Oswego County Ag Agency Awareness Day May 8 in Mexico

The annual Ag Agency Awareness Day is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 8 at the Mexico VFW on Scenic Avenue in Mexico.

Attendees will learn about the agriculture agencies in Oswego County that are there to serve farmers, foresters and homeowners. 

Providing information and presentations will be Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County, the Oswego County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency.

Representatives of each agency will talk about how they can assist individuals in starting, improving and expanding their agricultural businesses.

It is too late to register for lunch, but attendees can show up for the program only.

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Livestock Producers Have Until Jan. 30 to Apply for Forage Disaster Program

Monday is the deadline to apply for  the Livestock Forage Disaster Program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency reminds livestock producers, in eligible counties, who suffered grazing losses that occurred throughout 2016 due to drought, to report their losses and to enroll in the program by Jan. 30.

The Livestock Forage Disaster program is available in the following New York counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Cortland, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Suffolk, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates.

The program provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately-owned or cash-leased land or fire on federally-managed land. 

Producers in 25 New York counties are eligible to apply for 2016 benefits on native pasture, improved pasture and forage sorghum. Livestock producers are encouraged to contact the their local FSA Office with any questions regarding specific forage crops that are eligible.

Livestock producers must complete the Livestock Forage Disaster program application and required supporting documentation for losses that occurred throughout 2016. Producers who already have appointments scheduled require no additional action to meet the deadline.

Eligible livestock includes alpacas, beef cattle, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, poultry, reindeer, sheep or swine that have been or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland.

Visit www.usda.gov/disaster to learn more about FSA disaster assistance programs or contact your local FSA office. To find a local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov or call (315) 477-6309.

Urban Farming Teams with USDA Loans

Urban farming is becoming a big deal in the Big Apple.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency Administrator Val Dolcini and New York State Executive Director James Barber recently went to Brooklyn to tour urban agriculture operations funded by USDA microloans.
 
As more urban farms start in New York City, consumers can find a wider variety of fresh, locally grown vegetables, year round.
 
“The USDA microloan has expanded funding and opportunities for beginning, niche and small farmers to start or expand their agriculture operations,” said Dolcini. “As urban agriculture continues to grow, FSA loan programs have evolved to keep up with the needs of these unique, creative and trend-setting urban farmers.”
 
Nine urban entrepreneurs worked with Square Roots and USDA to start their urban farming operation. Square Roots is an organization that promotes urban farming and coaches people with a passion for local food to grow and sell produce locally while building a sustainable business.
 
The urban entrepreneurs each used the USDA microloan program to secure a low-interest loan to lease a vertical farm from Square Roots and pay for operating expenses such as seed, water and electricity costs.
 
Vertical farms are repurposed shipping containers tailored for hydroponically growing vegetables and include a water system, heating and cooling units and light-emitting diodes designed to mirror sunlight. Each vertical farm is capable of producing the equivalent of what is grown on two acres of farmland.
 
Square Roots aims to connect local consumers to the urban farmers who grow a variety of greens and herbs that will be sold at local farmers markets and to local restaurants. The producers expect to harvest their first crop this month.
 
The urban farmers are growing green salad mixes, lettuce (green and red), spinach, chard and rhubarb chard, arugula, mustards, Genovese basil, shiso (an herb which is a member of the mint family), kale and watercress.
 
USDA microloans are low interest loans developed to better serve the unique financial needs of new, niche and small to mid-sized family farm operations. 

Microloans offer more flexible access to credit and serve as an attractive loan alternative for smaller farming operations, like specialty crop producers. Borrowers can use the microloan for operating expenses or to purchase, expand or improve a farm. The maximum loan amount is $50,000.
 
To learn more about the USDA microloan program, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/microloans or contact your local FSA office. To find your local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov/.
 
Also, you can check out this http://www.businessinsider.com/usda-urban-agriculture-2016-12  story about the urban farming movement.

Organic Producers, Handlers Now Eligible to Apply for Federal Reimbursement

From the USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that starting March 20, organic producers and handlers will be able to visit over 2,100 USDA Farm Service Agency offices to apply for federal reimbursement to assist with the cost of receiving and maintaining organic or transitional certification.

