July-August Logan County Illinois FSA Updates

[July 15, 2016]    During National Pollinator Week, USDA Announces Key Measures to Improve Pollinator Health - USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program Currently Provides 15 Million Acres of Healthy Forage for Pollinators, and New Partnership Will Ensure Additional High-Quality Habitat in the Future - During National Pollinator Week (June 20-26), USDA announced two initiatives in support of the President’s National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honeybees and Other Pollinators, announced just over one year ago.

A review of USDA’s most popular conservation program found that farmers and ranchers across the country are creating at least 15 million acres of healthy forage and habitat for pollinators, and the department has also entered into a new partnership with leading honey bee organizations that will help to ensure future conservation projects continue to provide benefits to these important species.

USDA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with two honey bee organizations, the American Honey Producers Association and the American Beekeeping Federation, to facilitate an ongoing partnership that will ensure USDA’s conservation initiatives are as advantageous as possible to pollinators and that beekeepers understand how they can benefit from USDA’s conservation and safety net programs.

FSA plays a critical role in the delivery of programs that provide a safety net for beekeepers who experience losses due to natural disasters, and the agency administers the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program, which provides assistance for the loss of honeybee colonies, in excess of normal mortality, due to Colony Collapse Disorder or other natural causes. These groups have helped to ensure that these safety net programs work well, and they have helped focus research to learn more about the impacts of USDA programs and make continuous improvements. This MOU creates a framework to ensure ongoing, meaningful information sharing to help beekeepers and honey bees into the future.

The National Strategy called for seven million acres of land to be enhanced or restored for pollinators. Since then, USDA has more than tripled the acreage enrolled in CRP’s pollinator initiative, through which USDA helps to cover the cost of planting pollinator-friendly wildflowers, legumes and shrubs, and USDA has increased the limit on this initiative in response to landowner demand so that more acres can be enrolled in the future.

This fact sheet contains more information about USDA’s work to keep pollinators buzzing and contributing to a diverse domestic and global food supply.

To learn more about FSA’s conservation programs, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation or contact a local FSA county office. To find your local FSA county office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.

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.

For more information/questions, please contact Tony Schmillen, Farm Loan Manager, at 217-735-5508 or [e-mail]

Important Dates to Remember

• July 4 Independence Day - Office Closed
• July 5 Final date to file a notice of loss for prevent plant soybeans
• July 15 Final date to report spring seeded crops and CRP
• August 1 Final date to submit County Committee Election Nomination Form
• August 1 Primary Nesting Season ends (CRP Maintenance and Management may resume)
• August 1 Final date to request a reconstitution or farm transfer for 2016
• August 1 Final date to submit signatures on 2016 ARCPLC program contracts
• Continuous Farm Record Changes
• Continuous Farm Storage Facility Loan Applications
• Continuous Continuous CRP Signup (waterways, filter strips, field borders, pollinator habitat)

Employment Opportunity
Permanent Full-Time Position
See ad in Lincoln Daily News
 

PERMANENT, FULL-TIME POSITION available immediately in an agricultural office. Salary range is $13.00 to $19.00 per hour plus benefits. A copy of the vacancy announcement is available at Logan County Farm Service Agency, 1650^th 5^th St. Lincoln, IL, 62656.  

 Application packages must be submitted through www.USAJobs.gov by July 14^th, 2016. We recognize and appreciate the benefits of diversity in the workplace. People who share this belief and reflect a diverse background are encouraged to apply.  FSA is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Eligibility for relocation expenses is determined by the current status of the individual.

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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]

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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).

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
Chelsie Peddicord

Farm Loan Manager:
Tony Schmillen

County Operations Trainee:
Miranda Belcher

Next COC Meeting : July 20, 2016