Lead your FSA – Arizona Committee Member Eager to Learn and Serve

Posted on July 12, 2018 by cassiebable

Becki Ross was recently elected to the Maricopa County, Arizona FSA County Committee.

By Cassie Bable, Public Affairs Specialist

Farming and ranching is a family business for the Ross family and so is serving on the Maricopa County, Arizona, Farm Service Agency (FSA) Committee.

Becki Ross married into a farming and ranching family in 1996 and hasn’t looked back. Ross is part of a fifth-generation family farm that grows 3,000 acres of corn, alfalfa, sorghum, rye and wheat. The family also runs a cow/calf operation and most of the forage they raise is used for their dairy in the east valley.

Ross and her husband, Dustin, live on the ranch with their sons, Wyatt and Nate. Her brother-in-law and his family live on the farm in Gila Bend with her nieces and nephew and her mother and father-in-law live on the dairy in the east valley.  Continue reading →

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Crop Acreage Reporting

Posted on July 10, 2018 by cassiebable

File a timely crop acreage report for spring-planted crops with your local FSA office. Acreage reports help determine eligibility for FSA programs, determining conservation compliance and are used for historical purposes. Hear more about crop acreage reporting from FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce.

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Lead Your FSA – Kentucky Committeeman Serves to Support Fellow Farmers

Posted on July 6, 2018 by cassiebable

Lucas Goodman is a third-generation farmer from Hickman, Kentucky. Along with his dad and a full-time employee, he farms a couple thousand acres producing corn, wheat and soybeans.

By Dana Rogge, Public Affairs Specialist

Lucas Goodman is a third-generation farmer from Hickman, Kentucky. Along with his dad and a full-time employee, he farms a couple thousand acres producing corn, wheat and soybeans. Goodman is a newly-elected member of the Fulton County Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee.

Goodman said he never had a doubt about returning to the farm, established by his grandfather. In 2010, after he completed college and graduate school, he joined the farm full time.

“I’ve grown up on this farm,” Goodman said. “It’s always been a part of my life.”

Goodman was approached last year about becoming a nominee to serve on the local FSA county committee. After doing some research on what the job would entail, he decided it would be beneficial to be involved. He was elected and took office Jan. 1, 2018. Continue reading →

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FSA Youth Loans Help Tennessee 4-H and FFA Goat Producer into the Championship Drive

Posted on July 6, 2018 by cassiebable

Adrianne Moeller of Morris Chapel, Tennessee, is a fourth-generation livestock exhibitor.

By Dana Rogge, FSA Public Affairs Specialist

Adrianne Moeller of Morris Chapel, Tennessee, is a fourth-generation livestock exhibitor.

The high school sophomore started showing Boer goats six years ago. Owning, raising and showing livestock can be a costly endeavor, but Moeller looked to Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) youth loan program to help her with herd genetics and to expand her operation.

FSA youth loans help 10 to 21-year-olds start and operate income-producing projects when they belong to 4-H, the National FFA Organization, a tribal youth group, or other agricultural youth organizations. Youth loans provide an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to acquire experience and education in agriculture-related skills.

Moeller started her 4-H meat goat project with four Boer goats. An FSA youth loan helped her purchase two female goats from Texas and helped to cover some of the expense for their artificial insemination. Continue reading →

Posted in Atop the Fence Post, Features, Regional Posts | 1 Comment

New York Farmer-Entrepreneur SCOREs with Help from Mentors and USDA

Posted on June 29, 2018 by cassiebable

Kerry Planck, shown with son, Reece Beiter, 11, turned her passion of raising and milking goats into a successful soap and skincare company, Alpine Made. Photo courtesy of Jillian Barrile Photography.

By Dana Rogge, Public Affairs Specialist

Kerry Planck of Wales, New York, knows farming. What began as a passion project raising goats a decade ago has turned into a successful business, Alpine Made, skincare products made from certified raw organic goat’s milk. While farming came easy for Planck, marketing a new business and getting product into the hands of customers proved to be more difficult. Until she found a mentor and assistance.

In building her business, Planck sought out resources in her community, including USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), whose programs gave her the tools she needed to help accomplish her goals.

FSA provided Planck with her initial financing and she continues to work with FSA for her working capital needs. FSA farm loan programs provide access to credit to start, expand and strengthen farming and ranching operations. She utilized the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for fencing and other infrastructure on her farm.

