What's Up at the USDA Office?
Deadlines/Dates
September 30: Deadline to Complete Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Mid-Contract Management on the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP); Deadline to remove livestock from Non-Emergency Grazing of Conservation Reserve Program; Deadline to apply for the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 1 Quality Loss; Office Fiscal Year Rollover
October 1: Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Mid-Contract Management on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Opens
December 31: Deadline to Apply for Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP)
USDA Helps Organic Producers with Certification Costs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is helping organic producers and handlers cover certification costs as part of the Department’s effort to put Farmers First and Make America Healthy Again. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting applications to help with organic certification costs for the 2025 and 2026 program years through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which covers up to 75% of eligible organic certification costs. Producers and handlers must apply by December 31, 2026, for both program years.
Cost Share Assistance
OCCSP provides cost share assistance to producers and handlers for the costs of obtaining or maintaining organic certification under the National Organic Program, which is administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. Producers and handlers are eligible to receive 75% of the costs, up to $750 for each of the following scopes: crops, wild crops, livestock, processing/handling and state organic program fees.
FSA will make payments as applications are received on a first-come, first-served basis until available funds are depleted.
Eligibility
To be eligible for OCCSP, a producer or handler must have their USDA organic certification for the applicable program year at the time of application and must have paid fees or expenses related to the initial certification or renewal from a certifying agent during the program year. For program year 2025, they must have possessed a USDA organic certification at any time during the program year.
There are four USDA organic regulation recognized scopes that must be individually inspected and certified: crops, livestock, wild crops, and handling. The scopes must be listed on the producer or handler’s organic certificate to be eligible for OCCSP.
Eligible costs include:
• Application and administrative fees for USDA organic certification
• Inspection fees for USDA organic certification, including travel and per diem costs for organic inspectors
• USDA organic certification costs, including fees necessary to access international markets with which AMS has equivalency agreements or arrangements
• State organic program fees
• User and sale assessment fees for USDA organic certification
• Postage costs for materials related to obtaining or renewing USDA organic certification.
How to Apply
To apply, producers and handlers should contact their local FSA county office. As part of completing the OCCSP application, producers and handlers will need to provide documentation of their organic certification and eligible expenses. Organic producers and handlers may also apply for OCCSP through participating state agencies.
Opportunity for State Agency Participation
FSA will soon announce a 30-day application period for state agencies to apply through grants.gov to administer OCCSP.
If a state agency chooses to participate in OCCSP, both the state agency and FSA county offices in that state will accept OCCSP applications and make payments to eligible certified operations. However, producers and handlers may not receive OCCSP payments for the same scope through both the state agency and their FSA county office.
For more information, producers and handlers can visit the OCCSP webpage or contact their local FSA county office.
USDA Introduces More Crop Insurance Options for Forage Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding coverage options to add revenue protection for forage producers in 12 states, part of the Department’s efforts to put Farmers First through improved crop insurance. Implemented by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), the new coverage options guard against both yield losses and decline in price due to market changes.
This insurance policy will be structured similarly to other Federal crop insurance revenue programs, replacing Actual Production History (APH) coverage for forage production in select counties located in California, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin beginning with the 2027 crop year.
Forage producers in eligible areas will have three plan options under this change:
• Yield Protection (YP): Provides coverage against loss in yield.
• Revenue Protection (RP): Provides coverage against loss in revenue due to a yield loss, price decline, or yield loss at higher prices.
• Revenue Protection with Harvest Price Exclusions (RP-HPE): Provides coverage against loss in revenue due to a yield loss, decrease in the harvest price below the projected price, or both.
Interested producers in eligible areas should contact a crop insurance agent to enroll before the sales closing date of September 30, 2026. The existing APH-based Forage Production insurance program will continue to be available to producers in all other states where the program is currently offered.
Regular Maintenance Requirements for all CRP Contracts
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to conserve farmland for future generations while providing habitat for wildlife, reducing soil erosion, and improving water quality. Regular maintenance on CRP acres is needed to ensure the acreage continues to provide conservation benefits and remains in compliance with the CRP contract.
