person or virtual with the local FSA office depending on producer preference.
Producers can conveniently schedule appointments for a variety of services with both farm program and farm loan staff. The Microsoft Bookings-based system will automatically send a confirmation email to the producer along with reminder emails for upcoming appointments.
Producers still have the option to call the Allamakee County FSA Office at (563) 568-2148 or visit in person to make an appointment.
Regular Maintenance
Requirements for all CRP Contracts
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to conserve farmland for future generations while providing habitat for wildlife, reducing soil erosion, and improving water quality. Regular maintenance on CRP acres is needed to ensure the acreage continues to provide conservation benefits and remains in compliance with the CRP contract.
Mid-Contract Management
Regular maintenance for weed and pest control is separate from the Mid-Contract Management (MCM) requirement. MCM ensures plant diversity and wildlife benefits while ensuring protection of the soil and water resources. Such activities are site-specific and are for the purpose of enhancing the approved cover.
MCM must be completed between years four and six of a 10-year contract and between years seven and nine of a 15-year contract. The Conservation Plan will state what year MCM must take place.
Regular Maintenance
Producers with CRP contracts are required to control all weeds, insects, pests, and other undesirable species to the extent necessary to ensure that the approved conservation cover is adequately protected and to ensure there is no adverse impact on surrounding land. Mowing is one of the allowable practices for weed control, but mowing for aesthetic purposes is never permitted. The Conservation Plan states the required weed control methods for each site.
Once a stand has been certified as fully established, participants are required to maintain plant diversity and stand density according to the Conservation Plan and offer (CRP-2) for the life of the contract. Stands that do not meet practice specific plant diversity or density requirements may be considered non-compliant. Refer to your conservation plan or contact FSA if you have any questions or concerns about the vegetative cover requirements.
Maintenance activities cannot occur during the primary nesting season for birds without written prior approval from the local county office. The primary nesting season in Iowa is May 15 through August 1.
Noncompliance with Maintenance Requirements
Failure to adequately maintain the stand may result in noncompliance with the terms and conditions of the CRP contract. Noncompliance can result in adverse actions up to and including termination of the CRP contract. Contracts that are out of compliance are ineligible to re-enroll, unless the stand is brought back into compliance prior to the enrollment deadline.
For general information about CRP, visit the Conservation Reserve Program webpage. For information about specific contracts, reach out to the local FSA office.
Filing CCC-941 Adjusted Gross Income Certifications
If you have experienced delays in receiving Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payments, Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) and Market Gains on Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs), it may be because you have not filed form CCC-941, Adjusted Gross Income Certification.
If you don’t have a valid CCC-941 on file for the applicable crop year you will not receive payments. All farm operator/tenants/owners who have not filed a CCC-941 and have pending payments should immediately file the form with their recording county FSA office. Farm operators and tenants are encouraged to ensure that their landowners have filed the form.
FSA can accept the CCC-941 for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Unlike the past, you must have the CCC-941 certifying your AGI compliance before any payments can be issued.
