|
 USDA helped create
online tools to assist in the decision process, allowing farm
owners and producers to enter information about their operation
and see projections that show what ARC and/or PLC will mean for
them under possible future scenarios. Farm owners and producers
can access the online resources, available at www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc,
from the convenience of their home computer or mobile device at
any time.
Covered commodities
include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe,
flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts,
dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice (which
includes short grain rice), safflower seed, sesame, soybeans,
sunflower seed and wheat. Upland cotton is no longer a covered
commodity.
Dates associated
with ARC and PLC that farm owners and producers need to know:
Now through Feb.
27, 2015 -
Farm owners may visit their local Farm Service Agency office to
update yield history and/or reallocate base acres.
Now through March
31, 2015 -
Producers make a one-time election between ARC and PLC for the
2014 through 2018 crop years.
Mid-April 2015
through summer 2015 - Producers sign contracts for 2014 and
2015 crop years.
October 2015 -
Payments issued for 2014 crop year, if needed.
To learn more about
which safety net options are most appropriate for specific
farming operations, farmers can use new Web tools atwww.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc,
which can be accessed from the convenience of a home computer or
a mobile device at any time.
FSA Announces
New Yield Data for Safety Net Calculations
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers farmers new
information to update program payment yields that will help them
better select protections offered by the Agricultural Risk
Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs. The new
programs, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, are cornerstones of
the commodity farm safety, offering farmers protection when
market forces cause substantial drops in crop prices and
revenues.
The Farm Bill provides
landowners with the option of updating their farm program
payment yields and this is the first time that many producers
have been able to update yields since 1986. FSA has worked with
the Risk Management Agency (RMA) to make available certified
yield data that producers can use to better calculate how the
new safety net programs can offer the best protection against
market swings.
Producers can check with their
local FSA county office to see if data is available for them.
This data belongs to the producer and only the producer
associated with the crop insurance records will be provided this
service. Updating yield history or reallocating base acres can
occur until Feb.
27, 2015.
Tree Assistance
Program (TAP) Sign-up Continues
Orchardists and nursery tree
growers who experienced losses from natural disasters that
occurred on or after Oct. 1, 2011, can sign up for the Tree
Assistance Program (TAP). TAP was authorized by the
Agricultural Act of 2014 as a permanent disaster program. TAP
provides financial assistance to qualifying orchardists and
nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees,
bushes and vines damaged by natural disasters.
Eligible tree types include
trees, bushes or vines that produce an annual crop for
commercial purposes. Nursery trees include ornamental, fruit,
nut and Christmas trees that are produced for commercial sale.
Trees used for pulp or timber are ineligible.
To qualify for TAP, orchardists
must suffer a qualifying tree, bush or vine loss in excess of 15
percent mortality from an eligible natural disaster. The
eligible trees, bushes or vines must have been owned when the
natural disaster occurred; however, eligible growers are not
required to own the land on which the eligible trees, bushes and
vines were planted.
For losses
that occurred on or after Oct. 1, 2011, through the end of the
2014 calendar year, the final date to submit an application and
supporting documentation is the later of Jan.
31, 2015 or
90 calendar days after the disaster event or the date the loss
is apparent. For calendar year 2015 and subsequent losses, all
applications and supporting documentation must be submitted the
later of 90 calendar days after the disaster event or the date
the loss is apparent.
If the TAP application is
approved, the eligible trees, bushes and vines must be replaced
within 12 months from the date the application is approved. The
cumulative total quantity of acres planted to trees, bushes or
vines, for which a producer can receive TAP payments, cannot
exceed 500 acres annually.
Beginning Farmer
Loans
FSA assists beginning farmers
to finance agricultural enterprises. Under these designated farm
loan programs, FSA can provide financing to eligible applicants
through either direct or guaranteed loans.
FSA defines a beginning farmer as a person who:
Has operated a farm for not
more than 10 years
Will materially and
substantially participate in the operation of the farm
Agrees to participate in a loan
assessment, borrower training and financial management program sponsored
by FSA
Does not own a farm in excess
of 30 percent of the county’s average size farm.
Additional program information,
loan applications, and other materials are available at your
local USDA Service Center. You may also visit www.fsa.usda.gov.
Loans for the
Socially Disadvantaged
FSA has a number of loan
programs available to assist applicants to begin or continue in
agriculture production. Loans are available for operating type
loans and/or to purchase or improve farms or ranches.
While all qualified producers
are eligible to apply for these loan programs, the FSA has
provided priority funding for members of traditionally
underserved groups.
A socially
disadvantaged applicant is one of a group whose members have
been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of
his or her identity as members of the group without regard to
his or her individual qualities.
USDA
Provides Greater Protection for Fruit, Vegetable and
Other Specialty Crop Growers
Greater protection is now available from the
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program for
crops that historically have been ineligible for
federal crop insurance. The new options, created by
the 2014 Farm Bill, provide greater coverage for
losses when natural disasters affect specialty crops
such as vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, floriculture,
ornamental nursery, aquaculture, turf grass,
ginseng, honey, syrup, and energy crops.
Previously, the
program offered coverage at 55 percent of the
average market price for crop losses that exceed 50
percent of expected production. Producers can now
choose higher levels of coverage, up to 65 percent
of their expected production at 100 percent of the
average market price.
