What's Up at the USDA Office?
Deadlines/Dates
February 2: Deadline to submit Wool/Pelt LDP for 2025
February 2: Last day to return or postmark completed ballots to the USDA Service Center
February 16: Closed in Observance of President’s Day
April 30: Deadline to apply for SDRP Stage 1 & 2
USDA Opens Enrollment for Dairy Margin Coverage for 2026
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the enrollment period for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program for the 2026 coverage year, an important safety net program that provides producers with price support to help offset milk and feed price differences. Dairy producers can enroll in DMC from January 12, 2026, to February 26, 2026.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed by President Donald J. Trump on July 4, 2025, reauthorized DMC for calendar years 2026 through 2031 and provided substantial program improvements, including establishing new production history and increasing Tier 1 coverage.
The OBBBA increased DMC’s Tier 1 coverage level from five million pounds to six million pounds. All dairy operations that elect to enroll in DMC for 2026 will establish a new production history.
• Existing dairy operations that started marketing milk on or before January 1, 2023, will use the higher of milk marketings for the years of 2021, 2022, or 2023.
• New dairy operations starting after January 1, 2023, will use their first year of monthly milk marketings, even for a partial year.
• Milk marketing statements or production evidence are required to establish a production history.
Dairy operations also have the option to lock-in coverage levels for six years (2026-2031) with premium fees discounted by 25%.
DMC offers different levels of coverage, including an option that is free to producers, minus a $100 administrative fee. To determine the appropriate level of DMC coverage for a specific dairy operation, producers can use the online dairy decision tool.
For more information visit the DMC webpage or contact your local USDA Service Center.
FSA Encourages Farmers and Ranchers to Vote in Allamakee County Committee Election
February 2 is the Last Day to Return Ballots
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has mailed ballots for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee elections to eligible farmers and ranchers across the country. To be counted, ballots must be returned to the Allamakee County FSA office or be postmarked by February 2, 2026.
“FSA county committee members provide valuable knowledge and judgment as decisions are made about the services we provide, including disaster assistance and other critical financial and technical support programs,” said CED Rachel Pufahl, county executive director for Allamakee County. “Please take a few minutes to review your ballot and return your vote prior to the February 2 deadline.”
Each committee is comprised of three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms.
Newly elected committee members will take office March 2, 2026. Allamakee County committee members play a key role in how FSA delivers disaster recovery, safety-net, conservation, commodity and price support programs, as well as making decisions on county office employment and other FSA program delivery issues.
The following producers have been nominated and are running in the election in LAA # 1, which includes Waterloo, Union City, Hanover, French Creek, Union Prairie, and Makee townships in Allamakee County are Mark Howe, Brad Berns, Matt Byrnes, and Kevin Welsh.
Our first candidate is Mark Howe. Mark and his wife Barb have been farming in Hanover township for 35+ years. Together they raise beef cattle and have a row crop operation focusing on a conservation minded rotation of corn, soybean, and alfalfa. Mark also currently serves as one of Hanover Township’s Trustees and is an avid supporter of local 4-H groups.
Our next candidate is Brad Berns. Brad and his wife Erin have been farming in Makee township for 35+ years as well. Brad is a graduate of Iowa State University and uses his schooling and experience to operate his beef, sheep, and row crop operations.
Along with farming, Brad serves as a local 4-H leader, the Allamakee County Fair’s Goat Superintendent, and is the Makee Township Trustee.
Up next is Matt Byrnes. Matt, along with his wife Michelle and three sons, Milan, Mason, and Marcus live on Matt’s home farm in Hanover township. Matt and his family operate a 210-cow dairy farm while raising corn, oats, alfalfa, and cover crops. Matt also currently serves as one of Hanover Township’s Trustees and is a devoted supporter of local 4-H groups.
Finally, our last candidate is Kevin Welsh. Kevin was raised on a beef and hog farm in French Creek Township. After an absence from the county, Kevin returned to the area in the 80s and farmed for several years and now continues to be involved in local agriculture in different ways. He knows and understands northeast Iowa and is familiar with many of its residents. Kevin would like to use this position to continue to guide and assist area producers in becoming successful in all areas of agriculture.
To be eligible to vote in the county committee elections, producers must participate or cooperate in a USDA program and be assigned to the LAA that is up for election. Each year, at least one Local Administrative Area (LAA) in each COC jurisdiction is up for election on a three-year rotation, and each producer is assigned to vote in a single LAA. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation to FSA, even if they have not applied or received program benefits.