USDA is making changes to increase participation in the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program  and the Agricultural Management Assistance Organic Certification Cost Share Program, and at the same time provide more opportunities for organic producers to access other USDA programs, such as disaster protection and loans for farms, facilities and marketing. 

Producers also can access information on nonfederal agricultural resources, and get referrals to local experts, including organic agriculture, through USDA’s Bridges to Opportunity service at the local Farm Service Agency office.

Historically, many state departments of agriculture have obtained grants to disburse reimbursements to those producers and handlers qualifying for cost share assistance. Farm Service Agency will continue to partner with states to administer the programs. 

For states that want to continue to directly administer the programs, applications will be due Feb. 17. 

Eligible producers include any certified producers or handlers who have paid organic or transitional certification fees to a  USDA-accredited certifying agent. 

Application fees, inspection costs, fees related to equivalency agreement/ arrangement requirements, travel/per diem for inspectors, user fees, sales assessments and postage are all eligible for a cost share reimbursement from USDA.

Once certified, producers and handlers are eligible to receive reimbursement for up to 75 percent of certification costs each year up to a maximum of $750 per certification scope — crops, livestock, wild crops and handling.  

Today’s announcement also adds transitional certification and state organic program fees as additional scopes.

To learn more about organic certification cost share, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/organic or contact a local FSA office by visiting http://offices.usda.gov.

CCC Interest Rates Set for December

From the USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corp. (CCC) announced interest rates for December 2016.
 
The CCC borrowing rate-based charge for December is 0.750 percent, up from 0.625 percent in November.
 
The interest rate for crop year commodity loans less than one year disbursed during December is 1.750 percent, up from 1.625 percent in November.
 
Interest rates for Farm Storage Facility Loans approved for December are as follows: 

*** 1.125 percent with three-year loan terms, up from 1 percent in November
*** 1.375 percent with five-year loan terms, up from 1.250 percent in November
***1.750 percent with seven-year loan terms, up from 1.5 percent in November
*** 2 percent with 10-year loan terms, up from 1.750 percent in November and; 
***2 percent with 12-year loan terms, up from 1.750 percent in November.
 
The interest rate for 15-year Sugar Storage Facility Loans for December is 2.125 percent, up from 1.875 percent in November.
 
Further program information is available from USDA Farm Service Agency’s Financial Management Division at (202) 772-6041.

Deadline Extended for Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections

The deadline to submit ballots for the USDA Farm Service Agency 2016 County Committee Elections has been extended to ensure farmers and ranchers have sufficient time to vote. 

Eligible voters now have until Dec. 13 to return ballots to their local Farm Service Agency offices. Producers who have not received their ballot should pick one up at their local Farm Service Agency office.

Farm Service Agency has modified the ballot, making it easily identifiable and less likely to be overlooked. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than Dec. 13.

Newly elected committee members will take office Jan. 1, 2017.

Nearly 7,700 Farm Service Agency County Committee members serve agency offices nationwide. Each committee has three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms of office. 

County committee members apply their knowledge and judgment to help Farm Service Agency make important decisions on its commodity support, conservation, indemnity, disaster and emergency programs.

Producers must participate or cooperate in a Farm Service Agency program to be eligible to vote in the county committee election. 

For more information, visit the Farm Service Agency website at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections . You may also contact your local USDA service center or Farm Service Agency office. Visit http://offices.usda.gov to find an Farm Service Agency office near you.

Farm Service Agency County Committee Ballots Due Dec. 5

From the USDA
 
Farm Service Agency begins mailing ballots Nov. 7 to eligible farmers and ranchers across the country for the 2016 Farm Service Agency County Committee elections.
 
Producers must return ballots to their local FSA offices by Dec. 5 to ensure their vote is counted. 

Nearly 7,700 FSA County Committee members serve FSA offices nationwide. Each committee has three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms of office.
 
One-third of county committee seats are up for election each year. County committee members apply their knowledge and judgment to help FSA make important decisions on its commodity support programs, conservation programs, indemnity and disaster programs, and emergency programs and eligibility.
 
Producers must participate or cooperate in an FSA program to be eligible to vote in the county committee election. About 1.5 million producers are eligible to vote. Farmers and ranchers who supervise and conduct the farming operations of an entire farm, but are not of legal voting age, also may be eligible to vote.
 
