Thursday, June 26, 2014

Fwd: McNairy/Chester FSA June Newsletter



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: USDA Farm Service Agency <usdafsa@service.govdelivery.com>
Date: Thu, Jun 26, 2014 at 10:03 AM
Subject: McNairy/Chester FSA June Newsletter
To: iammejtm@gmail.com


June 2014

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JUNE TOPICS:


McNairy/Chester County FSA Updates


McNairy/Chester County FSA Office

512 Mulberry Avenue
Selmer, TN  38375

Phone: 731-645-5466
Fax:  1-855-539-6296

Acting County Executive Director:
Patsy Lipford

Program Technicians:
Ginger Moore
Ross Moore

Farm Loan Manager:
Linda Barnes
Phone:731-645-5466

County Committee:
David Sparks, chairman
Greg Mitchell, vice-chairman
Arnold Stanfield
Bill Morrison
Rusty Harris
John Howard Stewart, advisor

Next County Committee Meeting:  
June 27, 2014 
8:00 AM

USDA FARM SERVICE AGENCY COUNTY COMMITTEE NOMINATION PERIOD BEGINS JUNE 15

The nomination period for local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees begins Sunday, June 15, 2014. 

To be eligible to serve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local administrative area where the person is nominated. 

Farmers and ranchers may nominate themselves or others. Organizations representing minorities and women also may nominate candidates. To become a candidate, an eligible individual must sign the nomination form, FSA-669A. The form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections. Nomination forms for the 2014 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA Service Center by close of business on Aug. 1, 2014. Elections will take place this fall.  

While FSA county committees do not approve or deny farm ownership or operating loans, they make decisions on disaster and conservation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs and other agricultural issues. Members serve three-year terms. Nationwide, there are about 7,800 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees. Committees consist of three to 11 members that are elected by eligible producers.  

FSA will mail ballots to eligible voters beginning Nov. 3, 2014. Ballots are due back to the local county office either via mail or in person by Dec. 1, 2014. Newly elected committee members and alternates take office on Jan. 1, 2015.


2014 ACREAGE REPORTING DATES

In order to comply with FSA program eligibility requirements, all producers are encouraged to visit the McNairy/Chester County FSA office to file an accurate crop certification report by the applicable deadline.

The following acreage reporting dates are applicable for McNairy/Chester County: 

  • December 15, 2013:                       Fall-Seeded Small Grains
  • January 15, 2014:                            Apples, Peaches
  • July 15, 2014:                                   All Other Crops 

The following exceptions apply to the above acreage reporting dates:

  • If the crop has not been planted by the above acreage reporting date, then the acreage must be reported no later than 15 calendar days after planting is completed.
  • If a producer acquires additional acreage after the above acreage reporting date, then the acreage must be reported no later than 30 calendars days after purchase or acquiring the lease. Appropriate documentation must be provided to the county office. 
  • If a perennial forage crop is reported with the intended use of "cover only," "green manure," "left standing," or "seed," then the acreage must be reported by July 15th.

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) policy holders should note that the acreage reporting date for NAP covered crops is the earlier of the dates listed above or 15 calendar days before grazing or harvesting of the crop begins.

For questions regarding crop certification and crop loss reports, please contact the McNairy/Chester County FSA office at 731-645-5466.


USDA AWARDING $6 MILLION TO PREPARE FARMERS FOR NEW FARM BILL PROGRAMS

USDA is awarding $6 million to universities and cooperative state extension services to develop online decision tools and other materials and train experts to educate producers about several key farm bill programs. The new Web tools will help farmers and ranchers determine what participation in programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill will mean for their businesses. 

The University of Illinois (lead for the National Coalition for Producer Education), along with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri and the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M (co-leads for the National Association of Agricultural and Food Policy), will receive a total of $3 million to develop the new online tools and train state-based extension agents who can in turn help educate farmers.  

The new resources will help farmers and ranchers make an educated choice between the new Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program and the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program. Using the new online tools, producers will be able to use data unique to their specific farming operations combined with factors like the geographical diversity of crops, soils, weather and climates across the country to test a variety of financial scenarios before officially signing up for the new program options later this year.  Once a producer enrolls in the ARC or PLC program, he or she must remain in the program through the 2018 crop year. 

New tools will be provided for other programs as well. Sign-up for the newly established Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP) begins late this summer and enrollment for "buy-up" provisions under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) will begin early next year.  An online MPP tool will be available when sign up begins and the NAP buy-up provision resource will become available to producers in the fall for the 2015 crop year. 

USDA will also award $3 million to state cooperative extension services—a nationwide network of experts based at land-grant universities—for outreach and education on the new Farm Bill programs. Funds will be used to conduct public education outreach meetings where producers can speak with local extension agents and Farm Service Agency (FSA) staff.  Outreach meetings will begin late this summer to help farmers and ranchers understand the new programs and their options.  

While universities work to create new online tools, producers now have access to a preliminary website that gives them a chance to begin familiarizing themselves with the new programs and the type of information they will need to consider when deciding which program options work better for them. At this site, farmers and ranchers can view ARC and PLC projected payments, ARC guarantees, and PLC payment rate projections. These tables are available on the FSA website

Visit www.fsa.usda.gov or the local FSA office for information about FSA and the 2014 Farm Bill programs.


USDA KICKS OFF THE 2014 "FEDS FEED FAMILIES" NATIONWIDE FOOD DRIVE

USDA kicked off the 6th annual Feds Feed Families Campaign on June 2, 2014. 

The food drive is an annual event in which Federal employees, nationwide, collect food for distribution by food banks, food pantries, and shelters. 

The Feds Feed Families program started in 2009. The 2014 food drive officially began on June 2 and will run through August 27. 

All Federal agencies across the country participate in the campaign and Federal employees are asked to donate non-perishable food items throughout the summer. Donations are given to local food banks across the country – having a positive impact to help food banks address food insecurity. Secretary Vilsack noted that the latest USDA estimates show that in 2012, food insecurity affected 14.5 percent of American households at some point. 

If you are interested in making a donation to the annual "Feds Feed Families" Food Drive, please contact your local USDA Service Center at 731-645-5466.  

For more information on the Feds Feed Families campaign, please visit: http://www.usda.gov/fedsfeedfamilies.


HIGHLY ERODIBLE LAND AND WETLAND COMPLIANCE

Landowners and operators are reminded that in order to receive payments from USDA, they must be compliant with Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions.   Farmers with HEL determined soils must apply tillage, crop residue and rotation requirements as specified in their conservation plan. 

Producers should notify FSA prior to conducting land clearing or drainage projects to ensure compliance.  If you intend to clear any trees to create new cropland, these areas will need to be reviewed to ensure any work will not jeopardize your eligibility for benefits.

Landowners and operators can complete form AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification to determine whether a referral to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is necessary.  

For more information on Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation provisions, contact a FSA County Office or visit the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov. 


MICROLOAN PROGRAM

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) developed the Microloan (ML) program to better serve the unique financial operating needs of beginning, niche and small family farm operations.   

Eligible applicants can apply for a maximum amount of $35,000 to pay for initial start-up expenses such as hoop houses to extend the growing season, essential tools, irrigation and annual expenses such as seed, fertilizer, utilities, land rents, marketing, and distribution expenses.  As financing needs increase, applicants can apply for a regular operating loan up to the maximum amount of $300,000 or obtain financing from a commercial lender under FSA's Guaranteed Loan Program. 

Individuals who are interested in applying for a microloan or would like to discuss other farm loan programs available should contact their local FSA office to set up an appointment with a loan official. 


USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay),
(866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

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--
Jeremy Tobias Matthews

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