Producers can identify LAAs up for election through a geographic information system locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections and may confirm their LAA by contacting their local FSA office. Eligible voters who do not receive a ballot in the mail can request one from the Allamakee County FSA office in Waukon or call (563) 568-2148.
Disaster Set-Aside and Distressed Borrower Set-Aside Programs
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers two types of set-aside programs to assist FSA direct loan borrowers. The set-aside programs are intended to help distressed borrowers as well as borrowers impacted by natural disasters.
Disaster Set-Aside Program
The Disaster Set-Aside Program (DSA) assists existing FSA direct loan borrowers who have been impacted by natural disasters. The DSA program provides short-term financial relief by allowing eligible borrowers to delay FSA direct loan payments that are due this year or next year (but not both). You may delay up to one full annual payment per loan and the delayed payment will be moved to the end of the loan term. You will not be required to pay this set-aside installment until the loan’s final due date.
The principal portion of the amount set-aside will continue to accrue interest at your loan’s existing interest rate.
To be eligible, borrowers must have operated a farm in a county declared a disaster area or a contiguous county at the time of the disaster. In addition, the borrower’s inability to make their upcoming payment must be due to the disaster.
To apply for DSA, borrowers must provide their local USDA Service Center with a letter requesting DSA, which must be signed by all parties liable for the debt. The letter must be provided to your local Service Center within eight months of the disaster declaration date. The application process also includes providing your actual production, income, and expense records for the last three years. FSA may also request additional information as needed to make an eligibility decision.
Distressed Borrower Set-Aside Program
FSA Direct Farm Loan Program borrowers whose loans were closed before September 25, 2024, may be eligible for assistance under the Distressed Borrower Set-Aside Program (DBSA). Similar to DSA, DBSA also provides short-term financial relief by allowing eligible borrowers to delay FSA direct loan payments that are due this year or next year (but not both). You may delay up to one full annual payment per loan and the delayed payment will be moved to the end of the loan term. You will not be required to pay this set-aside installment until the loan’s final due date.
An increased benefit with DBSA is that the principal portion of the set-aside will accrue interest at a reduced rate of 0.125% rather than your loan’s existing interest rate.
To be eligible for DBSA, the borrower must demonstrate financial distress, but their inability to make the upcoming payment does not need to be due to a disaster.
The DBSA application process is similar to DSA as borrowers must provide their local USDA Service Center with a letter requesting DBSA, which must be signed by all parties liable for the debt. The application process also includes providing your actual production, income, and expense records for the last three years. FSA may also request additional information as needed to make an eligibility decision.
Important Factors for Both DSA and DBSA:
FSA direct loan borrowers are not able to obtain more than one set-aside per loan. Borrowers also cannot obtain both a DSA and DBSA simultaneously on the same loan. In addition, FSA direct loans with less than two years remaining are not eligible for a DSA or DBSA. Other eligibility requirements apply; we encourage you to contact your local Service Center for more information.
Both DSA and DBSA are intended to provide short-term relief for situations where borrowers anticipate the ability to resume paying their full annual installment(s) in the following year. If you require a more long-term form of financial relief, FSA has other potential options available through primary loan servicing (PLS).
For more information on DSA, DBSA, or PLS, feel free to contact your local Farm Loan Team at (563) 382-8777. You may also visit fsa.usda.gov.
Trump Administration Appoints Starlyn Perdue to Serve as State Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Iowa
The Trump Administration recently appointed Starlyn Perdue as the new State Executive Director (SED) for the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Iowa.
Perdue is part of a fifth-generation Century Farm family in southwest Iowa, where she and her husband raise their two sons. With a background in economic development, agricultural advocacy, and program administration, Perdue is committed to strengthening Iowa’s rural economy through workforce training and business development. She remains deeply rooted in Iowa’s agricultural community and is a strong advocate for policies that support farmers and strengthen America’s rural economy.
As SED, Perdue is responsible for overseeing the delivery of FSA programs to agricultural producers in Iowa. These commodity, conservation, credit, and disaster assistance programs ensure a safe, affordable, abundant and nutritious food, fiber, and fuel supply for all Americans. See the USDA’s news release for full list of recent FSA and Rural Development appointees.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) helps America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners invest in, improve, protect and expand their agricultural operations through the delivery of agricultural programs for all Americans. FSA implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster recovery and marketing programs through a national network of state and county offices and locally elected county committees. For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov.
