|
 Applications will be accepted through August 28, 2020. Through
CFAP, USDA is making available $16 billion for vital financial
assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have
suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19
and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of
lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping
patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.
We also want to remind producers that the program is structured
to ensure the availability of funding for all eligible producers
who apply. In order to do this, producers will receive 80
percent of their maximum total payment upon approval of the
application. The remaining portion of the payment, not to exceed
the payment limit, will be paid at a later date nationwide, as
funds remain available.
Producers can download the CFAP application and other
eligibility forms from farmers.gov/cfap.
If you haven’t certified your planted acres, please telephone
your local FSA office to make a telephone/virtual meeting
appointment to do so.
There are also options for Farm Service Agency loan customers
during financial stress. If you are a borrower who is unable to
make payments on a loan, contact your local FSA Farm Loan
Manager to learn about the options available to you.
County FSA Offices continue to be open for telephone and virtual
appointments only.
William J. Graff
Illinois Farm Service Agency
Direct Loans
FSA offers direct farm ownership and direct farm operating Loans
to producers who want to establish, maintain or strengthen their
farm or ranch. FSA loan officers process, approve and service
direct loans.
Direct farm operating loans can be used to purchase livestock
and feed, farm equipment, fuel, farm chemicals, insurance and
other costs including family living expenses. Operating loans
can also be used to finance minor improvements or repairs to
buildings and to refinance some farm-related debts, excluding
real estate.
Direct farm ownership loans can be used to purchase farmland,
enlarge an existing farm, construct and repair buildings, and to
make farm improvements.
The maximum loan amount for direct farm ownership loans is
$600,000 and the maximum loan amount for direct operating loans
is $400,000 and a down payment is not required. 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 local FSA office for more information or to
apply for a direct farm ownership or operating loan.
Farmers and Ranchers in Illinois Can Now
Apply for Financial Assistance through USDA’s Coronavirus Food
Assistance Program
Online Tools and Toll-Free Number Available to Assist
Producers
Agricultural producers can now apply for USDA’s Coronavirus Food
Assistance Program (CFAP), which provides direct payments to
offset impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. The application
and a payment calculator are now available online, and USDA’s
Farm Service Agency (FSA) staff members are available via phone,
fax and online tools to help producers complete applications.
The agency set up a call center in order to simplify how they
serve new customers across the nation.
Applications will be accepted through August 28, 2020. Through
CFAP, USDA is making available $16 billion for vital financial
assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have
suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19
and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of
lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping
patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.
We also want to remind producers that the program is structured
to ensure the availability of funding for all eligible producers
who apply.
In order to do this, producers will receive 80 percent of their
maximum total payment upon approval of the application. The
remaining portion of the payment, not to exceed the payment
limit, will be paid at a later date nationwide, as funds remain
available.
Producers can download the CFAP application and other
eligibility forms from farmers.gov/cfap. Also, on that webpage,
producers can find a payment calculator to help identify sales
and inventory records needed to apply and calculate potential
payments.
Applying for Assistance
Producers of all eligible commodities will apply through their
local FSA office. Those who use the online calculator tool will
be able to print off a pre-filled CFAP application, sign, and
submit to your local FSA office either electronically or via
hand delivery. Please contact your local office to determine the
preferred method. Find contact information for your local office
at farmers.gov/cfap.
Documentation to support the producer’s application and
certification may be requested after the application is filed.
FSA has streamlined the signup process to not require an acreage
report at the time of application and a USDA farm number may not
be immediately needed.
Additional Commodities
USDA is also establishing a process for the public to identify
additional commodities for potential inclusion in CFAP.
Specifically, USDA is looking for data on agricultural
commodities, that are not currently eligible for CFAP, that the
public believes to have either:
1) suffered a five percent-or-greater price decline between
mid-January and mid-April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,
2) shipped but subsequently spoiled due to loss of marketing
channel, or
3) not left the farm or remained unharvested as mature crops.
More information about this process is available on farmers.gov/cfap.
More Information
To find the latest information on CFAP, visit farmers.gov/cfap
or call 877-508-8364.
USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment
only, and field work will continue with appropriate social
distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come
into the office, they will be working with producers by phone
and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center
visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural
Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center
agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a
phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/
coronavirus.
Eligibility for Nominations for the 2020
County Committee Elections
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency
(FSA) county committees are a critical component of the
day-to-day operations of FSA and allow grassroots input and
local administration of federal farm programs.
Committees are comprised of locally elected agricultural
producers responsible for the fair and equitable administration
of FSA farm programs in their counties. Committee members are
accountable to the Secretary of Agriculture. If elected, members
become part of a local decision making and farm program delivery
process.
