What's Up at the USDA Office?

Deadlines/Dates
February 26: Deadline to apply for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program
March 2: Deadline to apply for 2025 Livestock Indemnity Program
April 30: Deadline to apply for SDRP Stage 1, SDRP Stage 1 Quality Loss, and SDRP Stage 2

County Director Notes and Reminders
The Farmer’s Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program was announced by USDA Undersecretary Richard Fordyce, encouraging producers to contact their local FSA office to file an application. FSA staff have not been trained yet on this program and applications are not expected to be available until the last week in February. Payments could begin as early as February 28th, 2026.

ARC PLC sign up for 2026 has not been announced yet. (Many people have called as we usually conduct annual sign-up January through March). The One Big Beautiful Bill passed in July 2025, extending the ARC PLC program and making significant changes to reference prices and payment calculations.

CRP Signup Now Open - Limited Window
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the enrollment periods for agricultural producers and landowners to submit offers for the Continuous and General Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting offers for Continuous CRP which started Feb. 12, 2026,  and will run through March 20, 2026. Enrollment for General CRP will run from March 9, 2026, through April 17, 2026.

CRP is USDA’s flagship conservation program, providing financial and technical support to agricultural producers and landowners who place unproductive or marginal cropland under contract for 10-15 years and who agree to voluntarily convert the land to beneficial vegetative cover to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and support wildlife habitat. The Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026, extends FSA’s authority to administer CRP through Sept. 30, 2026.   

“We’re still very close to the 27-million-acre statutory cap with 1.9 million acres available for all CRP enrollments this fiscal year so enrollment is likely to be competitive,” USDA’s Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce said. “This isn’t about the total number of acres enrolled, it’s about producers and landowners offering and USDA accepting the acres that can best deliver real, lasting benefits to soil, water and wildlife.” 

Continuous CRP (Signup 65)   
FSA will batch Continuous CRP offers submitted by interested agricultural producers and landowners. Offers to re-enroll expiring CRP continuous acreage will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. New acreage offered in continuous CRP practices will be considered for acceptance on a first-come, first-serve basis if they support USDA conservation priorities including but not limited to practices that address water quality, such as filter strips and grass waterways, and practices that restore native ecosystems or target specific resource concerns. 

The first Continuous CRP batching period ends on March 20, 2026. Offers submitted after this date will be considered for acceptance in subsequent batching periods if acreage remains available. 

Continuous CRP participants voluntarily offer environmentally sensitive lands, typically smaller parcels than offered through General CRP including wetlands, riparian buffers, and varying wildlife habitats. In return, they receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource-conserving vegetative cover.    

Continuous CRP enrollment options include:    
Clean Lakes, Estuaries and Rivers (CLEAR) Initiative: Prioritizes water quality practices on the land that, if enrolled, will help reduce sediment loadings, nutrient loadings, and harmful algal blooms. The vegetative covers also contribute to increased wildlife populations.    
CLEAR30 (a component of the CLEAR Initiative): Offers additional incentives for water quality practice adoption and can be accessed in 30-year contracts.   
Highly Erodible Land Initiative (HELI): Producers and landowners can enroll in CRP to establish long-term cover on highly erodible cropland that has a weighted erodibility index greater than or equal to 20.
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP): Addresses high priority conservation objectives of states and Tribal governments on agricultural lands in specific geographic areas.   
State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative (SAFE): Restores vital habitat in order to meet high-priority state wildlife conservation goals. 

General CRP (Signup 66)   
General CRP offers are submitted through a competitive bid process. After the enrollment period closes, General CRP offers are ranked and scored by FSA, using nationally established environmental benefits criteria. USDA will announce accepted offers once ranking and scoring for all offers is completed. In addition to annual rental payments, approved General CRP participants may also be eligible for cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource-conserving vegetative cover. 

More Information     
Producers and landowners interested in participating in CRP should contact their local FSA county office. 

Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest voluntary private-lands conservation programs in the United States. Originally intended to primarily control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production, the program has evolved over the years, providing many conservation and economic benefits.

Wool Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs)
The Allamakee County USDA would like to remind producers with Sheep that they can submit Wool and/or Unshorn Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) throughout 2026. 

To be considered eligible for an LDP, you must have form CCC-633EZ, Page 1 on file at your local FSA Office before losing beneficial interest in the crop (wool). Additional pages(s) of the 633 will need to be signed after documentation is provided to the county office and before payments are processed. 

Producers may also turn in sales receipts for lambs sold for slaughter. These would fall under “unshorn pelts” and typically pay $1-$2/head based on the LDP rate when sold.

Marketing loan gains (MLGs) and loan deficiency payments (LDPs) are no longer subject to payment limitations, actively engaged in farming and cash-rent tenant rules. Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) provisions state that if your total applicable three-year average AGI exceeds $900,000, then you’re not eligible to receive an MLG or LDP. You must have a valid CCC-941 on file to earn a market gain of LDP. The AGI does not apply to MALs redeemed with commodity certificate exchange.

County Committee Election Results
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Allamakee County announced that Matthew Byrnes was elected to represent his Local Administrative Areas (LAA) during the recent county committee election. Mark Howe will serve as first alternative should Matthew be unable to serve full term. Congratulations Matthew!

County Committee members are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA. They help deliver programs at the county level and work to serve the needs of local producers. All recently elected county committee members will take office on March 2, 2026.

Every FSA office is served by a county committee made up of local farmers, ranchers and foresters who are elected by local producers. Each term is 3 years. Other members currently serving on the FSA county committee include Kim Welsh and Scott Willger.

Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serve on FSA county committees. The committees are comprised of three to 11 members who serve three-year terms. 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 agricultural issues.