Farm Service Agency

2009 Commodity Loan Reminder

 9-month loans are available for corn, soybeans, barley, wheat and oats at low interest rates. All farms are eligible for commodity loans.  Wheat, Barley and Oat loans must be requested by March 31, 2010. Corn and soybean loans must be requested by May 31, 2010. Brown County rates for the 2009 crop are:

Corn - $2.01       Soybeans - $5.15      Wheat - $1.96

Tobacco buy-out

If a buy-out contract holder should pass away, the heir should contact the office to determine the documentation needed to complete a succession of the contract.

Noninsured Crop Coverage (NAP)

November 20, 2009 is the last day to purchase perennial crop (Apples, Asparagus, Blueberries, Caneberries, Cherries, Chestnuts, Forage for Hay and Pasture,  Grapes, Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Strawberries, Honey And Maple Sap) coverage from FSA for non-insurable crops.  A payment is issued if your crop experiences losses exceeding 50% of your expected yield.  NAP yields are based on your actual historical production.  The payment rate for NAP is based on 55% of the crop’s established market price. The cost is $250/crop/producer with a $750 cap per county. NAP coverage begins 30 days after filing an application.

RISK MANAGEMENT PURCHASE REQUIREMENT

The Supplement Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), Tree Assistance Program (TAP), and Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) {new disaster programs} require producers on a farm to obtain at least CAT level of crop insurance for ALL insurable crops and /or NAP coverage for ALL non-insurable (but NAP eligible) crops, on all farms in all counties.
 
If you didn’t do the ‘Buy-In’ option for 2008 you are not eligible for these programs for crop year 2008. 

Equitable relief provisions are available on a case-by-case basis for the 2009 crop year for certain situations.  Relief requests must be initiated by the participant. 

FOR crop year 2010, do not miss the opportunity to purchase NAP coverage by November 20, 2009 for those crops listed above with the exception of pasture. 

Signature Policy for Spouses

Husbands and wives may sign documents on behalf of each other for FSA and Commodity Credit Corporation programs in which either has an interest. This option is automatically available unless a written request for exclusion is made to the County Office from either spouse. However, spouses may not sign a USDA power-of-attorney form on behalf of the other, nor sign on behalf of the other, as an authorized signatory for partnerships, joint ventures, corporations or other similar entities.

COUNTY COMMITTEE ELECTION

Just a reminder: producers in Byrd, Huntington, Lewis Pleasant, and Union townships be watching your mailbox for your official county committee election ballot. Ballots will be mailed to all eligible voters starting on November 6, 2009. If you don’t receive a ballot, feel free to notify our office. Completed and signed ballots are due back in the county office by the close of business on December 7, 2009.

2010 DCP and ACRE sign-up Underway

You can begin updating your Direct and Counter Cyclical Program (DCP) contracts and initiating Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE) contracts for the 2010 crop year, now through June 1, 2010.  Advance Direct payments may be requested for December 2009.  We need to know:

* What land you will be farming next year? Leases signed by landowners must be on file, or the owner must sign the contract  prior to the issuing of an advance payment

* Whether you have changed the status of your operation.  For example, have you changed your operation from an individual to a LLC?

* If contract payment shares have changed.

 Please make an appointment!

NOTE: Only those individuals with a risk in the crop are eligible for DCP /ACRE payments.

2010 Prevented Planting wheat

Brown County farmers who were prevented from planting wheat by the final planting date of October 31, 2009, have until November 15, 2009 to visit our FSA county office and timely report the prevented planting acreage.

DIRECT DEPOSIT PAYMENTS DELAYED ONE DAY

FSA payments made by direct deposit will now be transmitted by Kansas City to the Treasury Department, in order that delinquent Federal debt can be offset.  This will delay direct deposit payments one day later than the normal time of 3-5 business days.   It will now be 4-6 business days before your money will be deposited in your bank account.

SOACDF NEWS

The SOACDF has applications available for the new Educational Excellence Competitive Grant which will provide up to $7500 for the 2010-2011 academic year. For more info,  visit their website @ www.soacdf.net or call 937-393-2700.