Ballots include the names of candidates running for the local committee election. FSA has modified the ballot, making it easily identifiable and less likely to be overlooked.
 
Voters who do not receive ballots in the coming week can pick one up at their local FSA offices. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than Dec. 5. Newly elected committee members will take office Jan. 1, 2017.
 
For more information, visit the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections. You may also contact your local USDA Service Center or FSA office. Visit http://offices.usda.gov/ to find an FSA office near you.

NY Farmers To Receive Assistance for Crop Price Losses

From the USDA Farm Service Agency

The U.S. Department of Agriculture New York State Farm Service Agency Executive Director James Barber says a majority of New York farms that enrolled in safety-net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill will receive financial assistance for the 2015 crop year. 

The programs, known as Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage, are designed to protect against unexpected drops in crop prices or revenues due to market downturns.

“These safety-net programs provide help when price and revenues fall below normal, unlike the previous direct payments program that provided funds even in good years,” said Barber. “These payments will help provide reassurance to New York farm families, who are standing strong against low commodity prices compounded by unfavorable growing conditions. 

"For example, 55 counties in New York state harvest corn, and 51 have experienced a drop in price below the benchmark price established by the Agriculture Risk Coverage program. Payments will also be made in most counties to producers of oats, soybeans and wheat,” Barber said.

“Payments by county can vary because average county yields will differ,” he said.  

Statewide, 17,577 farms participated in Agriculture Risk Coverage and 931 farms participated in Price Loss Coverage.  

More details on the price and yield information used to calculate the financing assistance from the safety-net programs is available on the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc and
www.fsa.usda.gov/ny.

Ag Commissioner Ball Tours Drought-Stricken Southern Tier, Finger Lakes

From NYS Agriculture and Markets:

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today (Sept. 13) joined state leaders, representatives from the New York Farm Bureau, members of the U.S.Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency  and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Steuben and Yates counties to tour several farms in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions affected by this summer’s drought. 

In addition, Ball announced a new drought guide to help impacted farmers navigate the various resources available. The commissioner provided the resource guide to participants during a roundtable gathering hosted by state Sen. Thomas O’Mara to discuss the extent of the drought and plan to help farmers with recovery.

 
Two weeks ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that 24 counties across Upstate New York had been designated as a natural disaster area and since then, two additional counties have been added for a total of 26 counties.  

There are also additional requests being reviewed by Farm Service Agency for counties seeking disaster declaration. These designations mean that farmers in those areas may be eligible for assistance, including emergency loans, from the Farm Service Agency.

Steuben and Yates counties were both designated as primary disaster counties, enabling eligible farms in these affected areas to qualify for loans and other assistance programs.

24 Counties Designated as Drought Disaster Areas

From New York State:

Twenty-four counties across Upstate New York have been designated as a natural disaster area by the federal government as a result of this summer's drought. 

These designations mean that farmers in those areas may be eligible for assistance, including emergency loans, from the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency. 

Additionally, State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball, state lawmakers and other farm leaders will be conducting on-site assessments of farms affected by the drought, while the state works closely with Cornell University expert hydrologists and climate professors to help understand and study the outlook for recovery.

Disaster declaration is based on reporting of crop loss to the federal Farm Service Agency and a D3 designation by the http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ .  

The federal government declared 15 counties as primary natural disaster areas and an additional nine counties as contiguous disaster counties due to a recent drought. 

In addition, several other counties in the North Country, Finger Lakes, Central New York and the Southern Tier are also requesting primary disaster declarations.

The primary counties under the disaster declaration designation are: Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Wyoming, Yates, Cayuga, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins. 

The federal government also named nine counties as contiguous disaster counties. They are: Onondaga, Oswego, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Broome, Cortland, Orleans and Wayne.

In addition, the state Department of Agriculture and Markets will continue to work with its partners in monitoring the drought situation and its effect on New York farms in these and other counties across the state, including in the North Country, Capital Region and on Long Island. 

The department also will tour affected farms in Western New York, the North Country and the Southern Tier.

Farm Service Agency Head Visits NYC Farms

By DEBRA J. GROOM
EMPIRE FARM & DAIRY
 

Dolcini

You wouldn’t think there would be much reason for the head of the Farm Service agency to go to New York City.
 
