|
 As many Illinois producers are gearing up for the 2020 harvest
year, William J. Graff, State Executive Director of the Illinois
FSA encourages producers to consider contacting their local
county FSA office service center to update their PLC yields.
Illinois FSA county office service centers are currently very
busy and expect to be even busier in the future. Please do not
wait until the last minute to update your PLC yields. The
deadline to update them is September 30, 2020. This would be of
great help to the Illinois county office staffs as they manage
their current and future workload.
Our USDA/FSA Service Centers in Illinois have been and will
continue to be open for business by phone appointments with some
in person visits in most offices. Field work continues with
appropriate social distancing.
While our program delivery staff continues to come into the
office, they will be working with our producers by telephone,
and using online tools whenever possible, when face to face
appointments are not allowed.
All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the
Farm Service Agency are required to call their local County FSA
Office to obtain the status of face to face appointments before
arriving.
Stay well, stay safe, and remember, we are all in this together
and we will get through this.
William J. Graff
State Executive Director
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
-
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 Production (DRP) or actual marketings for
the Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy (LGM-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 (PAIRs)
-
Waiving the 2021 crop year inspection requirements for the
Nursery and Nursery Value Select (NVS) 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.
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
-
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 Production (DRP) or actual marketings for
the Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy (LGM-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 (PAIRs)
-
Waiving the 2021 crop year inspection requirements for the
Nursery and Nursery Value Select (NVS) 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.
RCPP 2021 = Partner-Driven Conservation
NRCS in Illinois is inviting potential
conservation partners to submit project applications for federal
funding through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
Nationally, NRCS will award up to $360 million dollars to
locally driven, public-private partnerships that improve the
nation’s water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health,
support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability.
Deadline for this opportunity is November 4, 2020.
RCPP brings an expanded approach to investing in natural
resource conservation that empowers local communities to work
with multiple partners and agricultural producers to design
solutions that work best for them. Partners may request between
$250,000 and $10 million in RCPP funding through this funding
announcement but are expected to offer value-added contributions
to amplify the impact of RCPP funding in an amount equal or
greater to the NRCS investment.
Eligible lead partners are encouraged to apply. Funding is open
to private industry, non-government organizations, state and
local governments, soil and water conservation districts, and
universities. RCPP can work for current partners or new
partners. The full list of eligible entities is available in the
RCPP funding announcement.
RCPP has been around since 2014. There are 336 active RCPP
projects that have engaged more than 2,000 partners nationwide.
Illinois is already enjoying benefits of successful RCPP
projects that provide innovative conservation solutions,
leverage partner contributions, and offer impactful and
measurable outcomes.
USDA is now accepting proposals for RCPP through the RCPP
portal. Proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November
4, 2020. For more information, view the Application for Program
Funding on grants.gov. For more information on RCPP, visit the
RCPP website.
One-Time PLC Yield Updates – Deadline
September 30
Farm owners have a one-time opportunity to
update PLC yields of covered commodities on the farm, regardless
of Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC)program
election. The deadline to request a PLC yield update is
September 30, 2020.
The updated yield will be equal to 90 percent of the average
yield per planted acre in crop years 2013-2017 (excluding any
year where the applicable covered commodity was not planted),
subject to the ratio obtained by dividing the 2008-2012 average
national yield by the 2013-2017 average national yield for the
covered commodity. If the reported yield in any year is less
than 75 percent of the 2013-2017 average county yield, then the
yield will be substituted with 75 percent of the county average
yield.
The chart below provides the ratio obtained by
dividing the 2008-2012 average national yield by the 2013-2017
average national yield for each covered commodity.
|
Covered Commodity |
National Yield Factor |
|
Barley |
0.9437 |
|
Canola |
0.9643 |
|
Chickpeas, Large |
1.0000 |
|
Chickpeas, Small |
0.9760 |
|
Corn |
0.9000 |
|
Crambe |
1.0000 |
|
Flaxseed |
1.0000 |
|
Grain Sorghum |
0.9077 |
|
Lentils |
1.0000 |
|
Mustard Seed |
0.9460 |
|
Oats |
0.9524 |
|
Peanuts |
0.9273 |
|
Peas, Dry |
0.9988 |
|
Rapeseed |
1.0000 |
|
Rice, Long |
0.9330 |
|
Rice, Medium |
0.9887 |
|
Rice, Temp Japonica |
0.9591 |
|
Safflower |
1.0000 |
|
Seed Cotton |
0.9000 |
|
Sesame Seed |
0.9673 |
|
Soybeans |
0.9000 |
|
Sunflower Seed |
0.9396 |
|
Wheat |
0.9545 |
It is choice whether to update or keep existing
PLC yields. If a yield update is not made, then no action is
required to maintain the existithe owner’s ng PLC yield. An
existing or updated PLC yield will be maintained and effective
for crop years 2020 through 2023 (life of the 2018 Farm Bill).
