Logan County FSA News and Reminders

[December 14, 2017]    Breaking out new ground or updating farm drainage:  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 is considered Highly Erodible (HEL) or contains Wetlands (WL). The FSA Office should be the first point of contact prior to conducting land clearing or draining type projects to ensure the proposed actions meet compliance criteria.

Report Forage and Fall-Seeded Crops by December 15th:  FSA is reminding farmers of the requirement to report their perennial forages and fall seeded crops by December 15, 2017 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 2018.  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 2018 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.

Text Messages:  Producers can sign up to receive text message reminders about important FSA deadlines, reporting requirements and updates.  Text ILLogan to 372-669 to subscribe. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Logan County FSA Encourages Farmers and Ranchers to Vote in the County Committee Election!

The 2017 Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections began on November 6th, when ballots were mailed to eligible voters of Logan County’s Local Administrative Area (LAA) #3. LAA #3 is comprised of Hurlbut, Elkhart, Mount Pulaski, Laenna, and Lake Fork.  The deadline to return the ballots to our FSA office is December 4, 2017.

County Committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and USDA.  Farmers and ranchers elected to County Committees help deliver FSA programs at the local level, applying their knowledge and judgment to make decisions on commodity price support programs; conservation programs; incentive, indemnity and disaster programs for some commodities; emergency programs and eligibility.  FSA Committees operate within official regulations designed to carry out federal laws.

To be an eligible voter, farmers and ranchers must participate or cooperate in an FSA program.  A person who is not of legal voting age, but supervises and conducts the farming operations of an entire farm may also be eligible to vote.

Eligible voters in Local Administrative Area #3, who do not receive a ballot in the mail can obtain one from the local USDA Service Center.  December 4, 2017, is the last day for voters to submit ballots in person. Ballots returned by mail must also be postmarked no later than December 4th.  Newly elected Committee members and their alternates will take office January 1, 2018.

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 $1,399,000.  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.

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 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 - Member
Tim Southerlan - Chairman
Kenton Stoll - Vice - Chairman
Dorothy Gleason - Advisor

County Executive Director:
John Peters

Program Technicians:
Ann Curry
Tammy Edwards
Mari Anne Komnick
Chelsie Peddicord

Farm Loan Manager:
Tony Schmillen

Next COC Meeting :
December 6th

Persons with disabilities who require accommodations to attend or participate in this meeting should contact John Peters at 217-735-5508 extension 2 or Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

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).