Hello Again, Gorgeous sunshine and high temperatures are not what local farmers are hoping for. They are nice if you are at the beach but producers are hoping and praying for some rain to try and save the crops that are suffering from the drought of 2012. To help provide some relief for livestock producers, [...]
Hello Again! Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture began sign up for the Highly Erodible Land Initiative under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) July 23. The purpose of this initiative is to protect up to 750,000 acres of the nation’s most highly erodible croplands. Producers may enroll at their [...]
Hello Again! As the weeks roll by, once again the crop year of 2012 seems to be one that will go down in history as a drought year as the current weather pattern is playing havoc with your growing crops. Most of the farmers I have visited with recently are experiencing drought like conditions as [...]
Hello Again! Wow, our summer is flying by. I hope you all had a safe and happy 4th of July. Today I would like to remind you that FSA’s final acreage reporting dates are quickly approaching. Filing a crop acreage report is required under most FSA program regulations in order to receive program benefits. If [...]
Hello again! Today I want to remind you of several important FSA program deadlines. ACRE production Producers that participated in the ACRE farm program for 2011 are required to report 2011 production to be used to compute possible 2011 ACRE payments and 2012 benchmark farm yields. The reporting deadline date for 2011 production reports is [...]
Hello Again, Farmers in our area have really embraced the new forms of electronic technology. A lot of farm families now have a computer and Internet service. More and more of you are getting your grain or milk prices electronically, and the majority of you are able to check the weather forecasts on your smartphones. [...]
FSA Andy has some advice if you believe that you’ve been discriminated against when seeking USDA farm loans.
Hello Again! This past weekend finally brought some much-needed rain showers to the area. We are so thankful for that! The crops, lawns, gardens, trees, and pastures really needed a drink. Your local Farm Service Agency is always striving to provide programs and services fairly and equitably. But in the past, there may have been [...]
Hello Again! This week I would like to remind you that USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers loans for farmers to purchase farmland and finance agricultural operations. FSA loans are designed to help producers who are temporarily unable to obtain private or commercial credit. In many cases, applicants are beginning farmers who have insufficient net [...]
FSA Andy gives advice on how to prevent hay stack fires.