But there he was — the national administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency — touring farms in Brooklyn and the South Bronx.
 
Val Dolcini was interested in seeing what is going on in urban agriculture in hopes of working with the USDA to develop a variety of new tools to support urban farmers. 

The discussions from this trip to New York City will help the USDA better understand the unique challenges urban agriculture faces, as it looks to expand its capacity to better serve and meet the needs of farmers in urban areas, Dolcini said.
 
While in New York City, Dolcini saw crops being grown on the rooftop at the Brooklyn Navy yard. He saw community gardens filled with crops in little nooks and crannies in the city. He saw families finding little areas of soil near their apartments planting food they could eat all summer and fall.
 
“There is 65,000 square feet of space on the roof of the Brooklyn Navy Yard with a dozen or so Mom and Pop operations,” Dolcini said. 

He said people in the city grow for themselves and also sell their produce at farm stands or even through CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), in which people buy shares of the farm operation in return for some of the bounty of the farm.
 
He said during his tour of New York City, he found people growing all types of greens, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, root vegetables and cut flowers.
 
“There are lots of opportunities for farming in New York City,” Dolcini said.

FSA Announces Commodity Credit Corp. Interest Rates for February

From the Farm Service Agency:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) today announced interest rates for February 2016. 

The CCC borrowing rate-based charge for February is 0.625 percent, unchanged from 0.625 percent in January.

The interest rate for crop year commodity loans less than one year disbursed during February is 1.625 percent, unchanged from 1.625 percent in January.

Interest rates for Farm Storage Facility Loans approved for February are as follows, 2.000 percent with seven-year loan terms, unchanged from 2.000 percent in January; 2.125 percent with 10-year loan terms, down from 2.250 percent in January and; 2.250 percent with 12-year loan terms, down from 2.375 percent in January. 

The interest rate for 15-year Sugar Storage Facility Loans for February is 2.375 percent, down from 2.500 percent in January.

Further program information is available from USDA Farm Service Agency's (FSA) Financial Management Division at 202-772-6041.

Ag Society Forum: Farmers Must Learn to Deal With Changing Climate

From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine:

By DEBRA J. GROOM

SALINA — Oh, the weather it is a changin.’
 
And oh, how the farmers have to change their operations to deal with it.
 
Climate change and how it affects agriculture in New York state was the focus of the 184th forum of the New York State Agricultural Society held Jan. 7 at the Holiday Inn in suburban Syracuse.
 
The day-long forum included talks by a meteorologist and director of the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University, a panel discussion by New York farmers on how they deal with changes in the weather and a talk by the administrator of the federal Farm Service Agency.
 
All agreed weather patterns in New York have changed.
 
Art DeGaetano, a meteorologist, a professor in the department of earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell and director of the Northeast Regional Climate Center, said data shows “through time, something has changed.”
 
From about 1980 through today, temperatures on average have been much warmer than normal in the winter.
 
He said data shows there have been fewer times when the temperatures dropped below zero, summer temperatures are warmer than normal, there are more frost-free seasons and, while annual average amounts of precipitation have stayed about the same (41 inches), there have been more extremes of when areas see two inches or more of rain in a day.
 
“We’re still seeing 41 inches of rain, but it’s coming in 10 days instead of in a longer period of time. 
It’s clearly a different impact,” DeGaetano said.
 
So what can farmers do to deal with changes in the weather?
 
Peter Martens, a grain and crop farmer in Dresden, Yates County, and Wendy Burkhart-Spiegel, an organic vegetable farmer in Madison in Madison County, both do much more irrigation and drainage work on their farms than in the past. Irrigation deals with times when there isn’t enough rain, and drainage helps the farms get rid of water from those extreme deluges.
 
Martens also increased his strip cropping from zero in 2000 to 70 percent of his crops now being grown this way. This helps alleviate the erosion of soil by creating natural dams for water when it rains.
 
Martens also has had to rethink the type of crops he is growing now that the weather is different. Instead of planting windbreaks that simply act as windbreaks, he is considering planting fruit or nut trees that can act as windbreaks and can be sold “to turn a profit.”
 
He also is working with nearby dairy farmers by taking some of the crops he grew as weather buffers (straw and beans) and sells them to the dairies for feed.
 
