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 USDA Expands Microloans to Help Farmers Purchase Farmland and
Improve Property
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin offering
farm ownership microloans, creating a new financing avenue for
farmers to buy and improve property. These microloans will be
especially helpful to beginning or underserved farmers, U.S.
veterans looking for a career in farming, and those who have
small and mid-sized farming operations.
The microloan program, which celebrates its third anniversary
this week, has been hugely successful, providing more than
16,800 low-interest loans, totaling over $373 million to
producers across the country. Microloans have helped farmers and
ranchers with operating costs, such as feed, fertilizer, tools,
fencing, equipment, and living expenses since 2013. Seventy
percent of loans have gone to new farmers.
Now, microloans will be available to also help with farm land
and building purchases, and soil and water conservation
improvements. FSA designed the expanded program to simplify the
application process, expand eligibility requirements and
expedite smaller real estate loans to help farmers strengthen
their operations. Microloans provide up to $50,000 to qualified
producers, and can be issued to the applicant directly from the
USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).
This microloan announcement is another USDA resource for
America’s farmers and ranchers to utilize, especially as new and
beginning farmers and ranchers look for the assistance they need
to get started. To learn more about the FSA microloan program
visit
www.fsa.usda.gov/ microloans , or contact your local FSA
office. To find your nearest office location, please visit
http://offices.usda.gov.
Conduct USDA Business Online by Creating an eAuthentication
Account
The Internet allows you, the customer, access to USDA
information 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can fill out
and submit electronic forms (eForms) any time of the day or
night from anywhere you have Internet access. This new service
delivery option allows you to complete and file your own forms
or applications online, because your signature is already
electronically "on file."
Information submitted to the Federal Government remains safe and
secure because every customer has a unique User ID and password;
only authorized USDA employees can access your information. It's
safe, saves paper, saves a visit to your local USDA Service
Center and provides electronic tracking of all your USDA
transactions.
How to Sign Up for eAuth :
Begin the process by reviewing the information at the USDA
Website https://www.eauth.usda.gov. This website describes the
services available for Level 1 and Level 2 Accounts. Level 1 and
Level 2 accounts require that you have an email address so you
can register, create a customer profile, and be able to respond
to a confirmation email. Level 1 Accounts do not require you to
provide proof of your identity at a local USDA Service Center.
Level 1 Accounts provide limited access to certain
USDA Web site portals that require no authentication or
authorization. A Level 2 Account does require a visit to a USDA
Service Center with proof of your identity. That is because a
Level 2 account allows you access to complete and submit
documents and forms electronically.
LEVEL 1 ACCOUNT
STEP 1. To obtain a Level 1 Account, you may self-register
online at www.eauth.egov.usda.gov.
Scroll down and click on the button that says “Sign Up for a
Level 1 Account.” Complete the brief customer profile.
STEP 2. You will receive a confirmation email, and you
must respond to it within 7 days to activate your account.
LEVEL 2 ACCOUNT
STEP 1. To obtain a Level 2 Account, you must complete an 18
question customer profile and prove your identity by presenting
state or federal photo ID at a local USDA Service Center. Go to
www.eauth.egov.usda.gov, scroll down and click on “Sign Up for a
Level 2 Account.” Complete your customer profile, which includes
designating your user ID and password created by you, contact
information and email information. The data you enter in your
customer profile must match the data on the document you use as
identification at your local USDA Service Center. Example: Your
first and last names and address must match the
government-issued photo ID you plan to use to prove your
identity. Identify proof can only be verified by one of the
following documents: Current State Driver’s License, State Photo
ID, US Military ID, or United States Passport.
STEP 2. After completing your customer profile and
submitting it online, you will receive a
confirmation email, and you must respond to it within 7 days to
activate your account.
STEP 3. Then you must complete the “Identify Proofing”
process by visiting a local USDA Service Center. You will be
required to present the eligible photo ID to an USDA employee
who will verify your identity and enter the expiration date of
the ID document used.
STEP 4. The USDA employee then will update your customer
profile to a Level 2 Account. You will have access to USDA
online applications and forms within one hour of your account
being updated.
USDA Begins 49th Enrollment Period for the Conservation
Reserve Program
Farmers and ranchers are reminded that the next general
enrollment period for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
started Dec. 1, 2015, and ends on Feb. 26, 2016. December 2015
also marks the 30th anniversary of CRP, a federally funded
program that assists 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.
As of September 2015, 24.2 million acres were enrolled in CRP.
CRP also is protecting more than 170,000 stream miles with
riparian forest and grass buffers, enough to go around the world
7 times. For an interactive tour of CRP success stories from
across the U.S., visit
www.fsa. usda.gov/CRPis30, or follow on Twitter at #CRPis30.
Participants in CRP establish long-term, resource-conserving
plant species, such as approved grasses or trees (known as
“covers”) to control soil erosion, improve water quality and
develop wildlife habitat on marginally productive agricultural
lands. In return, FSA provides participants with rental payments
and cost-share assistance. At times when commodity prices are
low, enrolling sensitive lands in CRP can be especially
attractive to farmers and ranchers, as it softens the economic
hardship for landowners at the same time that it provides
ecological benefits. Contract duration is between 10 and 15
years. The long-term goal of the program is to re-establish
native plant species on marginal agricultural lands for the
primary purpose of preventing soil erosion and improving water
quality and related benefits of reducing loss of wildlife
habitat.
