|
 2020 has been especially interesting due to COVID19 and all the
programs that were implemented from MFP1 and 2 to CFAP 1 and 2
to WHIP+, on top of the other “normal” FSA programs. Illinois
FSA has a great staff that always tries to do their best to
provide outstanding service to all Illinois farmers.
I appreciate your cooperation and understanding dealing with the
challenges and restrictions we have operated under resulting
from COVID-19.
To the greatest farmers in the world - Thank You!
William Graff
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.
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. 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.
USDA Offers Secure New Options for Signing
and Sharing Documents Online
Farmers and ranchers working with USDA’s Farm Service Agency or
Natural Resources Conservation Service can now sign and share
documents online in just a few clicks. By using Box or OneSpan,
producers can digitally complete business transactions without
leaving their homes or agricultural operations. Both services
are free, secure, and available for multiple FSA and NRCS
programs.
Box is a secure, cloud-based site where FSA or NRCS documents
can be managed and shared. Producers who choose to use Box can
create a username and password to access their secure Box
account, where documents can be downloaded, printed, manually
signed, scanned, uploaded, and shared digitally with Service
Center staff. This service is available to any FSA or NRCS
customer with access to a mobile device or computer with printer
connectivity.
OneSpan is a secure eSignature solution for FSA and NRCS
customers. Like Box, no software downloads or eAuthentication is
required for OneSpan. Instead, producers interested in
eSignature through OneSpan can confirm their identity through
two-factor authentication using a verification code sent to
their mobile device or a personalized question and answer. Once
identity is confirmed, documents can be reviewed and e-signed
through OneSpan via the producer’s personal email address.
Signed documents immediately become available to the appropriate
Service Center staff.
Box and OneSpan are both optional services for customers
interested in improved efficiency in signing and sharing
documents with USDA, and they do not replace existing systems
using eAuthentication for digital signature. Instead, these
tools provide additional digital options for producers to use
when conducting business with FSA or NRCS.
USDA Service Center staff are available to help producers get
started with Box and OneSpan through a few simple steps. Please
visit farmers.gov/service-locator to find your local office and
let Service Center staff know you’re interested in signing and
sharing documents through these new features. In most cases, one
quick phone call will be all that is needed to initiate the
process.
Visit farmers.gov/mydocs to learn more about Box and OneSpan,
steps for getting started, and additional resources for
conducting business with USDA online.
To learn more about program flexibilities and Service Center
status during the coronavirus pandemic, visit farmers.gov/coronavirus.
Submit Loan Requests for Financing Early
The Farm Loan teams in Illinois are already working on operating
loans for spring 2021 and asks potential borrowers to submit
their requests early so they can be timely processed. The farm
loan teams can help determine which loan programs are best for
applicants.
FSA offers a wide range of low-interest loans that can meet the
financial needs of any farm operation for just about any
purpose. The traditional farm operating and farm ownership loans
can help large and small farm operations take advantage of early
purchasing discounts for spring inputs as well expenses
throughout the year.
Microloans are a simplified loan program that will
provide up to $50,000 for both Farm Ownership and Operating
Microloans to eligible applicants. These loans, targeted for
smaller and non-traditional operations, can be used for
operating expenses, starting a new operation, purchasing
equipment, and other needs associated with a farming operation.
Loans to beginning farmers and members of underserved groups are
a priority.
Other types of loans available include:
Marketing Assistance Loans allow producers to use
eligible commodities as loan collateral and obtain a 9-month
loan while the crop is in storage. These loans provide cash flow
to the producer and allow them to market the crop when prices
may be more advantageous.
Farm Storage Facility Loans can be used to build
permanent structures used to store eligible commodities, for
storage and handling trucks, or portable or permanent handling
equipment. A variety of structures are eligible under this loan,
including bunker silos, grain bins, hay storage structures, and
refrigerated structures for vegetables and fruit. A producer may
borrow up to $500,000 per loan.
Enrollment Begins for Agriculture Risk
Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Programs for 2021
Agricultural producers can now make elections and enroll in the
Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC)
programs for the 2021 crop year. The signup period opened
Tuesday, Oct. 13. These key U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) safety-net programs help producers weather fluctuations
in either revenue or price for certain crops, and more than $6
billion in payments have been issued to producers who signed up
for the 2019 crop year.