PLC yields may be updated on a covered commodity-by-covered
commodity basis using FSA form CCC-867.
For more information, reference resources and decision tools,
visit farmers.gov/arc-plc. Contact your local Farm Service
Agency Office for assistance – farmers.gov/service-center-locator.
USDA Microloans Help Farmers Purchase
Farmland and Improve Property
Farmers can use USDA farm ownership microloans to buy and
improve property. These microloans are especially helpful to
beginning or underserved farmers, U.S. veterans looking for a
career in farming, and those who have small and mid-sized
farming operations.
Microloans have helped farmers and ranchers with operating
costs, such as feed, fertilizer, tools, fencing, equipment, and
living expenses since 2013.
Microloans can help with farmland and building purchases and
soil and water conservation improvements. FSA designed the
expanded program to simplify the application process, expand
eligibility requirements and expedite smaller real estate loans
to help farmers strengthen their operations. Microloans provide
up to $50,000 to qualified producers and can be issued to the
applicant directly from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).
To learn more about the FSA microloan program, contact your
local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov/microloans.
USDA Offers Annual Installment Deferral
Option for Farm Storage Facility Loan Borrowers
To assist Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) borrowers
experiencing financial hardship from the pandemic and other
challenges in production agriculture, USDA’s Farm Service Agency
(FSA) is offering a one-time annual installment payment deferral
option. No fees or prepayment penalties apply for borrowers who
choose this FSFL loan flexibility option.
Eligible borrowers can request a one-time only annual
installment payment deferral for loans having terms of three,
five, seven or ten years. The installment deferral option is not
available for 12-year term loans.
The FSFL installment payments will remain the same, except for
the last year. The original loan interest rate and annual
payment due date will remain the same. However, because the
installment payment deferral is a one-year loan term extension,
the final payment will be higher due to additional accrued
interest.
Borrowers interested in exercising the one-time annual
installment deferral option should contact FSA to make the
request and to obtain, complete and sign required forms.
FSFLs provide low-interest financing for producers to store,
handle and transport eligible commodities.
More Information
In addition to offering flexibilities for FSFLs, FSA has also
made other flexibilities to help producers impacted by the
pandemic, including relaxing the loan-making process for farm
operating and ownership loans and implementing the Disaster
Set-Aside provision that enables an upcoming installment on a
direct loan to be set aside for the year. More information on
these flexibilities can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some
that are open to visitors to conduct business in person by
appointment only. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct
business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or
any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule
an appointment. Service Centers that are open for appointments
will pre-screen visitors based on health concerns or recent
travel, and visitors must adhere to social distancing
guidelines. Visitors may also be required to wear a face
covering during their appointment. Field work will continue with
appropriate social distancing. Our program delivery staff will
be in the office, and they will be working with our producers in
office, by phone and using online tools. More information can be
found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
For more information, contact your local USDA Service Center. To
locate your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.
Environmental Review Required Before Project
Implementation
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires Federal
agencies to consider all potential environmental impacts for
federally-funded projects before the project is approved.
For all Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs, an environmental
review must be completed before actions are approved, such as
site preparation or ground disturbance. These programs include,
but are not limited to, the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP),
Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program and farm loans. If
project implementation begins before FSA has completed an
environmental review, the request will be denied. Although there
are exceptions regarding the Stafford Act and emergencies, it’s
important to wait until you receive written approval of your
project proposal before starting any actions.
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Applications cannot be approved until FSA has copies of all permits
and plans. Contact your local FSA office early in your planning
process to determine what level of environmental review is required
for your program application so that it can be completed timely.
USDA Accepting Applications to Help Cover Costs
for Organic Certification
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that organic producers
and handlers can apply for federal funds to assist with the cost of
receiving and maintaining organic certification through the Organic
Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). Applications for eligible
certification expenses paid between Oct. 1, 2019, and Sept. 30,
2020, are due Oct. 31, 2020.
