|
 As part of our commitment to farmers and ranchers, USDA Service
Centers will continue to be open for business by phone
appointment only and field work will continue with appropriate
social distancing. While our FSA and NRCS program delivery staff
at the Service Centers will continue to come into the office,
they will be working with our producers by phone, and using
online tools whenever possible.
Producers can find their Service Center's phone number at
farmers.gov/service-center-locator and more information about
Coronavirus and USDA and USDA Service Centers at
https://farmers.gov/coronavirus.
William J. Graff
State Executive Director
USDA Offers Disaster Assistance for IL Farmers Hurt by 2018,
2019 Disasters
Agricultural producers affected by natural disasters in 2018 and
2019 can apply through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity
Program Plus (WHIP+). Sign-up for this U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) program began Sept. 11.
WHIP+ Eligibility
WHIP+ will be available for eligible producers who have suffered
eligible losses of certain crops, trees, bushes or vines in
counties with a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration or a
Secretarial Disaster Designation (primary counties only).
Disaster losses must have been a result of hurricanes, floods,
tornadoes, typhoons, volcanic activity, snowstorms or wildfires
that occurred in 2018 or 2019. Also, producers in counties that
did not receive a disaster declaration or designation may still
apply for WHIP+ but must provide supporting documentation to
establish that the crops were directly affected by a qualifying
disaster loss.
A list of counties that received qualifying disaster
declarations and designations is available at farmers.gov/recover/whip-plus.
Because grazing and livestock losses, other than milk losses,
are covered by other disaster recovery programs offered through
FSA, those losses are not eligible for WHIP+.
Eligible crops include those for which federal crop insurance or
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage is
available, excluding crops intended for grazing. A list of crops
covered by crop insurance is available through USDA’s Risk
Management Agency (RMA) Actuarial Information Browser at
webapp.rma.usda.gov/apps/ actuarialinformationbrowser
The WHIP+ payment factor ranges from 75 percent to 95 percent,
depending on the level of crop insurance coverage or NAP
coverage that a producer obtained for the crop. Producers who
did not insure their crops in 2018 or 2019 will receive 70
percent of the expected value of the crop. Insured crops (either
crop insurance or NAP coverage) will receive between 75 percent
and 95 percent of expected value; those who purchased the
highest levels of coverage will receive 95-percent of the
expected value.
At the time of sign-up, producers will be asked to provide
verifiable and reliable production records. If a producer is
unable to provide production records, WHIP+ payments will be
determined based on the lower of either the actual loss
certified by the producer and determined acceptable by FSA or
the county expected yield and county disaster yield. The county
disaster yield is the production that a producer would have been
expected to make based on the eligible disaster conditions in
the county.
WHIP+ payments for 2018 disasters will be eligible for 100
percent of their calculated value. WHIP+ payments for 2019
disasters will be limited to an initial 50 percent of their
calculated value, with an opportunity to receive up to the
remaining 50 percent after January 1, 2020, if sufficient
funding remains.
Both insured and uninsured producers are eligible to apply for
WHIP+. But all producers receiving WHIP+ payments will be
required to purchase crop insurance or NAP, at the 60 percent
coverage level or higher, for the next two available,
consecutive crop years after the crop year for which WHIP+
payments were paid. Producers who fail to purchase crop
insurance for the next two applicable, consecutive years will be
required to pay back the WHIP+ payment.
Additional information about WHIP+ program eligibility and
payment limitations can be found at farmers.gov/recover.
Additional Loss Coverage
The Milk Loss Program will provide payments to eligible dairy
operations for milk that was dumped or removed without
compensation from the commercial milk market because of a
qualifying 2018 and 2019 natural disaster. Producers who
suffered losses of harvested commodities, including hay, stored
in on-farm structures in 2018 and 2019 will receive assistance
through the On-Farm Storage Loss Program.
Additionally, producers with trees, bushes or vines can receive
both cost-share assistance through FSA’s Tree Assistance Program
(TAP) for the cost of replanting and rehabilitating eligible
trees and WHIP+ will provide payments based on the loss value of
the tree, bush or vine itself. Therefore, eligible producers may
receive both a TAP and a 2017 WHIP or WHIP+ payment for the same
acreage. In addition, TAP policy has been updated to assist
eligible orchardists or nursery tree growers of pecan trees with
a tree mortality rate that exceeds 7.5 percent (adjusted for
normal mortality) but is less than 15 percent (adjusted for
normal mortality) for losses incurred during 2018.
Prevented Planting
Agricultural producers faced significant challenges planting
crops in 2019 in many parts of the country. All producers with
flooding or excess moisture-related prevented planting insurance
claims in calendar year 2019 will receive a prevented planting
supplemental disaster (“bonus”) payment equal to 10 percent of
their prevented planting indemnity, plus an additional 5 percent
will be provided to those who purchased harvest price option
coverage.