Enrollment for the 2021 crop year closes March 15, 2021.
ARC provides income support payments on historical base acres
when actual crop revenue declines below a specified guaranteed
level. PLC provides income support payments on historical base
acres when the effective price for a covered commodity falls
below its reference price.
Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small
chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils,
mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain
rice, medium and short grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton,
sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.
2021 Elections and Enrollment
Producers can elect coverage and enroll in crop-by-crop
ARC-County or PLC, or ARC-Individual for the entire farm, for
the 2021 crop year. Although election changes for 2021 are
optional, enrollment (signed contract) is required for each year
of the program. If a producer has a multi-year contract on the
farm and makes an election change for 2021, it will be necessary
to sign a new contract.
If an election is not submitted by the deadline of March 15,
2021, the election defaults to the current election for crops on
the farm from the prior crop year.
For crop years 2022 and 2023, producers will have an opportunity
to make new elections during those signups. Farm owners cannot
enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in
the farm.
Web-Based Decision Tools
In partnership with USDA, the University of Illinois and Texas
A&M University offer web-based decision tools to assist
producers in making informed, educated decisions using crop data
specific to their respective farming operations. Tools include:
Gardner-farmdoc Payment Calculator, the University of
Illinois tool that offers farmers the ability to run payment
estimate modeling for their farms and counties for ARC-County
and PLC.
ARC and PLC Decision Tool, the Texas A&M tool
allows producers to analyze payment yield updates and expected
payments for 2021. Producers who have used the tool in the past
should see their username and much of their farm data already
available in the system.
More Information
For more information on ARC and PLC, including two online
decision tools that assist producers in making enrollment and
election decisions specific to their operations, visit the ARC
and PLC webpage.
For additional questions and assistance, contact your local USDA
service center. To locate your local FSA office, visit
farmers.gov/service-locator.
USDA Announces CRP General Signup Ends
February 12
Agricultural producers and private landowners interested in the
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) can sign up for the popular
program beginning Jan. 4, 2021, until Feb. 12, 2021. The
competitive program, administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency
(FSA), provides annual rental payments for land devoted to
conservation purposes.
Through CRP, farmers and ranchers establish long-term,
resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or
trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and
enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. Farmers and ranchers who
participate in CRP help provide numerous benefits to their local
region and the nation’s environment and economy. CRP general
signup is held annually and is competitive; general signup
includes increased opportunities for wildlife habitat enrollment
through the State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE)
initiative.
New cropland offered in the program must have been planted for
four out of six crop years from 2012 to 2017. Additionally,
producers with land already enrolled but expiring on Sept. 30,
2021, can re-enroll this year. The acreage offered by producers
and landowners is evaluated competitively; accepted offers will
begin Oct. 1, 2021.
Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest private-lands
conservation programs in the United States. The program marked
its 35-year anniversary in December 2020. Program successes
include:
Preventing more than 9 billion tons of soil from eroding,
which is enough soil to fill 600 million dump trucks.
Reducing nitrogen and phosphorous runoff relative to
annually tilled cropland by 95% and 85%, respectively.
Sequestering an annual average of 49 million tons of
greenhouse gases, equal to taking 9 million cars off the road.
Creating more than 3 million acres of restored wetlands
while protecting more than 175,000 stream miles with riparian
forest and grass buffers, which is enough to go around the world
seven times.
Benefiting bees and other pollinators and increasing
populations of ducks, pheasants, turkey, bobwhite quail, prairie
chickens, grasshopper sparrows, and many other birds
For more information on CRP General Signup, visit fsa.usda.gov,
or contact your local FSA county office.
Quality Loss Assistance Now Available for
Eligible Producers Affected by 2018, 2019 Natural Disasters
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency
(FSA) today announced that signup for the Quality Loss
Adjustment (QLA) Program began Wednesday, January 6, 2021.
Funded by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020,
this new program provides assistance to producers who suffered
eligible crop quality losses due to natural disasters occurring
in 2018 and 2019. The deadline to apply for QLA is Friday, March
5, 2021.
