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 The new programs, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, trigger
financial protections for agricultural producers when market
forces cause substantial drops in crop prices or revenues. More
than 1.76 million farmers have elected ARC or PLC. Previously,
1.7 million producers had enrolled to receive direct payments
(the program replaced with ARC and PLC by the 2014 Farm Bill).
This means more farms have elected ARC or PLC than previously
enrolled under previously administered programs.
Nationwide, 96 percent of soybean farms, 91 percent of corn
farms, and 66 percent of wheat farms elected ARC. 99 percent of
long grain rice farms, 99 percent of peanut farms, and 94
percent of medium grain rice farms elected PLC. For data about
other crops and state-by-state program election results go to
www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc.
Covered commodities under ARC and PLC 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 and sweet rice), safflower seed, sesame, soybeans,
sunflower seed and wheat. Upland cotton is no longer a covered
commodity.
For more information please contact your local FSA office
http://offices.usda.gov.
ARC, PLC and CTAP Acreage Maintenance
Producers enrolled in Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price
Loss Coverage (PLC) or the Cotton Transition Assistance Program
(CTAP) must protect all cropland and noncropland acres on the
farm from wind and water erosion and noxious weeds. Producers
who sign ARC county or individual contracts and PLC contracts
agree to effectively control noxious weeds on the farm according
to sound agricultural practices. If a producer fails to take
necessary actions to correct a maintenance problem on a farm
that is enrolled in ARC, PLC or CTAP, the County Committee may
elect to terminate the contract for the program year.
USDA Announces Changes to Fruit, Vegetable and Wild Rice
Planting Rules
Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced fruit, vegetable and
wild rice provisions that affect producers who intend to
participate in certain programs authorized by the Agricultural
Act of 2014.
Producers who intend to participate in the Agriculture Risk
Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs are subject
to an acre-for-acre payment reduction when fruits and nuts,
vegetables or wild rice are planted on the payment acres of a
farm. Payment reductions do not apply to mung beans, dry peas,
lentils or chickpeas. Planting fruits, vegetables or wild rice
on acres that are not considered payment acres will not result
in a payment reduction.
Farms that are eligible to participate in ARC/PLC but are not
enrolled for a particular year may plant unlimited fruits,
vegetables and wild rice for that year but will not receive
ARC/PLC payments for that year. Eligibility for succeeding years
is not affected.
Planting and harvesting fruits, vegetables and wild rice on
ARC/PLC acreage is subject to the acre-for-acre payment
reduction when those crops are planted on either more than 15
percent of the base acres of a farm enrolled in ARC using the
county coverage or PLC, or more than 35 percent of the base
acres of a farm enrolled in ARC using the individual coverage.
Fruits, vegetables and wild rice that are planted in a
double-cropping practice will not cause a payment reduction if
the farm is in a double-cropping region as designated by the
USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation.
USDA Announces Conservation Incentives for Working Grass,
Range and Pasture Lands
Beginning Sept. 1, farmers and ranchers can apply for financial
assistance to help conserve working grasslands, rangeland and
pastureland while maintaining the areas as livestock grazing
lands.
The initiative is part of the voluntary Conservation Reserve
Program (CRP), a federally funded program that for 30 years has
assisted agricultural producers with the cost of restoring,
enhancing and protecting certain grasses, shrubs and trees to
improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and reduce loss of
wildlife habitat. In return, the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) provides participants with rental payments and cost-share
assistance. CRP has helped farmers and ranchers prevent more
than 8 billion tons of soil from eroding, reduce nitrogen and
phosphorous runoff relative to cropland by 95 and 85 percent
respectively, and even sequester 43 million tons of greenhouse
gases annually, equal to taking 8 million cars off the road.
The CRP-Grasslands initiative will provide participants who
establish long-term, resource-conserving covers with annual
rental payments up to 75 percent of the grazing value of the
land. Cost-share assistance also is available for up to 50
percent of the covers and other practices, such as cross fencing
to support rotational grazing or improving pasture cover to
benefit pollinators or other wildlife. Participants may still
conduct common grazing practices, produce hay, mow, or harvest
for seed production, conduct fire rehabilitation, and construct
firebreaks and fences.
With the publication of the CRP regulation today, the Farm
Service Agency will accept applications on an ongoing basis
beginning Sept. 1, 2015, with those applications scored against
published ranking criteria, and approved based on the
competiveness of the offer. The ranking period will occur at
least once per year and be announced at least 30 days prior to
its start. The end of the first ranking period will be Nov. 20,
2015.
To learn more about participating in CRP-Grasslands or SAFE,
visit www.fsa.usda.gov/crp or consult with the local Farm
Service Agency county office. To locate a nearby Farm Service
Agency office, visit http://offices.usda.gov. To learn more
about the 30th anniversary of CRP, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/CRPis30
or follow on Twitter using #CRPis30.