As under 2017 WHIP, WHIP+ will provide prevented planting
assistance to uninsured producers, NAP producers and producers
who may have been prevented from planting an insured crop in the
2018 crop year and those 2019 crops that had a final planting
date prior to January 1, 2019.
For more information on FSA disaster assistance programs, please
contact your local USDA service center or visit farmers.gov/recover.
For all available USDA disaster assistance programs, go to
USDA’s disaster resources website.
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.
CSP Signup for 2020 Begins
The 2018 Farm Bill made several changes to this critical
conservation program, which helps agricultural producers take
the conservation activities on their farm to the next level. CSP
continues to be a very effective tool for private landowners
working to achieve their conservation and management goals. The
deadline for Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications
to be considered for funding in fiscal year (FY) 2020 is May 29,
2020. While applications are accepted throughout the year,
interested producers should submit applications to their local
NRCS office by May 29, 2020, to ensure their applications are
considered for 2020 funding.
The 2018 Farm Bill authorizes NRCS to obligate new CSP contracts
from now until 2023, while making some important improvements to
the program. These updates include:
• NRCS now enrolls eligible, high-ranking applications based on
available dollars rather than acres. For fiscal year 2020,
Illinois NRCS can spend up to $10 million for new CSP contracts,
which covers part of the cost for producers to implement new
conservation activities and maintain their existing activities
for the five-year contract period.
• Higher payment rates are now available for certain
conservation activities, including cover crops and supplemental
payments for resource-conserving crop rotations and advanced
grazing management systems.
CSP now provides specific support for activities on organic
operations and those transitioning to organic production.
CSP is offered in Illinois through a continuous sign-up. The
program provides many benefits including increased crop yields,
decreased inputs, wildlife habitat improvements, and increased
resilience to weather extremes. CSP is for working lands,
including cropland, pastureland, and nonindustrial private
forest land.
For additional information about CSP, contact your local USDA
service center. Due to the evolving COVID-19 situation,
producers may set up phone appointments with their local NRCS
office if they have any questions or need information.
Sign In/Sign Up!
Farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers have new online
options to access U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
programs. Through USDA’s new streamlined process, producers
doing business as an individual can now register, track and
manage their applications for the Market Facilitation Program (MFP)
on the secure and convenient farmers.gov. Producers doing
business as an individual first need to sign up for the Level 2
eAuthentication access. Currently USDA eAuthentication does not
have the mechanism to issue accounts to businesses,
corporations, other entities or for anyone acting on behalf of
another individual or entity.
Step 1: Create and online account at
www.eauth.usda.gov
Step 2: Complete identity verification by either using the
online self-service identity verification method or by
completing the identity verification in-person at your USDA
Service Center.
Step 3: You’re enrolled
Step 4: Contact your local USDA Service Center to have your new
Level 2 account linked with your USDA customer record
Step 5: You’re ready to Log In
Or go to your local USDA Service Center and our support staff
will help you sign up for Level 2 Access right in the office!
They will get you online so you can create an online account at
https://farmers.gov/sign-in. You’ll complete identity
verification right on the spot. You’re enrolled! Users with a
secure Level 2 eAuthentication ID linked to their USDA customer
record can apply for select USDA programs, view and print farm
maps and farm records data. Enrolling is easy! Visit farmers.gov/sign-in
to learn more.
To locate a service center near you or use online services not
requiring eAuthentication access, visit www.farmers.gov. For
technical assistance, call the eAuthentication help desk at
1-800-457-3642.
USDA Announces Updates for Honeybee Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA)
announced updates to the Emergency Assistance for Livestock,
Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). These updates
include changes required by the 2018 Farm Bill as well as
discretionary changes intended to improve the administration of
the program and clarify existing program requirements. ELAP was
previously administered based on FSA’s fiscal year but will now
run according to the calendar year. Producers are still required
to submit an application for payment within 30 calendar days of
the end of the program year. This is not a policy change but
will affect the deadline. The signup deadline for calendar year
2020 losses is January 30, 2021.
Starting in 2020, producers will have 15 days from when the loss
is first apparent, instead of 30 days, to file a honeybee notice
of loss. This change provides consistency between ELAP and the
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, which also has a
15-day notice of loss period for honey. For other covered
losses, including livestock feed, grazing and farm-raised fish
losses, the notice of loss deadline for ELAP will remain 30 days
from when the loss is first apparent to the producer.
Program participants who were paid for the loss of a honeybee
colony or hive in either or both of the previous two years will
be required to provide additional documentation to substantiate
how current year inventory was acquired.
