Logan County FSA Farm Program Updates

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[May 14, 2016]    2016 ARC/PLC Sign Up & 2016 Crop Certificaiton Reminder - Have you signed up for the 2016 ARC/PLC Program yet? Not sure? Call the office to verify you have completed all your 2016 ARC/PLC contracts.

All contract requirements need to be completed by August 1st. Do not wait till the final month to complete this process. Call the office now and verify you have all your contracts completed.

2016 Crop Certification is also underway at the Logan County FSA office. Avoid the wait by certifying your crops as soon as you have completed your spring planting. Producers need to accurately certify their crop and land uses to comply with ARC/PLC Program benefits. Be sure to have your crops, planting dates and shares ready when you visit. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage also needs to be certified on a annual basis. Deadlines for crop certification requirements are as follows:

2016 Crops:
July 15, 2016 - Corn, Soybeans, CRP, and all other spring-seeded crops

2017 Crops : December 15, 2016 - All fall seeded crops (wheat, hay and pasture, alfalfa, grass, clover etc.)

CRP Certification
Does your farm have CRP on it? Certification on the FSA-578 Report of Acreage also includes Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage certification. By certifying CRP acreage on the FSA-578 you are certifying that the CRP acres are in compliance and eligible to receive your annual CRP payment. Make sure your CRP is in compliance prior to crop certification to avoid noncompliance situations. Noncompliance could result in the termination of the contract and repayment of all monies received plus interest and liquidated damages.

USDA Offers New Loans for Portable Farm Storage and Handling Equipment

Portable Equipment Can Help Producers, including Small-Scale and Local Farmers, Get Products to Market Quickly


The Farm Service Agency (FSA) will provide a new financing option to help farmers purchase portable storage and handling equipment. The loans, which now include a smaller microloan option with lower down payments, are designed to help producers, including new, small and mid-sized producers, grow their businesses and markets.

The program also offers a new “microloan” option, which allows applicants seeking less than $50,000 to qualify for a reduced down payment of five percent and no requirement to provide three years of production history. Farms and ranches of all sizes are eligible. The microloan option is expected to be of particular benefit to smaller farms and ranches, and specialty crop producers who may not have access to commercial storage or on-farm storage after harvest. These producers can invest in equipment like conveyers, scales or refrigeration units and trucks that can store commodities before delivering them to markets. Producers do not need to demonstrate the lack of commercial credit availability to apply.

Earlier this year, FSA significantly expanded the list of commodities eligible for Farm Storage Facility Loans. Eligible commodities now include aquaculture; floriculture; fruits (including nuts) and vegetables; corn, grain sorghum, rice, oilseeds, oats, wheat, triticale, spelt, buckwheat, lentils, chickpeas, dry peas, sugar, peanuts, barley, rye, hay, honey, hops, maple sap, unprocessed meat and poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt and renewable biomass. FSFL microloans can also be used to finance wash and pack equipment used post-harvest, before a commodity is placed in cold storage.

To learn more about Farm Storage Facility Loans, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport  or stop by the office!

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Important Dates to Remember

  • May 30                 Memorial Day - Office Closed
  • May 31                 Final Date to Apply for Marketing Assistance Loan for 2015 fall harvested crops
  • June 5                  Final Crop Insurance planting date for corn
  • June 15                Nomination Period for County Committee election in LAA 1 begins
  • June 20                Final date to file a notice of loss for prevent plant corn
  • June 20                Final Crop Insurance planting date for soybeans-
  • July 4                    Independence Day - Office Closed
  • July 5                    Final date to file a notice of loss for prevent plant soybeans
  • July 15                  Final date to report spring seeded crops and CRP-
  • August 1               Final date to submit County Committee Election Nomination Form
  • August 1               Primary Nesting Season ends (CRP Maintenance and Management may resume) 
  • August 1               Final date to request a reconstitution or farm transfer for 2016
  • August 1               Final date to submit signatures on 2016 ARCPLC program contracts 
  • Continuous           Farm Record Changes
  • Continuous           Farm Storage Facility Loan Applications
  • Continuous           Continuous CRP Signup  (waterways, filter strips, field borders, pollinator habitat)


Questions?
Please contact, John Peters, County Executive Director, at 217-735-5508 ext 2, john.peters@il.usda.gov or for Farm Loans, please contact Tony Schmillen, Farm Loan Manager, at 217-735-5508 ext 2, tony.schmillen@il.usda.gov

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. 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).

Logan County USDA
1650 5th Street
Lincoln, IL, 62656
Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Phone: 217-735-5508 ext. 2
Fax: 855-693-7125

County Committee:
Dennis Ramlow - Chairman
Tim Southerlan - Vice Chairman
Kenton Stoll - Member
Dorothy Gleason - Advisor

County Executive Director:
John Peters

Program Technicians:
Ann Curry
Tammy Edwards
Mari Anne Komnick
Cindy Mayfield
Chelsie Peddicord

Farm Loan Manager:
Tony Schmillen

Next COC Meeting : May 25th (tentative)

 

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