Producers in need of financial assistance for crop production or quality losses due to a natural disaster have until Sept. 30 to submit an application for the 2008 Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program. The Farm Service Agency began accepting and processing applications in January and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allowed for a one-time increase in the calculation of 2008 SURE payments filed by Sept. 30. FSA encourages producers to submit an application even if they feel they don’t qualify. Learn more.

The USDA Commodity Credit Corporation, which helps stabilize, support and protect farm income and prices, released interest rates for August. The borrowing rate-based charge is 0.250, down from 0.375 in July, while the 1996 and subsequent crop year commodity and marketing assistance loans dispersed during August is 1.250, which is down from 1.375 percent from last month. Interest rates for Farm Storage Facility Loans and discount rates for the Tobacco Transition Payment Program also are available. Read more.

After 11 generations and 378 years, the nation’s oldest family farm is going up for sale. The 138-acre Tuttle farm in Dover, N.H., was named after John Tuttle, who arrived from England in 1632. With a small land grant from King Charles I, he started a farm. More than three centuries later, Lucy Tuttle and her brother Will, who have worked the farm for 40 years, have grown weary, arthritic and battered by competition. They have even discouraged their children from taking over the farm and becoming generation 12 because they don’t want to weigh them down with debt. Read more.

USDA launched a general sign-up today that will allow farmers and ranchers to offer their land in an effort to protect millions of acres of topsoil from erosion and improve the nation’s natural resources. Producers who enroll in the Conservation Reserve Program will  be expected to plant long-term, resource-conserving covers in exchange for rental payments, cost-share and technical assistance. To sign up, producers should consult their local Farm Service Agency county office. Learn more or locate an FSA county office.  

An entire week that pays homage to American farmers markets kicks off on Monday. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has declared Aug. 1-7 as National Farmers Market Week, giving further awareness to the contributions farmers make in the day-to-day lives of the American people. According to Vilsack, farmers markets play a key role in developing local and regional food systems, supporting family farms and revitalizing local communities. Currently, there are more than 5,270 farmers markets operating in the U.S. View the USDA Farmers Market Directory for a listing of local markets.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have given farmworkers overtime pay just like other hourly employees in California. Currently, farmworkers earn time-and-a-half after working 10 hours. The bill would have allowed the workers to receive overtime pay after eight hours. Supporters of the bill said it was about fairness, while opponents said it would lead to less pay for farmworkers because farmers would be forced to cut hours in order to remain competitive. (The Desert Sun) Read more.

Producers interested in submitting nominations for local Farm Service Agency County Committees only have a few days to do so. County committees help local farmers by making decisions on commodity price support loans, conservation programs and disaster programs, and by working closely with county executive directors. Those interested have until Aug. 2 to submit a nomination form. Read more.