September Logan County FSA Updates

[September 30, 2016]    Report Forage and Fall-Seeded Crop by December 15th - FSA is reminding farmers of the requirement to report their perennial forages and fall seeded crops (wheat) by December 15, 2016 to meet FSA program eligibility requirements.

FSA and the Risk Management Agency (RMA), which oversees the Federal Crop Insurance Program, now have common acreage reporting dates.

Perennial forages include alfalfa, alfalfa grass mixtures, red clover, and others that are intended for harvest in 2017. This also includes pasture acreage and cover crops. Fall seeded small grains include winter wheat, rye and others. Producers who are interested in participating in any 2017 USDA farm programs or just want to keep their acreage history up to date need to report the location, acreage and planting date of the applicable crop.

Producers with crop insurance must also report their applicable forages and fall seeded small grains to their insurance company.

Late-filed provisions may be available to producers who are unable to meet the reporting deadline as required. Filing an acreage report on fall-seeded crops after the December 15, 2016 deadline will require the payment of a late-filing fee which amounts to a minimum of $46.00 per farm.

Producers should stop by the Logan County FSA office immediately to make arrangements to file an accurate acreage report!

Breaking New Ground

Agricultural producers are reminded to consult with FSA and NRCS before breaking out new ground for production purposes as doing so without prior authorization may put a producer’s federal farm program benefits in jeopardy. This is especially true for land that must meet Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions.

Producers with HEL determined soils are required to apply tillage, crop residue and rotational requirements as specified in their conservation plan.

Producers should notify FSA as a first point of contact prior to conducting land clearing or drainage type projects to ensure the proposed actions meet compliance criteria such as clearing any trees to create new cropland, then these areas will need to be reviewed to ensure such work will not risk your eligibility for benefits.

Landowners and operators complete the form AD-1026 - Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification to identify the proposed action and allow FSA to determine whether a referral to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for further review is necessary.

MAL and LDP Policy Changes for Crop Years 2015-2018

The Agricultural Act of 2014 authorized 2014-2018 crop year Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs) and Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs), with a few minor policy changes.

Among the changes, farm-stored MAL collateral transferred to warehouse storage will retain the original loan rate, be allowed to transfer only the outstanding farm-stored quantity with no additional quantity allowed and will no longer require producers to have a paid for measurement service when moving or commingling loan collateral.

MALs and LDPs provide financing and marketing assistance for wheat, feed grains, soybeans, and other oilseeds, pulse crops, wool 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. A producer who is eligible to obtain a loan, but agrees to forgo the loan, may obtain an LDP if such a payment is available.

FSA is now accepting requests for 2016 MALs and LDPs for all eligible commodities after harvest.

Before MAL repayments with a market loan gain or LDP disbursements can be made, producers must meet the requirements of actively engaged in farming, cash rent tenant and member contribution.

To be considered eligible for an LDP, producers must have form CCC-633EZ, Page 1 on file at their local FSA Office before losing beneficial interest in the crop. Pages 2, 3 or 4 of the form must be submitted when payment is requested.

The 2014 Farm Bill also establishes payment limitations per individual or entity not to exceed $125,000 annually on certain commodities for the following program benefits: price loss coverage payments, agriculture risk coverage payments, marketing loan gains (MLGs) and LDPs. These payment limitations do not apply to MAL loan disbursements or redemptions using commodity certificate exchange.

Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) provisions were modified by the 2014 Farm Bill, which states that a producer whose total applicable three-year average AGI exceeds $900,000 is not eligible to receive an MLG or LDP. Producers must have a valid CCC-941 on file to earn a market gain of LDP. The AGI does not apply to MALs redeemed with commodity certificate exchange.

For more information and additional eligibility requirements, please visit a nearby USDA Service Center or FSA’s website www.fsa.usda.gov.

Questions?

Please contact, John Peters, County Executive Director, at 217-735-5508 ext 2, john.peters@ il.usda.gov  or for Farm Loans, please contact Tony Schmillen, Farm Loan Manager, at 217-735-5508 ext 2, [e-mail]

Logan County FSA Office
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 : TBD

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).