OCCSP provides cost-share assistance to producers and handlers of
agricultural products for the costs of obtaining or maintaining
organic certification under the USDA’s National Organic Program.
Eligible producers include any certified producers or handlers who
have paid organic certification fees to a USDA-accredited certifying
agent. Eligible expenses for cost-share reimbursement include
application fees, inspection costs, fees related to equivalency
agreement and arrangement requirements, travel expenses for
inspectors, user fees, sales assessments and postage.
Changes in Reimbursement
Due to expected participation levels for fiscal year 2020, FSA
revised the reimbursement amount through fiscal year 2023. Certified
producers and handlers are now eligible to receive reimbursement for
up to 50 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible
expenses, up to a maximum of $500 per scope.
This change is due to the limited amount of funding available and
will allow a larger number of certified organic operations to
receive assistance. If additional funding is authorized later, FSA
may provide additional assistance to certified operations that have
applied for OCCSP, not to exceed 75 percent of their eligible costs,
up to $750 per scope.
The changes to the payment calculation and maximum payment amount
are applicable to all certified organic operations, regardless of
whether they apply through an FSA county office or a participating
state agency. State agencies that are interested in overseeing
reimbursements to producers and handlers in their states must
establish new agreements with FSA for fiscal 2020.
Opportunities for State Agencies
Today’s announcement also includes the opportunity for state
agencies to apply for grant agreements to administer the OCCSP
program in fiscal 2020. State agencies that establish agreements for
fiscal 2020 may be able to extend their agreements and receive
additional funds to administer the program in future years.
FSA has not yet determined whether an additional application period
will be announced for later years for state agencies that choose not
to participate in fiscal 2020. States that would like to administer
OCCSP for future years are encouraged to establish an agreement for
2020 to ensure that they will be able to continue to participate.
FSA will accept applications from state agencies for fiscal year
2020 funding for cost-share assistance from Aug. 10, 2020 through
Sept. 9, 2020.
State Agencies must submit the Application for Federal Assistance
(Standard Form 424 and 424B) electronically via Grants.gov, the
Federal grants website, at http://www.grants.gov.
More Information
To learn more about organic certification cost share, please visit
the OCCSP webpage, view the notice of funds availability on the
Federal Register, or contact the FSA county office at your local
USDA Service Center.
To learn more about USDA support for organic agriculture, visit
usda.gov/organic.
Cover Crop Guidelines
The Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) worked together to
develop consistent, simple and a flexible policy for cover crop
practices.
Cover crops, such as grasses, legumes and forbs, can be planted:
with no subsequent crop planted, before a subsequent crop, after
prevented planting acreage, after a planted crop, or into a standing
crop.
Termination:
The cover crop termination guidelines provide the timeline for
terminating cover crops, are based on zones and apply to
non-irrigated cropland. To view the zones and additional guidelines
visit nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/
national/landuse/crops/ and click “Cover Crop Termination
Guidelines.”
The cover crop may be terminated by natural causes, such as frost,
or intentionally terminated through chemical application, crimping,
rolling, tillage or cutting. A cover crop managed and terminated
according to NRCS Cover Crop Termination Guidelines is not
considered a crop for crop insurance purposes.
Reporting:
The intended use of cover only will be used to report cover crops.
This includes crops that were terminated by tillage and reported
with an intended use code of green manure. An FSA policy change will
allow cover crops to be hayed and grazed. Program eligibility for
the cover crop that is being hayed or grazed will be determined by
each specific program.
If the crop reported as cover only is harvested for any use other
than forage or grazing and is not terminated properly, then that
crop will no longer be considered a cover crop.
Crops reported with an intended use of cover only will not count
toward the total cropland on the farm. In these situations, a
subsequent crop will be reported to account for all cropland on the
farm.
-
Beginning inventory supported by birth recordings or purchase
receipts;
-
Documentation from Animal Plant Health Inspection Service,
Department of Natural Resources, or other sources to
substantiate eligible death losses due to an eligible loss
condition;
-
Documentation that livestock were removed from grazing pastures
due to an eligible adverse weather or loss condition;
-
Costs of transporting livestock feed to eligible livestock, such
as receipts for equipment rental fees for hay lifts and snow
removal;
-
Feed purchase receipts if feed supplies or grazing pastures are
destroyed;
For more information on these programs and
documentation requirements, contact your County USDA Service Center
or visit fsa.usda.gov/disaster.