FSA County Committee Election
DON’T MISS OUT ON VOTING
Ballots will be mailed to voters by Nov. 9, 2015, and must be
returned to the FSA county office or postmarked by Dec. 7, 2015.
Eligible voters must contact their local FSA county office
before the final date if they did not receive a ballot.
WHO CAN VOTE
Agricultural producers of legal voting age may be eligible to
vote if they participate or cooperate in any FSA program. A
person who is not of legal voting age but supervises and
conducts the farming operations of an entire farm also may be
eligible to vote. Members of American Indian tribes holding
agricultural land are eligible to vote if voting requirements
are met. More information about voting eligibility requirements
can be found in the FSA fact sheet titled “FSA County Committee
Election - Eligibility to Vote and Hold Office as a County
Committee Member” http://www.fsa.usda.gov/
news-room/county-committee-elections/index.
Producers may contact their local FSA county office for more
information. To find your local FSA county office, visit
http://offices.usda.gov.
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September Interest Rates
Farm Operating - Direct 2.625%
Farm Ownership - Direct 4.000%
Farm Ownership - Direct, Joint
Financing 2.500%
Farm Ownership - Down Payment 1.500%
Emergency Loan Amount of
Actual Loss 3.625%
Conservation Loan 4.000%
FSFL 7 year Loan 2.000%
FSFL 10 year Loan 2.250%
FSFL 12 year Loan 2.250%
FSFL 15 year Loan 2.375%
Commodity Loans 1.375%
USDA Packages Disaster Protection with Loans to Benefit Specialty
Crop and Diversified Producers
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA)
today announced that producers who apply for FSA farm loans also
will be offered the opportunity to enroll in new disaster loss
protections created by the 2014 Farm Bill. The new coverage,
available from the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
(NAP), is available to FSA loan applicants who grow non-insurable
crops, so this is especially important to fruit and vegetable
producers and other specialty crop growers.
New, underserved and limited income specialty growers who apply for
farm loans could qualify for basic loss coverage at no cost, or
higher coverage for a discounted premium.
The basic disaster coverage protects at 55 percent of the market
price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of production. Covered
crops include “specialty” crops, for instance, vegetables, fruits,
mushrooms, floriculture, ornamental nursery, aquaculture, turf
grass, ginseng, honey, syrup, hay, forage, grazing and energy crops.
FSA allows beginning, underserved or limited income producers to
obtain NAP coverage up to 90 days after the normal application
closing date when they also apply for FSA credit.
In addition to free basic coverage, beginning, underserved or
limited income producers are eligible for a 50 percent discount on
premiums for the higher levels of coverage that protect up to 65
percent of expected production at 100 percent of the average market
price. Producers also may work with FSA to protect value-added
production, such as organic or direct market crops, at their fair
market value in those markets. Targeted underserved groups eligible
for free or discounted coverage are American Indians or Alaskan
Natives, Asians, Blacks or African Americans, Native Hawaiians or
other Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and women.
FSA offers a variety of loan products, including farm ownership
loans, operating loans and microloans that have a streamlined
application process.
Growers need not apply for an FSA loan, nor be a beginning, limited
resource, or underserved farmer, to be eligible for Noninsured Crop
Disaster Assistance Program assistance. To learn more, visit
www.fsa.usda.gov/napor www.fsa.usda.gov/farmloans, or contact your
local FSA office at https://offices.usda.gov.
Guaranteed Loan Program
FSA guaranteed loans allow lenders to provide agricultural credit to
farmers who do not meet the lender's normal underwriting criteria.
Farmers and ranchers apply for a guaranteed loan through a lender,
and the lender arranges for the guarantee. FSA can guarantee up to
95 percent of the loss of principal and interest on a loan.
Guaranteed loans can be used for both farm ownership and operating
purposes.
Guaranteed farm ownership loans can be used to purchase farmland,
construct or repair buildings, develop farmland to promote soil and
water conservation or to refinance debt.
Guaranteed operating loans can be used to purchase livestock, farm
equipment, feed, seed, fuel, farm chemicals, insurance and other
operating expenses.
FSA can guarantee farm ownership and operating loans up to
$1,392,000. Repayment terms vary depending on the type of loan,
collateral and the producer's ability to repay the loan. Operating
loans are normally repaid within seven years and farm ownership
loans are not to exceed 40 years.
Please contact your lender or local FSA farm loan office for more
information on guaranteed loans.
Dates to Remember
September 30
Final date to enroll in ARC/PLC Program
Final date to re-enroll continuous CRP expiring in 2015
October 12 Columbus Day "Office Closed"
November 09 COC ballots will be mailed to voters
November 11 Veterans Day "Office Closed"
November 26 Thanksgiving Day "Office Closed"
December 01 General CRP signup period begins
December 07 COC ballots must be returned to FSA County
Offices
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
Administrative Officer:
Dan Puccetti
Division Chiefs:
Doug Bailey
Jeff Koch
Stan Wilson
Please contact your local FSA Office for questions specific to your
operation or county. |
