Commodity Credit Corporation Releases Lending Rates for August

Posted on August 1, 2012 by tanya brown

The USDA Commodity Credit Corporation, which helps stabilize, support and protect farm income and prices, released interest rates for August 2012. The borrowing rate-based charge is 0.250, unchanged from June, while the 1996 and subsequent crop year commodity and marketing assistance loans dispersed during August is 1.250, unchanged from last month. Interest rates for Farm Storage Facility Loans and discount rates for the Tobacco Transition Payment Program also are available. Read more.

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Today is Last Day to Submit 2012 County Committee Nominations

Posted on August 1, 2012 by tanya brown

Today is the last day to submit nominations for the 2012 county committee elections. Farmers and ranchers may select themselves or others as candidates to sit on local county committees and help make important agricultural decisions. Members of the committee deliver FSA farm programs at the local level and make decisions needed to administer the programs in their counties. The nomination period closes today, Aug. 1. Learn more about the county committee elections, download an online application in English or Spanish.

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Additional 76 Counties Named Disaster Areas Due to Drought

Posted on July 25, 2012 by tanya brown

An additional 76 counties in six states have been named a primary natural disaster area as the drought situation continues to worsen. For the 2012 crop year, 1,234 counties have been declared a disaster area by USDA due to the drought, making qualified producers eligible for low-interest emergency loans. The additional counties are in the states of Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, two-thirds of the United States is in a moderate to exceptional drought. USDA has taken steps to help farmers and ranchers by streamlining the disaster process, reducing the interest rate on emergency farm loans and flexing the rules for producers in conservation programs. Learn more or review the newly listed counties designated as disaster areas.

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Loan Seminar Highlights Opportunities for Garden State Youth

Posted on July 25, 2012 by tanya brown

By New Jersey Farm Service Agency

Future farmers merged into the USDA Vineland Service Center in New Jersey last month to present their agricultural projects and discuss their experiences as Farm Service Agency youth loan recipients.

The seminar highlighted the importance that local agricultural community members may play in the future of farming in the United States.  Among the attendees were members representing the Gloucester and Salem County 4-H Clubs, Cumberland County Agriculture Development Board, and area conventional agriculture lenders.

During the seminar, three current rural youth borrowers presented their agricultural projects and ongoing farm operations. They addressed the Youth Loan Program from the unique perspective of Youth Loan borrowers and discussed how FSA financing was instrumental in each of their farm operations.   Continue reading →

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One Week Left in FSA County Committee Nomination Period

Posted on July 25, 2012 by tanya brown

Only one week remains in the nomination period for the 2012 county committee elections, giving farmers and ranchers just a few more days to select themselves or others as candidates to sit on their local county committee and help make important agricultural decisions. Members of the committee deliver FSA farm programs at the local level and make decisions needed to administer the programs in their counties. The nomination period closes Aug. 1. Learn more about the county committee elections, download an online application in English or Spanish.

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USDA Bends Rules on Conservation Programs to Help Farmers, Livestock Producers Weather Drought

Posted on July 23, 2012 by tanya brown

USDA announced additional steps to assist farmers and livestock producers suffering from one of the worst droughts seen in more than 70 years. During a media conference today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced changes to several conservation programs that will help livestock producers and he said the agency is working with insurance companies to provide a grace period on unpaid insurance premiums for producers that may have a financial hardship at the close of the crop year. “Beginning today, USDA will open opportunities for haying and grazing on lands enrolled in conservation programs while providing additional financial and technical assistance to help landowners through this drought,” said Vilsack. “President Obama and I are committed to getting help to producers as soon as possible and sustaining the success of America’s rural communities through these difficult times.” Learn more.

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Sign-Up for Highly Erodible Land Initiative Opens Today

Posted on July 23, 2012 by tanya brown

Sign-up for the Highly Erodible Land Initiative under the Conservation Reserve Program opens today, July 23, giving landowners an opportunity to receive rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource conserving covers on eligible cropland. Croplands with an erodibility index of 20 or higher are eligible for enrollment. “We are excited to include this new initiative that targets the most fragile cropland, in addition to other targeted initiatives that are currently available under CRP,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. CRP is a voluntary program designed to help farmers and ranchers protect environmentally sensitive land. In its 25 years, CRP has helped reduce soil erosion, provided natural habitats for wildlife, restored more than 2 million acres of wetlands and removed several million tons of carbon dioxide from the air. Learn more.

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USDA Officials Find Drought Tour ‘Sobering’

Posted on July 20, 2012 by tanya brown

Agriculture officials toured the scorched farmlands of Indiana this week to view the devastation and show support to farmers. Farm and Foreign Agriculture Service Undersecretary Michael Scuse and Indiana FSA Executive Director Julia Wickard said what they saw was sobering and takes attention away from Washington and puts the spotlight on Indiana. More than 70 percent of Indiana’s corn crop is in poor to very poor condition. With the expected rainfall, soybeans may do well, but it’s too late for most of the corn crop. Read more (Northwest Indiana Business).

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NJ Incubator Farm Offers Low Leases to Beginning Farmers

Posted on July 20, 2012 by tanya brown

A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture has given birth to an incubator farm in New Jersey that offers plots of land to help young and beginning farmers get into the business. Part of a 3,000-acre estate of tobacco heiress Doris Duke, 140 acres have been dedicated to provide low-cost leases to new producers. Barn space is included in the lease and plans are in the making to provide a cooler room for fresh producer. Organizers hope to open a farmers market where producers can sell their crops. Read more (The Daily Journal).

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91-Year-Old Indiana Man Recalls Drought of 1936

Posted on July 19, 2012 by tanya brown

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