USDA Announces Improvements to the Livestock
Gross Margin Insurance Program for Cattle and Swine
USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced changes to the
Livestock Gross Margin (LGM) insurance program for cattle and swine
beginning in the 2021 crop year. Changes include adding premium
subsidies to assist producers and moving premium due dates to the
end of the endorsement period for cattle.
Prior to this change, LGM-Cattle and Swine did not have premium
subsidies. Now, subsidies have been added and are based on the
deductible selected by you. For LGM-Cattle, the subsidy will range
from 18 percent with 0 deductible up to 50 percent with a deductible
of $70 or greater. For LGM-Swine, the subsidy will range from 18
percent with 0 deductible up to 50 percent with a deductible of $12
or greater.
Livestock insurance is sold and delivered solely through private
insurance agents. A list of insurance agents is available online
using the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about livestock insurance
and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov.
Report Banking Changes to FSA
Farm Service Agency (FSA) program payments are issued electronically
into your bank account. In order to receive timely payments, you
need to notify your FSA servicing office if you close your account
or if your bank information is changed for any reason (such as your
financial institution merging or being purchased). Payments can be
delayed if FSA is not notified of changes to account and bank
routing numbers.
For some programs, payments are not made until the following year.
For example, payments for crop year 2019 through the Agriculture
Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage program aren’t paid until
2020. If the bank account was closed due to the death of an
individual or dissolution of an entity or partnership before the
payment was issued, please notify your local FSA office as soon as
possible to claim your payment.
Communication is Key in Lending
Farm Service Agency (FSA) is committed to providing our farm loan
borrowers the tools necessary to be successful. FSA staff will
provide guidance and counsel from the loan application process
through the borrower’s graduation to commercial credit. While it is
FSA’s commitment to advise borrowers as they identify goals and
evaluate progress, it is crucial for borrowers to communicate with
their farm loan staff when changes occur. It is the borrower’s
responsibility to alert FSA to any of the following:
-
Any
proposed or significant changes in the farming operation
-
Any
significant changes to family income or expenses
-
The
development of problem situations
-
Any
losses or proposed significant changes in security
If a farm loan borrower can’t make payments to
suppliers, other creditors, or FSA on time, contact your farm loan
staff immediately to discuss loan servicing options.
For more information on FSA farm loan programs, contact your local
County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
Filing CCC-941 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)
Certifications
If you have experienced delays in receiving Agriculture Risk
Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payments, Loan
Deficiency Payments (LDPs) and Market Gains on Marketing Assistance
Loans (MALs), it may be because you have not filed form CCC-941,
Adjusted Gross Income Certification.
If you don’t have a valid CCC-941 on file for the applicable crop
year you will not receive payments. All farm operator/tenants/owners
who have not filed a CCC-941 and have pending payments should
IMMEDIATELY file the form with their recording county FSA office.
Farm operators and tenants are encouraged to ensure that their
landowners have filed the form.
FSA can accept the CCC-941 for 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Unlike
the past, you must have the CCC-941 certifying your AGI compliance
before any payments can be issued.
Maintaining the Quality of Farm-Stored 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.
If you take out marketing assistance loans and use the farm-stored
grain as collateral, remember that you are responsible for
maintaining the quality of the grain through the term of the loan.
Unauthorized Disposition of Grain Results in
Financial Penalties
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. The
financial penalties for unauthorized dispositions are severe and
your name will be placed on a loan violation list for a two-year
period. Always call before you haul any grain under loan.
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. The
financial penalties for unauthorized dispositions are severe and
your name will be placed on a loan violation list for a two-year
period. Always call before you haul any grain under loan.
September Interest Rates and Important Dates
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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 J. Graff
State Committee:
James Reed-Chairperson
Melanie DeSutter-Member
Kirk Liefer-Member
George Obernagel III-Member
Troy Uphoff-Member
Administrative Officer:
Dan Puccetti
Division Chiefs:
Vicki Donaldson
John Gehrke
Randy Tillman
Acting Division Chief:
Ray Gvillo
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://cropinsurance
101.org/
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 (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer
Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642
(Relay voice users). |
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