Eligible Crops
Eligible crops include those for which federal crop insurance or
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage is
available, except for grazed crops and value loss crops, such as
honey, maple sap, aquaculture, floriculture, mushrooms, ginseng
root, ornamental nursery, Christmas trees, and turfgrass sod.
Additionally, crops that were sold or fed to livestock or that
are in storage may be eligible; however, crops that were
destroyed before harvest are not eligible. Crop quality losses
occurring after harvest, due to deterioration in storage, or
that could have been mitigated, are also not eligible.
Assistance is based on a producer’s harvested affected
production of an eligible crop, which must have had at least a
5% quality loss reflected through a quality discount; or for
forage crops, a nutrient loss, such as total digestible
nutrients.
Qualifying Disaster Events
Losses must have been a result of a qualifying disaster event
(hurricane, excessive moisture, flood, qualifying drought,
tornado, typhoon, volcanic activity, snowstorm, or wildfire) or
related condition that occurred in calendar years 2018 and/or
2019.
Assistance is available for eligible producers in counties that
received a qualifying Presidential Emergency Disaster
Declaration or Secretarial Disaster Designation because of one
or more of the qualifying disaster events or related conditions.
Lists of counties with Presidential Emergency Disaster
Declarations and Secretarial Disaster Designations for all
qualifying disaster events for 2018 and 2019 are available here.
For drought, producers are eligible for QLA if the loss occurred
in an area within a county rated by the U.S. Drought Monitor as
having a D3 (extreme drought) or higher intensity level during
2018 or 2019.
Producers in counties that did not receive a qualifying
declaration or designation may still apply but must also provide
supporting documentation to establish that the crop was directly
affected by a qualifying disaster event.
To determine QLA eligibility and payments, FSA considers the
total quality loss caused by all qualifying natural disasters in
cases where a crop was impacted by multiple events.
Applying for QLA
When applying, producers are asked to provide verifiable
documentation to support claims of quality loss or nutrient loss
in the case of forage crops. For crops that have been sold,
grading must have been completed within 30 days of harvest, and
for forage crops, a laboratory analysis must have been completed
within 30 days of harvest.
Some acceptable forms of documentation include sales receipts
from buyers, settlement sheets, truck or warehouse scale
tickets, written sales contracts, similar records that represent
actual and specific quality loss information, and forage tests
for nutritional values.
Payments Calculations and Limitations
QLA payments are based on formulas for the type of crop (forage
or non-forage) and loss documentation submitted. Based on this
documentation FSA is calculating payments based on the
producer’s own individual loss or based on the county average
loss. More information on payments can be found on farmers.gov/quality-loss.
FSA will issue payments once the application period ends. If the
total amount of calculated QLA payments exceeds available
program funding, payments will be prorated.
For each crop year, 2018, 2019 and 2020, the maximum amount that
a person or legal entity may receive, directly or indirectly, is
$125,000. Payments made to a joint operation (including a
general partnership or joint venture) will not exceed $125,000,
multiplied by the number of persons and legal entities that
comprise the ownership of the joint operation. A person or legal
entity is ineligible for QLA payment if the person’s or legal
entity’s average Adjusted Gross Income exceeds $900,000, unless
at least 75% is derived from farming, ranching or
forestry-related activities.
Future Insurance Coverage Requirements
All producers receiving QLA Program payments are required to
purchase crop insurance or NAP coverage for the next two
available crop years at the 60% coverage level or higher.
Wildlife and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+)
participants who already met the WHIP+ requirement to purchase
crop insurance or NAP coverage are considered to have thereby
met the requirement to purchase crop insurance or NAP coverage
for QLA. If eligible, QLA participants may meet the insurance
purchase requirement by purchasing Whole-Farm Revenue Protection
coverage offered through USDA’s Risk Management Agency.
More Information
For more information, visit farmers.gov/quality-loss,
or contact your local USDA Service Center. Producers can also
obtain one-on-one support with applications by calling
877-508-8364.
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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.
Get Signed up for Wetland Reserve Easements
Ivan Dozier, State Conservationist, announced the application period
for the 2021 Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP-WRE).