“When the weather takes away an opportunity, reach out to a neighbor for another opportunity,” he said.
 
Burkhart-Spiegel said the very first year she and her husband operated Common Thread Community Farm and CSA in 2013, it rained so much in June they thought they’d never get their crops in.
“Six weeks of rain when we’re trying to get our crops in and cultivated,” she said.
 
So they also put in drainage. Irrigation is used when the rain gods take a vacation.
 
They use raised beds for some of the vegetables and put in hoop houses and temporary caterpillar houses for raising items like tomatoes.
 
“I remember when we could plant all our tomatoes outside and get all the tomatoes we needed,” she said. “Now we don’t plant any tomatoes outside.”
 
The weather changes also have led to more pests, so Burkhart-Spiegel has turned to organic pesticides, uses row covers and even black plastic and landscape fabric when growing some vegetables.
 
Val Dolcini, the Farm Service Agency administrator, manages offices in “every rural county in the United States in serving America’s farmers and ranchers, providing them with credit, farm and conservation programs and disaster assistance.”
 
He admits the ever-changing climate makes his job challenging, as more and more farmers and ranchers throughout the United States need federal assistance when weather disasters hit.
 
“Whether it’s a goliath blizzard like what hit recently in New Mexico, to El Nino to wildfires, we will respond,” he said of FSA.
 
He said sometimes that means going back to Congress for more money if there have been so many disasters that the agency’s disaster money is depleted.
 
“In our industry, opportunity is often created out of efforts to overcome new challenges and farmers and ranchers have a proven track record of harnessing ingenuity, know-how and determination to not just survive, but thrive in an ever-changing environment,” Dolcini told the more than 500 people attending the forum.
 
“That’s why today’s focus on Climate Smart Farming is so timely. As you know, there are many things we can control in life, but there are at least two things that are unpredictable: the markets and the weather. Sudden changes in either can have a major impact on our food supply,” he said.
 
“And while these forces may be at least somewhat out of our control, it’s how we adapt to them that will determine our success, Dolcini said.
 
“It goes without saying that the threat of climate change is far too important of an issue to be swept up in the partisan political climate that exists in Washington, DC,” he said.
 
Dolcini said people in agriculture not only have to figure out ways to avoid climate disasters in the future, but also how to learn from what is happening today to help change farm and ranch operations to increase profitability.

If you like what you read from the magazine, you can subscribe to it by sending $50 for one year or $75 for two years to Empire Farm & Dairy, 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY  13601

Deadline Extended to Nov. 13 for Obtaining or Modifying Levels through Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program

The deadline has been extended for producers to obtain or modify higher levels of coverage through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.

This program protects against poor forage crop quality due to drought or other natural disasters where the forage is intended for mechanical harvest. USDA NY Farm Service Agency Executive Director James Barber said the deadline is now Nov. 13.

“For some 2016 forage crops, the application deadline for NAP occurred before information became available to measure losses due to quality that could influence loss payments, so we extended the deadline so that producers have more time to decide what type of modified coverage works best for their operation,” said Barber.

The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program protects agricultural crops for which crop insurance is not available from losses due to natural disasters, such as drought, freeze, hail, excessive moisture, excessive wind or hurricanes. The program offers basic coverage at 55 percent of the average market price for crop losses exceeding 50 percent of expected production, and higher levels of coverage, up to 65 percent of expected production at 100 percent of the average market price. Higher coverage is not available on grazing crops.  

However, the extension does not afford producers the opportunity to purchase basic 50/55 NAP coverage.

Producers interested in adjusting their NAP coverage must submit the appropriate paperwork to their local FSA county office before the Nov. 13 deadline. To find your local USDA Service Center go to http://offices.usda.gov. For more details on the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/nap.

Guaranteed Farm Loan Information Available

Go to http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-loan-programs/guaranteed-farm-loans/index to see information on the 2016 Guaranteed Farm Loans from Farm Service Agency.

USDA Commits $2.5M to Expand New Farmer Education

From the USDA:

A total of $2.5 million in grants is now available for projects to educate new and underserved farmers about more than 20 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency programs that can provide financial, disaster or technical assistance to the agricultural community.

The grants will be awarded to nonprofits and public higher education institutions that develop proposals to improve farmer education on topics such as financial training, value-added production, recordkeeping, property inheritance, and crop production practices.