If the honeybee colony loss incurred was because of Colony
Collapse Disorder, program participants must provide a producer
certification that the loss was a direct result of at least
three of the five symptoms of Colony Collapse Disorder, which
include:
• the loss of live queen and/or drone bee populations inside the
hives;
• rapid decline of adult worker bee population outside the
hives, leaving brood poorly or completely unattended;
• absence of dead adult bees inside the hive and outside the
entrance of the hive;
• absence of robbing collapsed colonies; and
• at the time of collapse, varroa mite and Nosema populations
are not at levels known to cause economic injury or population
decline.
For honeybees, ELAP covers colony losses, honeybee hive losses
(the physical structure) and honeybee feed losses in instances
where the colony, hive or feed has been destroyed by a natural
disaster or, in the case of colony losses, because of Colony
Collapse Disorder. Colony losses must be in excess of normal
mortality.
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ELAP also provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of
livestock and farm-raised fish including for feed and grazing
losses. It covers losses because of eligible adverse weather or
loss conditions, including blizzards and wildfires on federally
managed lands. ELAP also covers losses resulting from the cost
of transporting water to livestock due to an eligible drought.
For more information on ELAP visit farmers.gov/recover or
contact your FSA County Office. To locate your local FSA office,
visit farmers.gov/service-locator.
Report Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP)
Losses
The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provides
financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when
low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due
to natural disasters including freeze, hail, excessive moisture,
excessive wind or hurricanes, flood, excessive heat and
qualifying drought (includes native grass for grazing), among
others.
Eligible producers must have purchased NAP coverage for 2020
crops. A notice of loss must be filed the earlier of 15 days of
the occurrence of the disaster or when losses become apparent or
15 days of the final harvest date.
Producers of hand-harvested crops and certain perishable crops
must notify FSA within 72 hours of when a loss becomes apparent.
Eligible crops must be commercially produced agricultural
commodities for which crop insurance is not available, including
perennial grass forage and grazing crops, fruits, vegetables,
mushrooms, floriculture, ornamental nursery, aquaculture, turf
grass, ginseng, honey, syrup, bioenergy, and industrial crops.
For more information on NAP, contact your local FSA office or
visit fsa.usda.gov/nap.
USDA Adds Flexibilities for Crop Insurance to Support
America’s Farmers and Ranchers
USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is authorizing additional
flexibilities due to coronavirus while continuing to support
producers, working through Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs)
to deliver services, including processing policies, claims and
agreements. These flexibilities include: enabling producers to
send notifications and reports electronically, extending the
date for production reports and providing additional time and
deferring interest on premium and other payments.
Electronic Notifications Allowed for Required Reports
Producers may send notifications and reports electronically for
written agreement issues, acreage and production reporting and
upcoming sales closing dates (deadlines to buy crop insurance).
Notice of the policyholder’s election may be provided over the
phone with appropriate documentation of the call or using
electronic methods followed by their confirmation of such
election in writing (a signed, or e-signed, form) no later than
July 15, 2020.
Production Reporting Date Extended
For the 2020 crop year, AIPs may accept production reports
through the earlier of the acreage reporting date (ARD) or 30
days after the production reporting date (PRD) for crops insured
under the Common Crop Insurance Policy Basic Provisions with a
PRD of March 15, 2020, or later. Generally, the PRD for crops
insured under the Common Crop Insurance Policy Basic Provisions
is the earlier of the ARD or 45 days after the cancellation
date.
Additional Time Given and Interest Deferred on Premium
Payments, Written Payment Agreements
AIPs are authorized to provide additional time for policyholders
to make payment of premium and administrative fees. Interest
accrual on premium payments and administrative fees will be
waived to the earliest of an additional 60 days from the
scheduled payment due date or the termination date on policies
with premium billing dates between March 1, 2020, and April 30,
2020. AIPs are also authorized to provide additional time for
policyholders to make payment for Written Payment Agreements due
between March 1, 2020, and April 30, 2020. Payments may be
extended up to 60 days from the scheduled payment due date and
considered a timely payment.
RMA staff are working with AIPs and other customers by phone,
mail and electronically to continue supporting crop insurance
coverage for producers. Farmers with crop insurance questions or
needs should continue to contact their insurance agents about
conducting business remotely (by telephone or email).
For the most current updates on available services, 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.
Marketing Assistance Loans Available for 2019 Crops
The 2018 Farm Bill extends loan authority through 2023 for
Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs).
MALs provide financing and marketing assistance for 2019 crop
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.
To be eligible for an MAL, producers must have a beneficial
interest in the commodity, in addition to other requirements. A
producer retains beneficial interest when control of and title
to the commodity is maintained. For more information, producers
should contact their local FSA county office.