Regular Maintenance
Producers with CRP contracts are required to control all weeds, insects, pests, and other undesirable species to the extent necessary to ensure that the approved conservation cover is adequately protected and to ensure there is no adverse impact on surrounding land. Mowing is one of the allowable practices for weed control, but mowing for aesthetic purposes is never permitted. The Conservation Plan states the required weed control methods for each site.
Once a stand has been certified as fully established, participants are required to maintain plant diversity and stand density according to the Conservation Plan and offer (CRP-2) for the life of the contract. Stands that do not meet practice specific plant diversity or density requirements may be considered non-compliant. Refer to your conservation plan or contact FSA if you have any questions or concerns about the vegetative cover requirements.
Maintenance activities cannot occur during the primary nesting season for birds without written prior approval from the local county office. The primary nesting season in Iowa is May 14 through August 1.
Mid-Contract Management
Regular maintenance for weed and pest control is separate from the Mid-Contract Management (MCM) requirement. MCM ensures plant diversity and wildlife benefits while ensuring protection of the soil and water resources. Such activities are site-specific and are for the purpose of enhancing the approved cover.
MCM must be completed between years four and six of a 10-year contract and between years seven and nine of a 15-year contract. The Conservation Plan will state what year MCM must take place.
Noncompliance with Maintenance
Failure to adequately maintain the stand may result in noncompliance with the terms and conditions of the CRP contract. Noncompliance can result in adverse actions up to and including termination of the CRP contract. Contracts that are out of compliance are ineligible to re-enroll, unless the stand is brought back into compliance prior to the enrollment deadline.
For general information about CRP, visit the Conservation Reserve Program webpage. For information about specific contracts, reach out to the local FSA office.
Signature Policy
Using the correct signature when doing business with FSA can save time and prevent a delay in program benefits.
The following are FSA signature guidelines:
• Married individuals must sign their given name.
• Example: Mary Doe and John Doe are married. When signing FSA forms, each must use their given name, and may not sign with the name of their spouse. Mrs. Mary Doe may not sign documents as Mrs. John Doe.
• For Farm Loan Purposes, spouses may not sign on behalf of the other as an authorized signatory, a signature will be needed for each. For a minor, FSA requires the minor’s signature and one from the minor’s parent. There are certain exceptions where a minor’s signature may be accepted without obtaining the signature of one of the parents. Despite minority status, a youth executing a promissory note for a Youth Loan will incur full personal liability for the debt and will sign individually.
Note: By signing a document with a minor, the parent is liable for actions of the minor and may be liable for refunds, liquidated damages, or other penalties, etc.
When signing on one’s behalf the signature must agree with the name typed or printed on the form or be a variation that does not cause the name and signature to be in disagreement. Example - John W. Smith is on the form. The signature may be John W. Smith or J.W. Smith or J. Smith. Or Mary J. Smith may be signed as Mrs. Mary Joe Smith, M.J. Smith, Mary Smith, etc.
Faxed signatures will be accepted for certain forms and other documents provided the acceptable program forms are approved for faxed signatures. Producers are responsible for the successful transmission and receipt of faxed information.
Examples of documents not approved for faxed signatures include:
• Promissory note
• Assignment of payment
• Joint payment authorization
• Acknowledgement of commodity certificate purchase
Spouses may sign documents on behalf of each other for FSA and CCC programs in which either spouse has an interest, unless written notification denying a spouse this authority has been provided to the county office.
Spouses cannot sign on behalf of each other as an authorized signatory for partnerships, joint ventures, corporations or other similar entities. Likewise, a spouse cannot sign a document on behalf of the other in order to affirm the eligibility of oneself.
Any member of a general partnership can sign on behalf of the general partnership and bind all members unless the Articles of Partnership are more restrictive. Spouses may sign on behalf of each other’s individual interest in a partnership, unless notification denying a spouse that authority is provided to the county office. Acceptable signatures for general partnerships, joint ventures, corporations, estates, and trusts must consist of an indicator “by” or “for” the individual’s name, individual’s name and capacity, or individual’s name, capacity, and name of entity.