Farm Loans for Socially Disadvantaged

FSA offers loans for farmers to purchase farmland and finance agricultural operations. FSA loan programs 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 worth to qualify for financing through a commercial lender. In other instances, applicants might have suffered setbacks from natural disasters or might be persons with limited resources.   FSA makes two different types of loans, direct and guaranteed. Farm ownership or operating loans may be obtained as direct loans for a maximum of up to $300,000. Guaranteed loans (loans made by a commercial lender where FSA acts as guarantor) can reach a maximum indebtedness of $1,112,000.  Emergency loans are a type of direct loan for farmers who may have suffered physical or production losses in disaster areas designated by a Presidential or Secretarial disaster declaration. Rural Youth Loans, Loans to Beginning Farmers and loans for Socially Disadvantaged Applicants are other types of direct loans also available through FSA.    Socially Disadvantaged Applicants (SDA) are one of a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of their identity as a member of the group without regard to their individual qualities. SDA groups are Women, African Americans, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Certain FSA loan funds are targeted to beginning farmers and SDA. For detailed information contact our Farm loan team at (937) 378-6173 to setup an appointment with a Loan Approval Official.

Farm STORAGE FACILITY LOAN PROGRAM now available for hay storage

Changes to the Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program allows producers of eligible commodities to obtain low-interest financing to build or upgrade farm storage and handling facilities.  The maximum principal amount of an FSFL loan is $500,000.  Participants are required to provide a down payment of 15 percent, with CCC providing a loan for the remaining 85 percent of the net cost of the eligible storage facility, permanent drying, and handling equipment.  Loan terms of 7, 10, and 12 years are available depending on the amount of the loan.  Interest rates for each term rate may be different and are based on the rate which CCC borrows from the Treasury Department.

Applications for FSFL must be submitted to the FSA county office that maintains the farm’s records.  An FSFL must be approved before any site preparation or construction can begin.  The following commodities in Ohio are eligible for FSFL:

Corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, oats, wheat, barley or minor oilseeds harvested as whole grain;   corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, wheat, oats, or barley harvested as other-than-whole grain;   pulse crops—lentils, small chickpeas, and dry peas;   hay;   renewable biomass; & fruits (including nuts) and vegetables—cold storage facilities.

An FSFL loan requires you to carry multi-peril crop insurance and/or NAP insurance on noninsurable crops like hay.

NOVEMBER 20, 2009 is the deadline to purchase NAP for hay!!

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

What is it? A voluntary program rewarding good land stewardship

Who’s eligible? Individuals, entities, and Indian Tribes operating privately owned agricultural land or nonindustrial woodland.

When & where can I apply? Anytime at any NRCS office

Why enroll? Earn up to $ 40,000 per year or $200,000 during any 5 year period.

August 10th marked the beginning of the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). This program will be run as a continuous sign-up with periodic ranking periods for funding. There is a ranking period tentatively slated to occur after January 1, 2010.

CSP is a voluntary program designed to encourage producers and landowners with cropland, pasture, or woodland to put additional conservation on the land and to improve and maintain existing practices.

The program offers two types of payments, an annual payment for conservation activities and a supplemental payment for the adoption of a resource conserving crop rotation (RCCR). A RCCR is defined as perennial grass or forages, a high residue producing crop, or a cover crop following an annual crop.

Per acre payments are estimated to range from $ 12 to 22 for cropland, $ 7 to 14 for pasture, $ 6 to 12 for woodland, and $ 12 to 16 for resource conserving crop rotations.

For more information or to determine if you are eligible for this new program, stop in at the Brown County NRCS office or call (937)378-4424 ext. 119. You can also go online to www.oh.nrcs.udsa.gov and complete the “Producer Self-screening Checklist”.

Brown County Soil & Water Conservation District

www.brownswcd.org

Brown SWCD Banquet a Success!

The Brown SWCD hosted the 65th Annual Meeting and Banquet on October 26, 2009.  Congratulations to Sandy Howser and Susan Reeves, both of Green Twp, for their election to the Board of Supervisors.  Our appreciation is also extended to Joe Stephens of Perry Twp for his willingness to serve as a candidate in this election.  

Many individuals were recognized for their contributions in 2009.  Tim Roussos was awarded the Outstanding Cooperator title on Monday evening for the number of conservation practices he has established on his property.  These practices reduce erosion, protect water quality, and enhance natural resources.

We honored two Friends of Conservation.  Both Joel LeGris and Steve Willson have been District Conservationist for the NRCS office in Brown County.  These gentlemen have served the citizens of the county and assisted in getting many conservation practices on the ground.  Tara Fisher, also with NRCS, received an award for sustained superior performance in 2009.

Finally we recognized the natural resources winners from the county science fair.  Drew Day took top honors in the Junior category and Josh Prine won the Senior division.  Students received $50 savings bonds donated by Merchants National Bank and National Bank & Trust.

