USDA Lincoln Service Center

1650 5th Street

Lincoln, Illinois, 62656

Hours:

Monday - Friday

8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Phone: 217-735-5508 ext. 2

Fax: 217-732-9916

County Committee:

Chair: Rodney Conklen

Vice-Chair: Edwin Dahmm

Member: Tim Southerlan

Advisor: Dorothy Gleason

Program Technicians:

Ann Curry

Tammy Edwards

Dianne Fout

Mari Anne Komnick

Cindy Mayfield

Kristi Olson

Farm Loan Manager:

Tony Schmillen

tony.schmillen@il.usda.gov

County Executive Director:

John Peters

john.peters@il.usda.gov

If you think your corn has aflatoxin, notify your crop insurance agent before you harvest the grain, put the grain in storage; or deliver it for sale.  Your insurance provider will take samples for testing and submit them to an approved testing facility.  Depending on the aflatoxin level present, the corn price may be discounted or, in rare cases, the grain will need to be destroyed.

Aflatoxin levels can increase in storage.  Therefore, losses are only insurable if the grain is tested at an approved testing facility before being moved into commercial or on-farm storage.   A producer may also make arrangements with their insurance provider to leave representative sample areas of the unharvested crop.  The adjuster will take samples from these areas for aflatoxin testing.   Producers cannot collect their own samples.  Samples must be collected by their insurance provider or the disinterested third party, such as an approved elevator.

A list of approved testing facilities can be found on our website:  http://www.rma.usda.gov/aboutrma/fields/il_rso/.

Frieden urges all producers to contact their insurance agent with any questions concerning aflatoxin.  Your crop insurance agent can provide you with additional information specific to your needs.

FSA urges livestock producers affected by natural disasters to keep thorough records of their livestock and feed losses, including additional expenses for such things as feed purchases because of lost supplies.

FSA recommends that owners and producers record all pertinent information of natural disaster consequences, including:

-          Documentation of the number and kind of livestock that have died, supplemented if possible by         

-          photographs or video records of ownership and losses;

-          Dates of death supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts;

-          Costs of transporting livestock to safer grounds or to move animals to new pastures; and

-          Feed purchases if supplies or grazing pastures are destroyed.

The department’s authority to operate the five disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill expired on September 30, 2011. This includes SURE; the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP); the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP); the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP); and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). Production losses due to disasters occurring after September 30, 2011, are not eligible for disaster program coverage.