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helps provide
long-term protection of Illinois’ farmland, wetlands and grasslands
through ACEP. The first application cut-off date has been
established and NRCS is accepting applications for Wetland Reserve
Easements (WRE). Applications received and that meet program
eligibility by February 5, 2021 will be considered for the 2021
program.
For ACEP-WRE in FY21, Illinois was allocated $4.5 million. NRCS may
establish a second application funding cutoff opportunity later this
year if all funds are not used in the first application cutoff or if
more funds become available. Dozier reminds farmers and landowners
they can apply for ACEP—and all conservation programs—at any time,
as sign-up is continuous and applications can be submitted any time.
NRCS offers two types of easements through ACEP: Agricultural Land
Easements (ALE) and Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE). NRCS will
establish an application cutoff for ALE at a later date. NRCS is
still finalizing ranking criteria for fiscal year 2021. The
Geographic Area Rate Caps (GARCs) are DRAFT but available for
applicants to view. The GARCs establish the rate per acre that NRCS
pays to landowners for the ACEP-WRE easement.
The purpose of the Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) is to help
landowners enhance and protect habitat for wetland wildlife on their
lands, reduce impacts from flooding, recharge groundwater, provide
outdoor recreation, and increase habitat for migratory waterfowl.
NRCS provides technical and financial assistance directly to private
landowners to restore, protect and enhance wetlands through the
purchase of these easements, and eligible landowners can choose to
enroll in either a permanent easement or a 30-year easement. To
apply for a wetlands easement through ACEP - WRE, visit NRCS at your
local USDA Service Center.
Find more information about ACEP and other NRCS conservation
programs in Illinois online at
https://www.nrcs.usda.
gov/wps/portal/nrcs/il/programs/.
Farmers.gov Feature Helps Producers Find Farm
Loans that Fit Their Operation
Farmers and ranchers can use the Farm Loan Discovery Tool on
farmgers.gov to find information on USDA farm loans that may best
fit their operations.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers a variety of loan options to
help farmers finance their operations. From buying land to financing
the purchase of equipment, FSA loans can help.
USDA conducted field research in eight states, gathering input from
farmers and FSA farm loan staff to better understand their needs and
challenges.
How the Tool Works
Farmers who are looking for financing options to operate a farm or
buy land can answer a few simple questions about what they are
looking to fund and how much money they need to borrow. After
submitting their answers, farmers will receive information on farm
loans that best fit their specific needs. The loan application and
additional resources also will be provided.
Farmers can download application quick guides that outline what to
expect from preparing an application to receiving a loan decision.
There are four guides that cover loans to individuals, entities, and
youth, as well as information on microloans. The guides include
general eligibility requirements and a list of required forms and
documentation for each type of loan. These guides can help farmers
prepare before their first USDA service center visit with a loan
officer.
Farmers can access the Farm Loan Discovery Tool by visiting
farmers.gov/fund and clicking the “Start” button. Follow the prompts
and answer five simple questions to receive loan information that is
applicable to your agricultural operation. The tool is built to run
on any modern browser like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or the Safari
browser, and is fully functional on mobile devices. It does not work
in Internet Explorer.
About Farmers.gov
In 2018, USDA unveiled farmers.gov, a dynamic, mobile-friendly
public website combined with an authenticated portal where farmers
will be able to apply for programs, process transactions, and manage
accounts.
The Farm Loan Discovery Tool is one of many resources on farmers.gov
to help connect farmers to information that can help their
operations. Earlier this year, USDA launched the My Financial
Information feature, which enables farmers to view their loan
information, history, payments, and alerts by logging into the
website.
USDA is building farmers.gov for farmers, by farmers. In addition to
the interactive farm loan features, the site also offers a Disaster
Assistance Discovery Tool. Farmers can visit farmers.gov/recover/disaster-assistance-tool#step-1
to find disaster assistance programs that can help their operation
recover from natural disasters.
For more information, contact your local County USDA Service Center
or visit farmers.gov.
Noninsured Crop Coverage Helps Producers Manage
Risks
The Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance
Program (NAP) helps you manage risk through coverage for both crop
losses and crop planting that was prevented due to natural
disasters. The eligible or “noninsured” crops include agricultural
commodities not covered by federal crop insurance.