“It’s tremendous what USDA has to offer for people like me – a woman farmer and organic producer,” Planck said. Continue reading →

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Lead your FSA – Wisconsin Farmer Provides Unique Perspective on Local Committee

Posted on June 28, 2018 by cassiebable

Terri Wilfert, a member of the Manitowac County, Wisconsin, Farm Service Agency Committee, and her husband, David, produce a variety of row crops, as well as carrots for processing and a variety of fresh market vegetables.

By Kim Iczkowski, Wisconsin FSA Public Affairs and Outreach Coordinator

The Experience to Lead

In 2008, Terri Wilfert was made aware of an opportunity to serve as an advisor on her local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee. After doing more research, she learned local county committees are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA and decided to inquire about the position.

“I felt with my background growing up in the dairy industry, and being involved in vegetable production now, I had a lot to offer the committee,” Wilfert said.

Wilfert and her husband, David, farm just under 700 acres in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, a county sitting along the Lake Michigan shore. The Wilferts produce corn, soybeans, and winter wheat, as well as carrots for processing, and a variety of fresh market vegetables, including strawberries, pumpkins, sweet corn, peas, and more. During the growing season, the family operates a market on their farm seven days a week, where they see over 1000 customers each weekend and sell everything, as Wilfert says, “from asparagus to zucchini.” Continue reading →

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Lead your FSA – Alabama Tree Grower Leads to Inform His Peers

Posted on June 27, 2018 by cassiebable

Willie Scott Smith, along with his brothers, grow pine trees in Alabama. Smith has served on the Greene County FSA Committee for three years.

By Lauren Moore, Public Affairs Specialist

A Family Business

Willie Scott Smith is a pine tree grower in Greene County, Alabama.

Smith owns Andrew Smith and Sons Farm Inc. with his four brothers, an operation established by their father in 1984. Pine trees on the operation span over 350 acres and are sold to a lumber mill.

Smith handles the administrative side of the business.

“I really enjoy the business aspect,” Smith said. “I do the bookkeeping, run reports and keep up with data.”

In addition to his duties on the pine tree operation, Smith worked in financial services for 30 years until he retired in 2005. He is also actively involved with his church, where he sits on a district trustee board and presides over the administrative council and choir. Continue reading →

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Lead your FSA – Oregon Committee Member Promotes Importance of Indian Agriculture

Posted on June 22, 2018 by cassiebable

Ruth “Pinky” Beymer is the third generation to live on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in central Oregon, where she is involved in the livestock and logging industries.

By Cassie Bable, Public Affairs Specialist

Ruth “Pinky” Beymer is the third generation to live on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in central Oregon, which covers 560,000 acres of desert, mountains and water. She married into a ranching family in 1972, and after her husband passed away, took the reins of the operation and became involved in the livestock and logging industry. Beymer runs light-weight steers on dryland pastures and operates an underground heavy equipment construction business with her two children. Continue reading →

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Livestock Program Helps Missouri Cattle Producer Recover Losses from Flash Flooding

Posted on June 22, 2018 by cassiebable

Allan Sharrock Jr. lost seven calves in a flood in Randolph County, Missouri.

By Jessica Claypole, Missouri FSA Public Affairs & Outreach Specialist

In Missouri, the saying goes “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change.” Cattle producer Allan Sharrock Jr. knows the truth behind this statement, as he experienced it first-hand the morning of March 26, though the change in weather proved to be devastating.

Excessive rainfall caused streams and creeks to swell quickly and without warning across portions of Randolph County, Missouri. Sharrock’s farm was in the heart of the flooding, and when the water rose, seven calves were swept away.

“Losing this many calves on a small operation like mine really hurts the bottom line,” Sharrock said. “Cows help make my farm payment each year. This was a huge loss.” Continue reading →

Posted in Atop the Fence Post, Features, Regional Posts | 1 Comment

Connecticut Farm Diversifies with Dairy

Posted on June 15, 2018 by cassiebable

Margaret started out growing turkeys in sixth grade and has since moved on to raising and showing dairy cattle.

By Lauren Moore, FSA Public Affairs Specialist

Named after the Scottish Highland cattle it is home to, Shaggy Coos Farm is owned and operated by the Brady family – Tim, Bernadette, Matilda and Margaret.

While the Bradys started out only raising cattle in 2007, they have added chickens, pigs, turkeys and ducks to their Easton, Connecticut, farm over the last 10 years.

“We’ve added a bit more each year,” Tim said.

Having a passion for agriculture, his daughters, Matilda and Margaret, have participated in the USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) youth loan program to help finance their 4-H and FFA projects.

FSA’s youth loans help youth start and operate income-producing projects of modest size, providing the opportunity to gain experience and education in agriculture. Continue reading →

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