A county committee is composed of three to 11 elected members
from local administrative areas (LAA). Each member serves a
three-year term. To be eligible for nomination and hold office
as a committee member or alternate, a person must fulfill each
of the following requirements: (1) be a producer with an
interest in farming or ranching operations, (2) participate or
cooperate in any FSA program provided for by law, (3) be a U.S.
citizen, (4) be of legal voting age, (5) meet the basic
eligibility requirements, and (6) reside in the county or
multi-county jurisdiction in which they will be serving.
All nomination forms for the 2020 election must be postmarked or
received in the local USDA Service Center by Aug. 1, 2020 (or
next business day). For more information on FSA county committee
elections and appointments, refer to the FSA fact sheet:
Eligibility to Vote and Hold Office as a COC Member available
online at: fsa.usda.gov/elections.
USDA Reminds Illinois Producers to Complete
Crop Acreage Reports
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices in Illinois are
currently open to phone and virtual appointments only but can
still work with producers on timely filing crop acreage reports.
FSA staff can provide assistance over the phone, by email and
through virtual meetings via Microsoft Teams.
The following acreage reporting dates are applicable in
Illinois:
December 15
Fall-Seeded Small Grains, Canola
January 15
Apples, Asparagus, Blueberries, Caneberries, Cherries,
Grapes,Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Strawberries
June 15
Cucumbers (Planted 5/1-5/31 in Gallatin, Lawrence, and
White Counties
July 15
Cabbage (Planted 3/15-5/31), Cucumbers (all other counties not
listed), all other crops, Perennial Forage
August 15
Cabbage (planted 6/1-7/20)
September 15
Cucumbers (planted 6/1-8/15 in Gallatin,
Lawrence, and White Counties)
In order to comply with FSA program eligibility requirements,
all producers must file an accurate crop acreage report by the
applicable deadline. FSA staff is still able to assist producers
in completing acreage reports, including providing maps.
FSA county offices in Illinois provided maps to producers with
instructions for completing the maps. After planting is
complete, producers should return completed maps and the acreage
reporting sheet.
FSA offices are using Microsoft Teams software to virtually meet
with producers to review maps and documents for certification.
Producers who want to schedule a virtual appointment can
download the Microsoft Teams app on their smart phones and call
the FSA office for an appointment. You can also use Microsoft
Teams from your personal computer without downloading software.
After completed maps and all acreage reporting information is
received, FSA will make software updates and provide producers
with the completed Report of Acreage form (FSA-578) to sign.
Producers must return the signed form certifying their acreage
report to the FSA office.
The following exceptions apply to acreage reporting dates:
1) If the crop has not been planted by the acreage reporting
date, then the acreage must be reported no later than 15
calendar days after planting is completed
2) If a producer acquires additional acreage after the acreage
reporting date, then the acreage must be reported no later than
30 calendars days after purchase or acquiring the lease.
Appropriate documentation must be provided to the county office.
Producers should also report crop acreage they intended to
plant, but due to natural disaster, were unable to plant.
Prevented planting acreage must be reported on form CCC-576,
Notice of Loss, no later than 15 calendar days after the final
planting date as established by FSA and USDA’s Risk Management
Agency Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) policy
holders should note that the acreage reporting date for
NAP-covered crops is the earlier of the dates listed above or 15
calendar days before grazing or harvesting of the crop begins.
If you have applied for organic certification and do not receive
it before the acreage reporting deadline, you may provide the
necessary documentation to FSA immediately upon receipt from the
certifying agent.For questions, please contact your local FSA
office. To locate your local FSA office visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.
FSA Reminds Producers of Ongoing Disaster
Assistance Program Signup
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has started making
payments through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program –
Plus (WHIP+) to agricultural producers who suffered eligible
losses because of drought or excess moisture in 2018 and 2019.
Signup for these causes of loss opened March 23, and producers
who suffered losses from drought (in counties designated D3 or
above), excess moisture, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes,
typhoons, volcanic activity, snowstorms or wildfires can still
apply for assistance through WHIP+.
To be eligible for WHIP+, producers must have suffered losses of
certain crops, trees, bushes or vines in counties with a
Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration or a Secretarial
Disaster Designation (primary counties only) for qualifying
natural disaster events that occurred in calendar years 2018 or
2019. Also, losses located in a county not designated by the
Secretary as a primary county may be eligible if a producer
provides documentation showing that the loss was due to a
qualifying natural disaster event.
In addition to the recently added eligible losses of drought and
excess moisture, FSA will implement a WHIP+ provision for crop
quality loss that resulted in price deductions or penalties when
marketing crops damaged by eligible disaster events. To ensure
an effective program for all impacted farmers, the Agency is
currently gathering information on the extent of quality loss
from producers and stakeholder organizations.
