What's up at the FSA Office?
by Cindy Mensen, Acting Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148
REMINDERS:
July 1 – Sept. 30: Sign-up for the 2017 MPP-Dairy program
July 4: Office closed for Independence Day Holiday
July 5:County Committee meeting at 9:00 am at Waukon USDA Service Center
July 15: Deadline to certify a 2016 crop report (FSA-578)
Aug 1: Deadline to sign-up for the 2016 ARC-Co Program (sign a CCC-861)
Aug 1: Last day to request a farm or tract reconstitution for 2016 crop year
Sept 1: Premiums are due for 2016 MPP buy-up coverage
Crop Reporting and ARC-CO sign-up for 2016
The Allamakee County FSA Office welcomes all county farmers to come in and report their 2016 crops. Certification of all crops and land uses is required for many FSA programs. The deadline to report spring planted crops is July 15th.
While you are in the office, be sure to sign-up for the 2016 Agricultural Risk Coverage program as well. This program began in 2014 and runs through 2018. Every year we need you to come back to the office and tell us who is operating the land and sign contract form CCC-861 so that the correct farmers may be paid any earned program benefits. The deadline for ARC-County sign-up is August 1st.
Marketing Loans
All farmers who have put their 2015 corn or soybeans under loan at the FSA office are reminded to keep checking the quality of the grain. It is important to repay the loan bushels before feeding the grain. If you are planning to market the commodity, you can either repay the bushels ahead of time or obtain a marketing authorization from FSA prior to loading the truck. “Call Before You Haul” is a good plan to remember.
Farm Stored Facility Loan (FSFL)
The Farm Stored Facility Loan Program has recently expanded to provide more options to farmers to fund purchases of both new AND USED equipment. Interest rates are very low –starting at 1% -- and repayment terms range from 3-12 years. It is very important that you do not purchase anything before receiving your loan approval. Applications for FSFL require an upfront fee of $100 per person on the loan and include bringing all estimates of costs to the office for eligible costs. A site visit will be required by an FSA staff member to check environmental safety and historical significance of the location of any grain handling or storage facility.
Margin Protection Program Payments Earned
Those farmers who purchased buy-up coverage for the MPP – Dairy program at the $7.50 or higher level margin have earned a payment for the March-April two-month period because the milk margin for this period calculated to be $7.14868. The national dairy production margin is the difference between the all-milk price and average feed costs.
Dairy farmers who participate in the Margin Protection Program have chosen either (1) catastrophic coverage, at no cost to the producer, other than an annual $100 administrative fee; or (2) various levels of buy-up coverage. Catastrophic coverage provides payments to participating producers when the national dairy production margin is less than $4.00 per hundredweight (cwt). Producers may purchase buy-up coverage that provides payments when margins are between $4.00 and $8.00 per cwt. To participate in buy-up coverage, a producer must pay a premium that varies with the level of protection the producer elects. Premium costs for the 2016 MPP coverage are due to be paid by September 1, 2016. Note that sign-up for the 2017 coverage year will run from July 1 through September 30.