The expanded
protection will be especially helpful to beginning
and socially disadvantaged producers, as well as
farmers with limited resources, who will receive fee
waivers and premium reductions for expanded
coverage. More crops are now eligible for the
program, including expanded aquaculture production
practices, and sweet and biomass sorghum. For the
first time, a range of crops used to produce
bioenergy will be eligible as well.
[to top of second column] |
To help producers learn more about
the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program and how it can help
them, USDA, in partnership with Michigan State University and the
University of Illinois, created an online resource. The Web tool,
available at www.fsa.usda.gov/nap,
allows producers to determine whether their crops are eligible for
coverage. It also gives them an opportunity to explore a variety of
options and levels to determine the best protection level for their
operation.
If the
application deadline for an eligible crop has already passed,
producers will have until Jan. 14, 2015, to choose expanded coverage
through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. To learn
more, visit the Farm Service Agency (FSA) website at www.fsa.usda.gov/nap or
contact your local FSA office at offices.usda.gov.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA), which administers the program, also
wants to hear from producers and other interested stakeholders who
may have suggestions or recommendations on the program. Written
comments will be accepted until Feb.
13, 2015 and
can be submitted through www.regulations.gov.
Interest Rates for
January 2015
90-Day Treasury Bill: .125%
Farm Operating Loans - Direct: 2.625%
Farm Ownership Loans - Direct: 4.00%
Farm Ownership Loans Direct Downpayment, Beginning Farmer or
Rancher: 1.50%
Emergency Loans: 3.625%
Farm Storage Facility Loans (7 years): 2.00%
Farm Storage Facility Loans (10 years): 2.250%
Farm Storage Facility Loans (12 years): 2.375%
Commodity Loans: 1.125%
2014 Farm Bill
Informational/Producer Education Meetings
Farm Service Agency and the
Illinois Farm Bureau are conducting several 2014 Farm Bill
Informational/Producer Education Meetings throughout the state. For
a complete listing of the Farm Bureau informational meetings that
the Illinois Farm Bureau is providing please visit FarmWeekNow.com
and for a complete listing of the Producers Education Meetings that
FSA is providing please visit www.fsa.usda.gov/il.
Dates to Remember
December or March
15, 2015 (depending
on the crop) - NAP sales closing date
January 30, 2015 -
Deadline to request early CRP contract termination
January 30, 2015 -
Deadline to submit a notice of loss & apply for Livestock Indemnity
Program (LIP)
January 30, 2015 -
Final date to apply for LFP for crop year 2012 and LIP benefits for
eligible livestock losses due to adverse weather conditions
February 27, 2015 - Deadline to update yield history and/or
reallocate base acres
March 31, 2015 - Deadline to make a one-time
election between ARC and PLC for 2014 through 2018 crop years
September 30, 2018 -
Extension of Dairy Indemnity Payment Program (DIPP)
Ongoing - FSFL (Farm Facility Loans)
Livestock Disaster
Assistance Sign-up Underway
Eligible producers can sign-up for
the following livestock disaster assistance programs:
Livestock Forage Disaster
Program (LFP):
LFP provides compensation to
eligible livestock producers that have suffered grazing losses due
to drought during 2012 for Illinois livestock producers on privately
owned or cash leased land. Eligible producers must physically be
located in a county affected by a qualifying drought during the
normal grazing period for the county. Producers who suffered
eligible grazing losses during crop year 2012 should submit a
completed CCC-853 and supporting documentation by January
30, 2015.
Livestock Indemnity Program
(LIP):
LIP provides compensation to
eligible livestock producers that have suffered livestock death
losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather and
attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal
government or protected by federal law. Producers who suffered
livestock death losses should submit a notice of loss and an
application for payment to their local FSA office byJanuary
30, 2015 for
eligible livestock losses that occurred from October 1, 2011 through
December 31, 2014.
2014 MAL Requests
The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)
is accepting requests for marketing assistance loans (MALs) for
eligible 2014 commodities.
MALs for the 2014 crop year become
available to eligible producers beginning with harvest/shearing
season and extending through a specific commodity’s final loan
availability date.
MALs provide financing and
marketing assistance for wheat, feed grains, soybeans, and other
oilseeds, pulse crops, wool, mohair and honey. MALs provide
producers interim financing after harvest to help them meet cash
flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market
prices are typically at harvest-time lows.
National and county loans rates for
2014 crops are posted on the FSA website at: www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport.
For more information, please visit
a nearby USDA Service Center or FSA’s website
www.fsa.usda.gov
Signature Policy
Using the correct signature when
doing business with FSA can save time and prevent a delay in program
benefits. The following are FSA signature guidelines:
Spouses may sign documents on
behalf of each other for FSA and CCC programs in which either has an
interest, unless written notification denying a spouse this
authority has been provided to the county office
Spouses shall not sign on behalf of
each other as an authorized signatory for partnerships, joint
ventures, corporations, or other similar entities.
For additional clarification on
proper signatures contact your local FSA office.
Illinois
Farm Service Agency
3500 Wabash Ave
Springfield, IL 62711
www.fsa.usda.gov/il
State Committee:
Jill Appell - Chairperson
Brenda Hill - Member
Jerry Jimenez - Member
Joyce Matthews - Member
Gordon Stine - Member
State Executive Director:
Scherrie V. Giamanco
Executive
Officer:
Rick Graden
Division Chiefs:
Doug Bailey
Jeff Koch
Kent Mason
Stan Wilson
Please contact your
local FSA Office for questions specific to your operation or county.
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) |