CRP Continuous Enrollment Period
The Farm Service Agency is accepting offers for specific
conservation practices under the Conservation Reserve Program
(CRP) Continuous Signup.
CRP is a voluntary program that contracts with agricultural
producers so that environmentally sensitive agricultural land is
devoted to conservation benefits. CRP participants establish
long-term, resource-conserving vegetative species, such as
approved grasses or trees (known as “covers”), to control soil
erosion, improve the water quality and enhance wildlife habitat.
In return, FSA provides participants with annual rental payments
and cost-share assistance. Continuous signup enrollment
contracts are 10 to 15 years in duration.
Under continuous CRP signup, environmentally sensitive land
devoted to certain conservation practices can be enrolled in CRP
at any time. Offers are automatically accepted provided the land
and producer meet certain eligibility requirements and the
enrollment levels do not exceed the statutory cap.
Unlike CRP enrollments under general CRP signups or CRP
Grasslands, offers for continuous enrollment are not subject to
competitive bidding during specific periods.
For more information, including a list of acceptable practices,
visit fsa.usda.gov/crp.
NRCS Announces EQIP Application Cutoff for Three Special IL
Projects
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer
funding for three unique efforts in Illinois during Fiscal Year
(FY) 2020. All projects will use the Regional Conservation
Partnership Program (RCPP). Below are details and application
cutoff dates to note. Each project is restricted to certain
Illinois counties.
Illinois Headwaters Conservation Partnership in East-Central
Illinois
This project will control invasive plants in forest stands in
east-central Illinois. NRCS has partnered with the Champaign
County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Headwaters
Invasive Plant Partnership (HIPP) to help producers address
resource concerns such as water quality and soil health.
Landowners can apply for assistance through the Environmental
Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to implement forest stand
improvement, brush management, herbaceous weed control and
tree/shrub establishment practices. The project focus is to
reduce soil erosion and improve water quality by improving
forest health in the following 11 counties: Champaign, Coles,
Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Iroquois, Livingston,
Piatt and Vermilion. Financial assistance will be available to
producers in east-central Illinois who have land in the
above-mentioned counties.
Otter Lake Source Water Protection Project
This project will offer funding in Macoupin, Morgan, and
Sangamon Counties for the Otter Lake Source Water Protection
project. NRCS has partnered with Illinois Corn Growers
Association to help producers address resource concerns, such as
degraded water quality and soil erosion. Producers can apply for
assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program
(EQIP) to implement practices, such as denitrifying bioreactors,
saturated buffers, cover crops, nutrient management, and
no-till. The project focus is to improve water quality in the
Otter Lake Watershed located in portions of Macoupin, Morgan,
and Sangamon Counties. Financial assistance will be available to
producers with land located in the Otter Lake Watershed.
Upper Macoupin Creek Watershed Project
This project offers funding in Macoupin County for the Upper
Macoupin Creek Watershed project. NRCS has partnered with
American Farmland Trust to help producers address resource
concerns, such as degraded water quality and soil erosion.
Producers can apply for assistance through the Environmental
Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to implement practices, such
as drainage water management, denitrifying bioreactors, cover
crops, nutrient management, and no-till. The project focus is to
improve water quality in the Upper Macoupin Creek Watershed
located in portions of Macoupin County. Submit applications to
Carlinville NRCS field office.
While applications for these programs are accepted throughout
the year, interested producers should submit an application to
the appropriate NRCS field office by the cutoff date of May 1,
2020, to ensure applications are considered for FY 2020 funding.
To see if you are eligible to participate in the program,
producers should contact their local NRCS field office or visit
the Illinois NRCS website at www.il.nrcs.usda.gov. Due to the
evolving COVID-19 situation, producers may set up phone
appointments with their local NRCS office if they have any
questions or need information.
Maintaining the Quality of Loan 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.
Unauthorized 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.
Illinois Farm Service Agency
3500 Wabash Ave.
Springfield, Illinois 62711
Phone: 217-241-6600
Fax: 855-800-1760
www.fsa.usda.gov/il
State Executive Director:
William J. Graff
State Committee:
James Reed-Chairperson
Melanie DeSutter-Member
Kirk Kiefer-Member
George Obernagel III-Member
Troy Uphoff-Member
Administrative Officer
Dan Puccetti
Division Chiefs
Vicki Donaldson
John Gehrke
Natalie Prince
Randy Tillman
To find contact information for your local office go to
www.fsa.usda.gov/il
Check out https://www.farmers.gov/ for information about ALL the
programs available through your local USDA Service Center FSA and
NRCS offices, including county office locations, agriculture
statistics, loan interest rates and much more!
Learn about Risk Management Agency's crop insurance programs at
https://cropinsurance101.org/ |
