What's Up at the USDA Office?
Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
January 15: Closed for observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 30: Deadline to submit a 2023 Livestock Forage Program (LFP) application
January 31: Final date to request LDP for wool that was shorn in 2023 and for unshorn lambs slaughtered in 2023.
February 19: Office closed for observance of President’s Day
March 15: Deadline to sign up for the ARC PLC program
Allamakee COC Election Results
This year’s COC election was for LAA-2 which covers the following townships: Ludlow, Jefferson, Post, Franklin, Linton, and Fairview.
Scott Willger has been elected as a new member to serve a 3-year term for the Allamakee County Committee. Scott began his agricultural career farming alongside his parents with row crops and a dairy operation in Ludlow Township. Now after 25+ years, he, and his wife Tina, continue to farm the family ground with conservation at the forefront. Scott is a strong advocate for Allamakee’s agricultural community and continues to share that passion with others.
Congratulations and welcome to the Allamakee County Committee!
We would like to also thank outgoing COC member, Paul Link, for his 9 years of service to the Committee. His hard work and dedication to our community was much appreciated.
The County FSA Committee is a vital link in the administration of farm programs. Some of the duties of the committee include: informing farmers of the purpose and provisions of FSA programs, participating in meetings, acting on cases involving individual farms, keeping FSA State Committee informed on local conditions, and conducting office operations to ensure administrative funds are used efficiently and for appropriate purposes.
To ensure farmer understanding and wide program participation, committees must see that county office operations are farmer oriented and that producers receive quality, timely service. Committees ensure that local offices give balanced attention to all programs and that staff carry out USDA programs effectively, efficiently and impartially.
Thank you for everyone that took the time to vote and return their election ballots!
For more information, visit the FSA website at fsa.usda.gov/elections or contact the Allamakee County FSA office at 563-568-2148, Ext. 2.
Enroll 2024 Farm Program - ARC/PLC
The deadline for Allamakee County producers to enroll into the 2024 Farm Program with Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) is fast approaching!
To get enrolled, call or stop into the Allamakee County office. We can also accommodate producers by mailing or sending enrollments out for electronic signature. Producers only have until March 15, 2024 to enroll.
2024 Elections and Enrollment Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2024 are optional, producers MUST enroll through a signed contract each year in order to participate.
Recently, reference prices have been increased for the 2024 ARC PLC sign up. Corn has increased from $3.70 to $4.01, Soybeans from $8.40 to $9.26, and Oats from $2.40 to $2.76.
Crop Insurance Considerations ARC and PLC are part of a broader USDA safety net that also includes crop insurance and marketing assistance loans. Producers are reminded that ARC and PLC elections and enrollments can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products.
Producers on farms with a PLC election can purchase Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) through their Approved Insurance Provider; however, producers on farms where ARC is the election are ineligible for SCO on their planted acres for that crop on that farm.
Unlike SCO, the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) is unaffected by an ARC election. Producers may add ECO regardless of the farm program election. Deadline for enrollment is March 15, 2024
CRP Management Activities
2024 CRP contracts that have required management activates due were mailed an informational packet in late September 2023. Just a reminder that if you received this packet, you are proactively lining up the proper actions to get this completed. All work is to be finished by May 14, 2024. Please contact the office as soon as the work is completed, along with associated receipts detailing the practice used. Producers must also sign and return the forms mailed in September to complete the process. CRP management activities cannot be performed during the Primary Nesting Season (PNS) from May 15 - August 1.
Update Your Records
FSA is cleaning up our producer record database and needs your help. Please report any changes of address, zip code, phone number, email address or an incorrect name or business name on file to our office. You should also report changes in your farm operation, like the addition of a farm by lease or purchase. You should also report any changes to your operation in which you reorganize to form a Trust, LLC, or other legal entity.
FSA and NRCS program participants are required to promptly report changes in their farming operation to the County Committee in writing and to update their Farm Operating Plan on form CCC-902.
To update your records, contact your Allamakee County USDA Service Center at 563-568-2148.