Contracts on 1.64 million acres of CRP are set to expire on
Sept. 30, 2016. Producers with expiring contracts or producers
with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate
their options under CRP.
Since it was established on Dec. 23, 1985, CRP has:
Prevented more than 9 billion tons of soil from eroding, enough
soil to fill 600 million dump trucks;
- Reduced nitrogen and phosphorous runoff relative to
annually tilled cropland by 95 and 85 percent respectively;
- Sequestered an annual average of 49 million tons of
greenhouse gases, equal to taking 9 million cars off the
road.
Since 1996, CRP has created nearly 2.7 million acres of restored
wetlands.
For more information FSA conservation programs, visit a local
FSA office or
www. fsa.usda.gov/conservation. To find your local FSA
office, visit
http://offices.usda.gov.
Tree Assistance Program (TAP) Sign-up
Orchardists and nursery tree growers who experience losses from
natural disasters during calendar year 2015 must submit a TAP
application either 90 calendar days after the disaster event or
the date when the loss is apparent. 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.
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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.
Youth Loans
The Farm Service Agency makes loans to youth to establish and
operate agricultural income-producing projects in connection
with 4-H clubs, FFA and other agricultural groups. Projects must
be planned and operated with the help of the organization
advisor, produce sufficient income to repay the loan and provide
the youth with practical business and educational experience.
The maximum loan amount is $5000.
Youth Loan Eligibility Requirements:
Be a citizen of the United States (which includes Puerto Rico,
the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands) or a legal resident alien
- Be 10 years to 20 years of age
Comply with FSA’s general eligibility requirements
- Be unable to get a loan from other sources
Conduct a modest income-producing project in a supervised
program of work as outlined above
- Demonstrate capability of planning, managing and operating
the project under guidance and assistance from a project
advisor. The project supervisor must recommend the youth loan
applicant, along with providing adequate supervision.
Revised January Interest Rates
Farm Ownership Loans - Direct 3.875%
Farm Ownership Loans — Direct Down Payment,
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 1996-Present 1.625%
ARC, PLC and CTAP Acreage Maintenance
Producers enrolled in Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price
Loss Coverage (PLC) must protect all cropland and non cropland
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 or PLC, the County Committee may
elect to terminate the contract for the program year.
Producers May be Eligible for Emergency Conservation Program
Assistance
The heavy rains that occurred in December caused severe damage
in several areas of the State.
Farms and ranches suffering severe damage may be eligible for
assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)
administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) if the damage:
- will be so costly to rehabilitate that Federal
assistance is or will be needed to return the land to
productive agricultural use
- is unusual and is not the type that would recur
frequently in the same area
- affect the productive capacity of the farmland
- will impair or endanger the land
A producer qualifying for ECP assistance may receive cost-share
levels not to exceed 75 percent of the eligible cost of
restoration measures. No producer is eligible for more than
$200,000 cost sharing per natural disaster occurrence. The
following types of measures may be eligible:
- removing debris from farmland
- grading, shaping, or releveling severely damaged
farmland
- restoring permanent fence
- restoring conservation structures and other similar
installations
Producers who have suffered a loss from a natural disaster may
contact the local County FSA Office and request assistance.
To be eligible for assistance, practices must not be started
until all of the following are met:
- an application for cost-share assistance has
been filed
- the local FSA County Committee (COC) or its
representative has conducted an onsite inspection of
the damaged area
- the Agency responsible for technical assistance,
such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS),
has made a needs determination, which may include
cubic yards of earthmoving, etc., required for
rehabilitation
For more information about ECP, please contact your local FSA
County Office.
Update Your Records
If you have any unreported changes of address, zip code, an
incorrect name, or business name on file they need to be
reported to your local County FSA office. Changes in your farm
operation, like the addition of a farm by lease or purchase,
need to be reported to our office as well. Producers
participating in FSA and NRCS programs are required to timely
report changes in their farming operation to the County
Committee in writing and update their CCC-902 Farm Operating
Plan.
If you have any updates or corrections, please call your local
FSA office to update your records.
NRCS Announces EQIP sign-up in Illinois to Improve Soil
Health
The U. S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) will be offering funding for a
special soil health project through the Regional Conservation
Partnership Program (RCPP).
NRCS has partnered with the Illinois Department of Agriculture
to help producers address resource concerns such as water
quality and soil health. Producers can apply for assistance
through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to
implement cover crop, nutrient management, and/or no-till
practices. The project focus is to reduce soil erosion and
improve water quality by installing conservation practices on
agricultural land.
The NRCS soil health project through RCPP will be available to
producers throughout Illinois who are interested in installing
any or all of the previously mentioned practices. To take
advantage of this special conservation funding opportunity,
interested producers should submit an application to their local
NRCS field office by the cutoff dates of February 19, March 18
and May 20, 2016. Producers are reminded that they can submit an
EQIP application to their local field office at any time
throughout the year.
To apply, eligible producers should contact their local NRCS
field office or visit the Illinois NRCS website at
www.il.nrcs.usda.gov.
Dates to Remember
Continuous - CRP signup
Continuous - Farm Record Changes (new owners, new operators,
direct deposits, etc.)
Continuous - FSFL - Farm Storage Facility Loan Applications
February 15 - George Washington's Birthday - Office Closed
February 19 - Submit application to NRCS for EQIP Special Soil
Health Project
February 26 - CRP 49 enrollment period ends
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. |