USDA Service Centers, including FSA county offices, are open for
business by phone only, and field work will continue with
appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will
continue to come into the office, they will be working with
producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All
Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the
FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service
Center agency are required to call their Service Center to
schedule a phone appointment. More information on Service
Centers can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus, and more
information on WHIP+ can be found at farmers.gov/whip-plus.
[to top of second column] |
USDA Adds Flexibilities for Crop Insurance
You can continue to work with your Approved Insurance Providers on
policies, claims, and agreements. If you have crop insurance
questions or other needs, you should continue to contact your
insurance agents about conducting business by telephone or email.
USDA’s Risk Management Agency is working with those insurance
providers to provide additional flexibilities in response to
COVID-19, including:
-
Enabling producers to send notifications and reports
electronically
-
Extending the date for production reports
-
Providing additional time and deferring interest on premium and
other payments
-
Extending the correction time period for acreage reports and
other forms
-
Modifying the sales period for Dairy Revenue Protection
-
Authorizing replant self-certification
-
Waiving the witness signature requirement for approval of
Assignments of Indemnity
-
Allowing dumped milk to be counted as milk marketings for the
Dairy Revenue Protection or actual marketings for the Livestock
Gross Margin for Dairy programs
-
Allowing phone and electronic transactions for 2021 crop year
sales and reporting dates, including options and endorsements
-
Extending the deadline for some perennial crop Pre-Acceptance
Inspection Reports
-
Waiving the 2021 crop year inspection requirements for the
Nursery and Nursery Value Select programs in certain cases
-
Authorizing AIPs to allow organic producers to report acreage as
certified organic, or transitioning to organic, for the 2020
crop year if they can show they have requested a written
certification from a certifying agent by their policy’s acreage
reporting date.
For
more in-depth information on these flexibilities, visit farmers.gov/
coronavirus.
Farm
Storage Facility Loans
FSA’s Farm Storage Facility Loan
(FSFL) program provides low-interest financing to producers to build
or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used)
structures, equipment and storage and handling trucks.
The low-interest funds can be used to build or upgrade permanent
facilities to store commodities. Eligible commodities include corn,
grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, oats, peanuts, wheat, barley, minor
oilseeds harvested as whole grain, pulse crops (lentils, chickpeas
and dry peas), hay, honey, renewable biomass, fruits, nuts and
vegetables for cold storage facilities, floriculture, hops, maple
sap, rye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultry
(unprocessed), eggs, and aquaculture (excluding systems that
maintain live animals through uptake and discharge of water).
Qualified facilities include grain bins, hay barns and cold storage
facilities for eligible commodities.
Loans up to $50,000 can be secured by a promissory note/security
agreement and loans between $50,000 and $100,000 may require
additional security. Loans exceeding $100,000 require additional
security.
Producers do not need to demonstrate the lack of commercial credit
availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse
range of farming operations, including small and mid-sized
businesses, new farmers, operations supplying local food and farmers
markets, non-traditional farm products, and underserved producers.
To learn more about the FSA Farm Storage Facility Loan, visit
www.
fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport
or contact your local FSA county office. To find your local FSA
county office, visit
http://offices.usda.gov.
USDA
Reports Record Enrollment in Key Farm Safety-Net Programs
Producers signed a record 1.77 million contracts for the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and
Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2019 crop year, which is
more than 107 percent of the total contracts signed compared with a
5-year average. USDA also reminds producers that June 30 is the
deadline to enroll in ARC and PLC for the 2020 crop year.
Producers interested in enrolling for 2020 should contact their FSA
county office. Producers must enroll by June 30 and make their
one-time update to PLC payment yields by September 30.
FSA attributes the significant participation in the 2019 crop year
ARC and PLC programs to increased producer interest in the programs
under the 2018 Farm Bill and to an increase in eligible farms
because of the selling and buying of farms and new opportunities for
beginning farmers and military veterans with farms having 10 or
fewer base acres. Enrollment for 2019 ended March 16.
USDA Service Centers, including FSA county offices, are open for
business by phone only, and field work will continue with
appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will
continue to come into the office, they will be working with
producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All
Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA,
Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service Center
agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone
appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
For more information on ARC and PLC, download the program fact sheet
or the 2014-2018 farm bills comparison fact sheet. Online ARC and
PLC election decision tools are available at
www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc.
To locate the nearest USDA Service Center, visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Provide Evidence that USDA
Conservation Practices Work
Conservation practices are working to reduce runoff, improve soil
quality, and mitigate contaminants in small watersheds across the
country, according to USDA’s scientific findings published in the
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. USDA’s Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) and Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
collaborated with universities and other agencies and organizations
to complete the water-quality studies featured in the journal
through USDA’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP).