Two local banks need to be recognized for their support of the banquet. Ripley Federal Savings Bank and Merchants National Bank became co-sponsors of the event which allowed us to provide the program at no cost to attendees.  We also want to thank the following for their donations:  Applegates Pro Hardware, Richard & Marilyn Bess Family, Bethel Feed & Supply, Cahall Bros. Inc., Carrington Farm Supply, Cherry Ridge Farms, Donohoo Pharmacy, Farm Service Agency - Brown County Service Center employees, First State Bank, Georgetown Office Supply, Howser Farms & Pioneer Seeds, Lonnie Moran, Ohio University, Ripley Federal Bank, Brett & Julie Rogers, Chris & Laura Rogers, Ron & Sherry Rogers, Fred Scott, The Equipment Superstore LLC, The Thompson Family, Treewalker Tree Stands, White Oak Creek Watershed Partners.

Ohio State University Extension

This will be a year to remember.  It seems like it has been spring all year.  The amount of rain that we have had this year has to be near a record.  If not the amount of rain, just the number of days that it has been too wet to get into the field is way above normal.  As I am sure most of you remember it started with a wet spring that delayed planting, and in some cases it delayed re-planting. 

Making hay was a challenge from the beginning to the end of the growing season.  It was all but impossible to find enough dry days to let the ground dry enough to cut hay and give it time to cure before more rain was on the horizon.  For cattlemen the rain did provide a summer that produced pasture that stayed green and productive all year.

Wet conditions delayed the harvest of the tobacco crop.  The tobacco crop had been stressed enough by the wet year that included the heavy downpours the end of July that scalded some of the tobacco crop, damaged several acres that did manage to come back enough that it was harvested.  These heavy rains damaged grain crops in the county, too. 

Now we are in the fall and it continues to rain like it is March or April.  The tobacco hanging in the barns have had less than ideal conditions to properly cure, in fact, many have reported mold on the leaves and some very dark color.

Grain producers have struggled to get the crop harvested.  Reports of corn sprouting and molding on the stalk, soybeans with mold and pods cracking, and it is still to wet.  Hopefully the ground and the grain dry enough to get harvest work done this first week of November.  

Pesticide Testing and Re-certification

As we move into the winter months, it is time again to look at programming between harvest and next year’s planting.  Pesticide Re-certification is done every year, but Private Applicator License is good for 3 years, so we see the applicators usually every 3rd year.  Check your license to see if this is your year for re-certification.  We will offer the program two times in Brown County again this year. 

At this time I plan to offer one re-certification program in Georgetown in the month of February with the date, time and location TBA in the Jan. Ag Buzz and local newspapers soon. The second program will be held on Monday, March 15th at the Southern State Community College in Fincastle in the Appalachian Gateway Center at 5:30 p.m. 

The re-certification programs will have a charge of $35 per person this year if you pre-register.  The $30 charge from last year was a state wide increase. The cost includes lunch or supper, depending on the time of the program, and OSU Extension publications.  The group that were pre-registered last year indicated that the meal and publications were a good addition and worth the increase in fees.

If you fail to pre-register the cost at the door will be $45.  Please understand that we hope we do not need to charge anyone the extra $10, but in order to properly plan for the publications and meals, we need to have everyone pre-registered at least one week prior to the program date.

You can pre-register by calling in, and mailing a check to the OSU Extension Office, or you may stop by the office in person.  Remember our office is now located on the fairgrounds in the building that formerly housed the Brown County Engineer.  Our new mailing address is: 325 West State St. Building B, Georgetown, OH 45121.  Our phone number is (937) 378-6716.

I have also set up two opportunities to take the test for a new license, or to add categories to either a private or commercial license.  The tests are free.  You can register for tests at http://pested.osu.edu

The dates for the testing are: February 22nd at 1:00 p.m. and March 15th at 4:00 p.m.  Both dates will be offered at the Southern State Community College in Fincastle.  On February 22nd we will offer a testing study and review session starting at 10:30 a.m. in Rm. 104 at the South Campus of SSCC in Fincastle.

Tobacco and Soybean Plots for 2009

I have had plots in Brown Co. for the past several years in cooperation with the Tobacco Specialists from the University of Kentucky.  We have conducted mostly disease and variety plots.  We think we will have some good information this year on black shank and fussarium wilt with some of the newer varieties.  In 2010 the plan is to put out plots checking on Nitrogen needs for yield, variety trials, and more on diseases like blue mold, black shank and fussarium wilt.

Again this year, I had a USDA Sentinel Plot checking for Soybean Rust.  I also pulled leaves from several other fields.  However, there still have been no confirmed finds for Soybean Rust in Ohio.