USDA is considering the possibility of adjusting direct payments to producers who’ve been hurt by the trade war. The adjustments may include factoring in hurricane damage after southeast U.S. producers were hit hard by hurricanes this year. A DTN report says Perdue asked USDA staff to look at the fact that they believe payments should be based on actual production …
Assistance Available through NRCS for Ag Land Damaged by Hurricane Michael
Florida farmers and ranchers who suffered damage to working lands and livestock mortality due to Hurricane Michael are encouraged to sign up for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Agricultural producers in Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Wakulla, and Washington counties are eligible to apply for assistance. …
Georgia Farmers Share Hardship in Aftermath of Hurricane Michael
Georgia farmers are sharing their hardships in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, which struck the heart of rural Georgia in early October. Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black and the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) have traveled to affected farms throughout the state and listened to the stories of farmers and farm families impacted by the storm. Each narrative returns to a …
PLC Payments Being Distributed
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced earlier this month that USDA continues to invest in rural America with more than $4.8 billion in payments being made, starting this month, to agricultural producers through the Farm Service Agency’s Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Conservation Reserve (CRP) programs. Tyron Spearman has the details. PLC Payments Being Distributed Sponsored …
Agriculture Disaster Assistance Information Session for Georgia Producers
The Georgia Farm Service Agency held an Agriculture Disaster Assistance Information Session for Producers on Monday, Oct. 22 at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center. Representatives from the USDA FSA, National Resources Conservation Service, Rural Development and Risk Management Agency provided updates and information regarding disaster programs available for farmers affected by Hurricane Michael. Source: Georgia Peanut Commission Sponsored …
Hurricane Deals Heavy Blow to Alabama Agriculture
Hurricane Michael caused almost $204 million in agricultural damage alone as it moved across Alabama. Alabama Cooperative Extension System Director Gary Lemme called it a devastating blow to farmers in the state’s Wiregrass region. “Cotton farmers suffered the greatest losses,” said Lemme. “But the storm affected every portion of Wiregrass agriculture, including row crops, livestock, poultry and timber as well …
FSA Programs Available to Producers Affected by Hurricane Michael
An agriculture disaster assistance meeting took place Monday afternoon in Tifton, Georgia for farmers affected by Hurricane Michael. Tyron Spearman attended that meeting, and has information about what USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) can provide regarding disaster programs for farmers in Alabama, Florida and Georgia affected by the storm. FSA Programs Available to Producers Affected by Hurricane Michael Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture …
Perdue Promises Five Percent Budget Cut as part of Trump Plan
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue will help President Donald Trump reach his goal of reducing agency budgets by five percent next year. Perdue has promised to cut his budget five percent, as last week Trump asked every Cabinet agency except the Pentagon to make a five percent cut. During the meeting, Trump told the leaders to “get rid of the fat, …
Federal Reserve: Farm Loan Volume Increasing
Large operating loans made by large agricultural banks led to a significant increase in farm lending in the third quarter of 2018, according to the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. The total volume of non-real estate farm loans was more than 30 percent higher than a year ago. A sharp increase in the volume of loans exceeding $1 million was …
Bankers Expect Farmland Prices to Continue Decline
Rural bankers expect farmland prices will continue to decline. In the latest Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index, Midwest lenders on average estimated that farmland prices declined by 4.0 percent over the past 12 months and expect farmland prices to fall by another 3.2 percent over the next 12 months. An Illinois lender says “more than ever,” farmland values are extremely …