Practices were assessed at plot, field, edge-of-field and watershed
scales and included drainage management, conservation tillage, cover
crops, buffers, irrigation, nutrient management, water management
and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) practices.
Some examples of results include:
In the Central Mississippi River Basin, combining no-till and cover
crop practices reduced sediment losses by 87% and nitrate losses by
57% on a monitored field due to changes in soil moisture, timing of
nitrogen applications and use of cover crops.
In the Western Lake Erie Basin, edge-of-field monitoring revealed
that subsurface placement of fertilizer in tile-drained fields
reduced dissolved phosphorus losses by 66%. In addition, an
innovative conservation practice was developed to treat contaminant
losses from drainage water – replacing tile risers with blind
inlets. This new practice reduced sediment losses by about 78%
(Smith and Livingston 2013), total phosphorous losses by 66% and
dissolved phosphorus losses by 50%.
In the Choptank Watershed in the Chesapeake Bay, novel satellite
remote sensing techniques were developed and evaluated, along with
program data, to assess the extent of cover crop implementation over
an 8-year period (2008-2016). These techniques documented a 62%
increase in winter cover crop use in corn fields and a 37% increase
in soybean fields in a sub-watershed. In addition, modeling results
indicate that this cover crop adoption led to a 25% reduction in
nitrate leaching from cropland over a 10-year period (2008-2017).
The USDA spends about $6 billion per year on agricultural
conservation programs to help producers and landowners implement
suitable conservation practices and systems on their land. For more
information on the special issue, visit
https://www.jswc
online.org/content/75/3.
Transitioning Expiring CRP Land to Beginning, Veteran or Underserved
Farmers and Ranchers
CRP contract holders are encouraged to transition their Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) acres to beginning, veteran or socially
disadvantaged farmers or ranchers through the Transition Incentives
Program (TIP). TIP provides annual rental payments to the landowner
or operator for up to two additional years after the CRP contract
expires, provided the transition is not to a family member.
Enrollment in TIP is on a continuous basis through 2023 or until
the new statutory limit of $50 million under the 2018 Farm Bill is
reached.
CRP contract holders no longer need to be a retired or retiring
owner or operator to transition their land. TIP participants must
agree to sell, have a contract to sell, or agree to lease long term
(at least five years) land enrolled in an expiring CRP contract to a
beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher who
is not a family member.
Beginning, veteran or social disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and
CRP participants may enroll in TIP beginning two years before the
expiration date of the CRP contract. For example, if a CRP contract
is scheduled to expire on Sept. 30, 2022, the land may be offered
for enrollment in TIP from October 1, 2020, through September 30,
2022. The TIP application must be submitted prior to completing the
lease or sale of the affected lands.
New landowners or renters that return the land to production must
use sustainable grazing or farming methods.
For more information on TIP, visit
https://www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation.
Maintaining the Quality of Loaned Grain
Bins are ideally designed to hold a level volume of grain. When bins
are overfilled and grain is heaped up, airflow is hindered and the
chance of spoilage increases.
Producers who take out marketing assistance loans and use the
farm-stored grain as collateral should remember that they are
responsible for maintaining the quality of the grain through the
term of the loan.
Uauthorized Disposition of Grain
If loan grain has been disposed of through feeding, selling or any
other form of disposal without prior written authorization from the
county office staff, it is considered unauthorized disposition and a
violation of the terms and conditions of the Note and Security
Agreement. The financial penalties for unauthorized dispositions are
severe and a producer’s name will be placed on a loan violation list
for a two-year period. Always call before you haul any grain under
loan. If you have questions concerning the movement of grain under
loan, please contact your local county FSA office.
FSA
Offers Disaster Assistance for Qualifying Tree, Bush and Vine Losses
Orchardists and nursery tree growers who experience losses from
natural disasters during calendar year 2020 must submit a TAP
application either 90 calendar days after the disaster event or the
date when the loss is apparent. 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, plus an adjustment for normal mortality. 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.
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 1,000 acres annually.
June
Interest Rates and Important Dates
Illinois Farm Service Agency
3500 Wabash Ave.
Springfield, IL 62711
Phone: 217-241-6600 ext. 2
Fax: 855-800-1760
www.fsa.usda.gov/il
State Executive Director:
William Graff
State Committee:
James Reed-Chairperson
Melanie DeSutter-Member
Kirk Leifer-Member
George Obernagel III-Member
Troy Uphoff-Member
To find contact information for your local office go to
www.fsa.usda.gov/il |