You must be enrolled in the program and have purchased coverage for
the eligible crop in the crop year in which the loss incurred to
receive program benefits following a qualifying natural disaster.
NAP Buy-Up Coverage Option
NAP offers higher levels of coverage, from 50 to 65 percent of
expected production in 5 percent increments, at 100 percent of the
average market price. Buy-up levels of NAP coverage are available if
the producer can show at least one year of previously successfully
growing the crop for which coverage is being requested.
Producers of organics and crops marketed directly to consumers also
may exercise the “buy-up” option to obtain NAP coverage of 100
percent of the average market price at the coverage levels of
between 50 and 65 percent of expected production.
NAP basic coverage is available at 55 percent of the average market
price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of expected production.
Buy-up coverage is not available for crops intended for grazing.
NAP Service Fees
For all coverage levels, the NAP service fee is the lesser of $325
per crop or $825 per producer per county, not to exceed a total of
$1,950 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties.
NAP Enhancements for Qualified Military Veterans
Qualified veteran farmers or ranchers are eligible for a service fee
waiver and premium reduction, if the NAP applicant meets certain
eligibility criteria.
Beginning, limited resource and targeted underserved farmers or
ranchers remain eligible for a waiver of NAP service fees and
premium reduction when they file form CCC-860, “Socially
Disadvantaged, Limited Resource and Beginning Farmer or Rancher
Certification.”
For NAP application, eligibility and related program information,
contact your local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov/nap.
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative “Chicago Style”
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County and the USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have worked together since
2011 on restoring three critical habitats in Illinois’ Great
Lakes Watershed: Turnbull Woods, Powderhorn Prairie and Marsh
and Eggers Grove and Marsh. All three sites have been
significantly improved and one of the sites - Turnbull Woods –
has become the first Forest Preserve site to be completely free
of invasive brush. Since the partnership project commenced, NRCS
has provided $399,605 in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)
funding; the Forest Preserve has matched those funds with
$410,905. According to Michelle Uting, FPD Grant Administrator,
the long-term, steady funding and support we received from NRCS
is what helped them utterly transform these tracts of land.
Restoration activities at these sites included the removal of
many species of invasive plants, thinning invasive trees to
allow increased sunlight to reach the ground, and planting
native trees. Dozier acknowledges that while funding levels for
this effort may seem small in comparison to other farm
conservation programs in Illinois, this effort truly qualifies
as a success story. NRCS can announce with confidence that the
targeted resource concerns on these sites in Turnbull Woods have
been addressed.
Marketing Assistance Available for 2020 Crops
The 2018 Farm Bill extends loan authority through 2023 for Marketing
Assistance Loans (MALs) and Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs).
MALs provide financing and marketing assistance for commodities such
as wheat, feed grains, soybeans and other oilseeds, pulse crops,
rice, 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 MAL, but agrees to forgo the
loan, may obtain an LDP if such a payment is available.
To be eligible for a 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 regarding MALs, please contact your local
county FSA Office.
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.
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.
FSA is Accepting CRP Continuous Enrollment
Offers
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting offers for specific
conservation practices under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
Continuous Signup.
In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the
program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from
agricultural production and to plant species that will improve
environmental health and quality. The program’s long-term goal is to
re-establish valuable land cover to improve water quality, prevent
soil erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat. Contracts for
land enrolled in CRP are 10-15 years in length.
Under continuous CRP signup, environmentally sensitive land devoted
to certain conservation practices can be enrolled in CRP at any
time. Offers for continuous enrollment are not subject to
competitive bidding during specific periods. Instead they are
automatically accepted provided the land and producer meet certain
eligibility requirements and the enrollment levels do not exceed the
statutory cap.
For more information, including a list of acceptable practices,
contact your local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov/crp.
Transitioning Expiring CRP Acres
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.
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. T he 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, contact your County USDA Service Center or
visit fsa.usda.gov.
January 2021 Interest Rates and Important Dates
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Illinois Farm Service Agency
3500 Wabash Ave. Springfield, Illinois 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
Wendy Mueller
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://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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