What's Up at the USDA Office?
Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
August 2- 31: Non-Emergency Haying of CRP
August 2 - September 30: Non-Emergency Grazing of CRP
Current – October 31: Organic Certified Cost Share Program (OCCSP)
December 2: Deadline to return COC ballots to FSA Office
Conduct Business Online Through the Farmers.gov Portal
Looking for ways to do business with USDA that saves you time? Look no further than farmers.gov.
When you create an account for the farmers.gov authenticated customer portal, you have access to self-service features through a secure login. Managing your business with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is faster than ever. From e-signing documents, viewing, printing, and exporting maps and receiving notifications of payment disbursements, a farmers.gov authenticated account makes doing business with USDA easy and secure.
What can you do with your farmers.gov account?
• View FSA Farm Loan information including interest payments, loan advances, payment history and paid-in-full/restructured loans.
• Make USDA direct farm loan payments using the Pay My Loan feature.
• Access the Online Loan Application portal.
• View, print and export detailed FSA farm records and farm/tract maps.
• Import precision agriculture planting boundaries, create labels containing crop information, and print both on farm tract maps.
• View and print your FSA-156EZ with farm details
• View and print your Producer Farm Data Report
• View NRCS Disbursements and Farm Loans financial activity from the past 180 days.
• View your land, access NRCS data on your conservation plans, contracts, and planning land units through the Conservation Land Area page.
• View, upload, download and e-sign NRCS documents.
• Request NRCS conservation and financial assistance, including submitting a program application.
• View detailed information on all previous and ongoing NRCS contracts, including the amount of cost- share assistance received and anticipated; and even request contract modifications, report practice completion and request practice certification.
• “Switch Profiles” to act on behalf of your entity or another individual when you have active representative authority on file
If you’d like to see the features in action and learn more about how to use them, check out the 3–5-minute farmers.gov account video tutorials.
How do you create a farmers.gov account?
Visit farmers.gov/account to access information about farmers.gov accounts and sign in to the site’s authenticated portal. You will need a Login.gov account linked to your USDA customer record to access your farmers.gov authenticated site. Customers who are new to USDA should visit Get Started at Your USDA Service Center, then go to farmers.gov/account to create a farmers.gov account.
To create a farmers.gov account you will need:
• A USDA individual customer record — A customer record contains information you have given to USDA to do business with them, like your name, address, phone number, and any legal representative authority relationships. Contact your local USDA Service Center to make sure you have an individual USDA customer record on file and your information is up to date.
• A Login.gov account — Login.gov is a sign-in service that gives people secure online access to participating government programs. You can create a Login.gov account linked to your customer record by following the directions on farmers.gov/account.
• Identity Verification — You can choose to verify your identity with Login.gov or in-person at a USDA Service Center.
In addition to the self-service features, farmers.gov also has information on USDA programs, farm loans, disaster assistance, conservation programs and crop insurance.
Looking to Manage Hay or Graze CRP?
Managed haying and grazing of CRP acres became available August 2 and MUST be requested and approved prior to conducting any activity. Managed haying is allowed through August 31st and bales must be removed within 10 days of baling and no later than September 10th. The cost for managed haying in 25% of the soil rental rate per acre. Managed grazing is allowed through September 30th. All cattle must be removed from CRP acres by September 30th. The cost for managed grazing is 25% of the soil rental rate per acre.
Complete CRP Management Activities
The Primary Nesting Season (PNS) is now over, spot mowing/spraying treatment on CRP acres can resume. If you are planning to burn CRP in the spring of 2025, now is the time to mow/maintain your firebreaks. Our office will be mailing those CRP participants that have required Mid-Contract Management (MCM) due for 2025 in September. This work can be done from October 1, 2024, to May 14, 2025. Please time the time now to figure out a plan of action to get this completed. Extensions will not be accepted.
2025 CRP Establishment Planning
The fall window is a great time to prep for your upcoming spring CRP seeding. Planning your project on and off the field is important. Take this time to review your conservation plan, secure your seed, prep the ground, or line up a contractor if necessary. Questions about CRP management activities? Please contact the Allamakee County USDA office (563)-568-2148, Ext.2.
FSA Offers Joint Financing Option on Direct Farm Ownership Loans
The USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Direct Farm Ownership loans can help farmers and ranchers become owner-operators of family farms, improve and expand current operations, increase agricultural productivity, and assist with land tenure to save farmland for future generations. There are three types of Direct Farm Ownership Loans: regular, down payment and joint financing. FSA also offers a Direct Farm Ownership Microloan option for smaller financial needs up to $50,000. Joint financing allows FSA to provide more farmers and ranchers with access to capital. FSA lends up to 50 percent of the total amount financed. A commercial lender, a State program or the seller of the property being purchased, provides the balance of loan funds, with or without an FSA guarantee. The maximum loan amount for a joint financing loan is $600,000, and the repayment period for the loan is up to 40 years.
The operation must be an eligible farm enterprise. Farm Ownership loan funds cannot be used to finance nonfarm enterprises and all applicants must be able to meet general eligibility requirements. Loan applicants are also required to have participated in the business operations of a farm or ranch for at least three years out of the 10 years prior to the date the application is submitted. The applicant must show documentation that their participation in the business operation of the farm or ranch was not solely as a laborer. For more information about farm loans, contact Allamakee County USDA Service Center at 563-568-2148, or visit fsa.usda.gov.