USDA will conduct four evaluation periods to review applications, with the deadlines of Nov. 20, 2015, Jan. 22, 2015, Mar. 18, 2016, and May 27, 2016. 

Awards between $20,000 and $100,000 per applicant will be available. 

To learn more about the funding solicitation and the related Farm Service Agency programs, details can be found at www.grants.gov with the reference number USDA-FSA-CA-2015-001. 

For nonprofits and public institutions of higher education that are considering participation, an online informational session will be conducted on Sept. 28, 2015. Additional information is posted on the Web at www.fsa.usda.gov/outreach.


This funding builds on investments made in rural America over the past six years and supports programs enacted by the 2014 Farm Bill. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

Dairy Margin Protection Program Enrollment Deadline Sept. 30

From the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets:

Enrollment for the 2016 Dairy Margin Protection Program is currently underway.  

Dairy farmers can now sign up for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Margin Protection Program at their local USDA Farm Services Agency office.  

The program provides financial assistance to participating dairy operations when the margin, or the difference between the national all-milk price and national average feed cost, falls below the coverage level selected by the farmer. 

“As a farmer, I know that the agriculture industry is faced with the challenge of unpredictable conditions—from the weather to market cycles," said Ag and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball. "Enrollment for the Margin Protection Program is now open and I encourage our dairy farmers to explore this opportunity to invest in a risk management tool that could help ease some of the economic hardship when margins fluctuate.”

Dairy operations, large and small, that produce milk commercially are eligible to participate in the program for a premium. 

Participating dairy producers have the flexibility to select coverage levels best suited for their operation and have the option of adjusting that level during the open enrollment period each year. Currently, 48 percent of New York’s dairy producers are enrolled in the 2015 program.

Enrollment for the 2016 program began July 1 and ends Sept. 30. For more information, visit the USDA’s Farm Service Agency’s website at www.fsa.usda.gov/dairy. To find a local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.  

In addition, the USDA has an online resource available to help dairy producers decide which level of coverage will provide them with the strongest protections under a variety of conditions. 

The tool, available at www.fsa.usda.gov/mpptool, allows dairy farmers to calculate their coverage needs based on price projections. Producers can also review historical data or estimate future coverage based on data projections.

Nomination Period Opens Monday for Farm Service Agency County Committees

From the USDA:

The nomination period for local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees begins Monday, June 15.


“Through the county committees, farmers and ranchers have a voice. Their opinions and ideas get to be heard on federal farm programs,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “It is important for county committees to reflect America's diversity, so I encourage all eligible farmers and ranchers, including beginning farmers, to get involved in this year's elections. We’ve seen an increase in the number of nominations for qualified candidates, especially among women and minorities, and I hope that trend continues.”

To be eligible to serve on a FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in an agency administered program, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local administrative area where they are nominated.

Farmers and ranchers may nominate themselves or others. Organizations representing minorities and women also may nominate candidates. 

To become a candidate, an eligible individual must sign an FSA-669A nomination form. The form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections. 

Nomination forms for the 2015 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA Service Center by close of business on Aug. 3, 2015.


FSA will mail election ballots to eligible voters beginning Nov. 9. Ballots will be due back to the local county office either via mail or in person by Dec. 7. Newly elected committee members and alternates will take office on Jan. 1, 2016.

Website Available for Buying, Selling Hay

Do you have hay to sell?
 
Do you need to buy some hay?
 
Producers throughout New York state are encouraged to use Hay Net on the Farm Service Agency website to sell or buy hay.
 
The website is www.fsa.usda.gov/haynet
 
This online service allows producers with hay and those who need hay to post ads so they can make connections.
 
Hay Net is a popular site for farmers and ranchers who have an emergency need.
 
Individual ads can be posted free of charge by producers who complete a simple online registration form the first time they use the site.

Farm Service Agency Loan Program Handbook Updated

The full version of Farm Service Agency Farm Loan Programs Handbook 2-FLP (Rev. 1), Guaranteed Loan making and servicing, has been updated and made available for download.

Amendment 32 to the FSA Farm Loan Programs Handbook 2-FLP was recently issued and included many changes and updates. The current handbook, which includes the last Amendment 32, is available at:  http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/2-flp_r01_a32.pdf