This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of …
WHIP-Plus Payments Going Out to Eligible Producers
More than $1 billion in payments are being released over the next several weeks for ag producers with approved applications for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program and for those who have already received payments through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+). Farm Service Agency Administrator, Zach Ducheneaux, notes this second round of WHIP+ payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is …
USDA to Begin Payments for Producers Impacted by 2018 – 19 Natural Disasters
Producers to Receive Assistance through the Quality Loss Adjustment Program and Additional Assistance through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus More than $1 billion in payments will be released over the next several weeks starting June 15 for agricultural producers with approved applications for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program and for producers who have already received payments through …
ELAP Now Includes Farm-Raised Catfish
Aquaculture producers in Alabama now have access to disaster relief funding in the event of a federal disaster declaration. June 1 is when USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) began a policy change to the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). According to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), the update makes fish raised for food and other aquatic species …
USDA Announces New Initiative to Quantify Climate Benefits of CRP
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced this week an initiative to quantify the climate benefits of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts. The multi-year effort will enable USDA to better target CRP toward climate outcomes and improve existing models and conservation planning tools while supporting USDA’s goal of putting American agriculture and forestry at the center of climate-smart …
USDA Announces Plan for Black Farmer Payments
The USDA says it plans to make debt relief available to Black farmers. The announcement came one day before Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack participated in a roundtable discussion with Black farmers in Georgia. A spokesman says Vilsack will be traveling to other states to discuss the plan in the weeks ahead. Late last week, the Farm Service Agency published the …
USDA Programs Designed to Help Various Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants to remind producers the American Rescue Plan includes provisions for USDA to pay up to 120% of loan balances, as of January 1, 2021, for Farm Service Agency (FSA) Direct and Guaranteed Farm Loans and Farm Storage Facility Loans debt relief to any socially disadvantaged producer who has a qualifying loan with FSA. In the …
Vilsack Discusses History of Discrimination by the USDA
During that hearing, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told lawmakers, “We will over the next four years do everything we can to root out whatever systemic racism and barriers that may exist at the Department of Agriculture.” In a recent interview with Southeast AgNet, Vilsack explained what they are looking at. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants producers to know …
After Identifying Gaps in Previous Aid, USDA Announces ‘Pandemic Assistance for Producers’ to Distribute Resources More Equitably
USDA Reopens Program Sign-Up to a Larger Share of Producers with Plans to Expand Outreach and New Programming (USDA/FSA) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is establishing new programs and efforts to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions. The new initiative—USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers—will reach a broader set of …
USDA Delays Signup for CRP Grasslands
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced they are postponing the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands signup. While the original date to start this signup was mid-March, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will announce new signup dates in the coming weeks. The Biden Administration is currently evaluating the program and looking at ways to increase enrollment. CRP Grasslands was …