Logan County FSA Farm Program Updates

[February 22, 2016]    Logan County FSA Farm Program Updates

ARCPLC Program Sign Up

Sign up for the ARCPLC Program has begun! Many producers have already visited the office to take care of their signature requirements. Please stop by the office NOW and sign up. No appointments are necessary and contracts are ready for your signature. Don't wait till the last minute and complete your contracts now.

CRP General and Continuous Sign Up

Farmers and ranchers are reminded that signup opportunities are currently underway for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). An enrollment period for producers wanting to submit offers under the General CRP program started on December 1, 2015, and will continue until February 26, 2016. The Continuous CRP program signup for environmentally sensitive acres is on-going and offers can be submitted at anytime. Current participants that will have contracts expiring on September 30th, 2016 should check with their local FSA office if interested in offering the acres for re-enrollment.

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.

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.

Logan County SWCD Tree and Fish Sale

The Logan County Soil & Water Conservation District is offering a variety of evergreens, hardwoods and shrubs for spring planting. Most species are 3-4 year old seedlings and are 12-18” in height. The evergreens are sold in bundles of 25 and the hardwoods are in bundles of 5. Prices range from $1 to $1.40 per seedling. The deadline for ordering trees is March 7, 2016. Delivery of the trees are expected in early April. Customers will be notified of delivery in late March.

The SWCD is also sponsoring a fish sale this spring for the pond owners in the county. Orders for grass carp are needed by March 11, 2016. Orders for all other fish are needed by March 25, 2016. Delivery of the fish will be at noon on Tuesday, March 29th at the USDA parking lot in Lincoln.

Order forms for both sales can be found on the SWCD website www.loganswcd.org

Microloans

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) developed the microloan program to better serve the unique financial operating needs of new, niche and small to mid-sized family farm operations. Microloans offers more flexible access to credit and serves as an attractive loan alternative for smaller farming operations, like specialty crop producers and operators of community supported agriculture (CSA). These smaller farms, including non-traditional farm operations, often face limited financing options.

Two types of microloans are available: Farm Operating Loans and Farm Ownership Loans. The microloans are issued to the applicant directly from the USDA FSA.

To qualify for assistance, the applicant must not be larger than a family-sized farmer, have a satisfactory history of meeting credit obligations, be unable to obtain credit elsewhere at reasonable rates and terms and meet all other loan eligibility requirements. Please contact your local FSA office for further details.

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 26 : CRP 49 general enrollment period ends
March 7 : Tree order deadline
March 11 : Grass Carp order deadline
March 25 : Fish order deadline

Questions?
Please contact, John Peters, County Executive Director, at 217-735-5508 ext 2, [e-mail] or for Farm Loans, please contact Tony Schmillen, Farm Loan Manager, at 217-735-5508 ext 2, [e-mail]

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

Phone: [phone] ext. 2
Fax: [phone]

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 : Feb. 23rd

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 [phone] (Toll-free Customer Service), [phone] (Local or Federal relay), [phone] (Relay voice users).