California Ag Network

Category: Ag Legislation

  • Additional USDA Assistance for Distressed Farmers Facing Financial Risk

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that beginning in April it will provide approximately $123 million in additional, automatic financial assistance for qualifying farm loan program borrowers who are facing financial risk, as part of the $3.1 billion to help distressed farm loan borrowers that was provided through Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The announcement builds on financial assistance offered to borrowers through the same program in October 2022.

    The IRA directed USDA to expedite assistance to distressed borrowers of direct or guaranteed loans administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) whose operations face financial risk. For example, in the October payments, farmers that were 60 days delinquent due to challenges like natural disasters, the pandemic or other unexpected situations were brought current and had their next installment paid to give them breathing room.

    “In too many cases, the rules surrounding our farm loan programs may actually be detrimental to helping a borrower get back to a financially viable path. As a result, some are pushed out of farming and others stuck under a debt burden that prevents them from growing or reacting to opportunities,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Loan programs for the newest and more vulnerable producers must be about providing opportunity and tailored to expect and manage stumbles and hurdles along the way. Through this assistance, USDA is focusing on generating long-term stability and success for distressed borrowers.”

    In October 2022, USDA provided approximately $800 million in initial IRA assistance to more than 11,000 delinquent direct and guaranteed borrowers and approximately 2,100 borrowers who had their farms liquidated and still had remaining debt. USDA shared that it would conduct case-by-case reviews of about 1,600 complex cases for potential initial relief payments, including cases of borrowers in foreclosure or bankruptcy. These case-by-case reviews are underway.

    At the same time in October 2022, USDA announced that it anticipated payments using separate pandemic relief funding totaling roughly $66 million on over 7,000 direct loans to borrowers who used the USDA Farm Service Agency’s disaster-set-aside option during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of these payments have been processed and USDA anticipates it will complete all such payments in April 2023.

    New Assistance for Distressed Borrowers

    FSA intends to provide the new round of relief starting in April to additional distressed borrowers. This will include approximately $123 million in automatic financial assistance for qualifying Farm Loan Program (FLP) direct loan borrowers who meet certain criteria. Similar to the automatic payments announced in October 2022, qualifying borrowers will receive an individual letter detailing the assistance as payments are made. Distressed borrowers’ eligibility for these new categories of automatic payments will be determined based on their circumstances as of today. More information about the new categories that make up the $123 million in assistance announced today and the specific amount of assistance a distressed borrower receives can be found described in this fact sheet, IRA Section 22006: Additional Automatic Payments, Improved Procedures, and Policy Recommendations.

    To continue to make sure producers are aware of relief potentially available to them, all producers with open FLP loans will receive a letter detailing a new opportunity to receive assistance if they took certain extraordinary measures to avoid delinquency on their FLP loans, such as taking on more debt, selling property or cashing out retirement accounts. The letter will provide details on eligibility, the specific types of actions that may qualify for assistance, and the process for applying for and providing the documentation to seek that assistance.

    These steps are part of a process USDA announced along with the October payments that is focused on assisting borrowers unable to make their next scheduled installment. Earlier this year, all borrowers should have received a letter detailing the process for seeking this type of assistance even before they become delinquent. Borrowers who are within two months of their next installment may seek a cashflow analysis from FSA using a recent balance sheet and operating plan to determine their eligibility.

    Tax Resources

    USDA will continue to work with the Department of Treasury to help borrowers understand the potential tax implications from the receipt of an IRA payment, including that options may be available to potentially avoid or alleviate any tax burden incurred as a result of receiving this financial assistance.

    In early April, USDA will send a specific set of revised tax documents, educational materials and resources to borrowers that received assistance in 2022, including a link to a webinar hosted by a group of farm tax experts to provide education on the options available. USDA cannot provide tax advice and encourages borrowers to consult their own tax professional, but FSA is providing educational materials for borrowers to be aware of the options. USDA has tax-related resources available at farmers.gov/taxes.

    Improved Procedures and Policy Recommendations

    FSA is finalizing changes to its policy handbooks to remove unnecessary hurdles, improve loan making and loan servicing and provide more flexibility on how loans are structured to maximize the opportunities for borrowers.  Additional details on those changes can be found in the linked fact sheet and are the start of a broader set of process enhancements. The fact sheet also provides information on the eight, no-cost legislative proposals included in the Fiscal Year 2024 President’s Budget that are designed to improve the borrower experience.

  • New Farm Bill May Incentivize On-Farm Ag Tech Innovations

    Just as the previous Farm Bill has supported farmers with cost-share programs like EQIP to improve their sustainability, the specialty crop sector of ag is pushing for the coming Farm Bill to support on-farm ag tech innovations in a similar way.  Watch this brief interview with California Fresh Fruit Association President Ian LeMay to learn more.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Ranch Systems for their industry support.

  • Livestock Groups Support Bill to Expand Options for Packing Capacity

    National livestock groups have come together to support Congressional efforts to expand opportunities for industry to invest in meat packing capacity.

    The American Farm Bureau Federation, American Sheep Industry Association, Livestock Marketing Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, and United States Cattlemen’s Association sent a letter to the Chairpeople and Ranking Members of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees expressing the groups’ support of legislation to allow livestock market owners and operators to own or invest in small or regional livestock packing facilities.

    The bipartisan legislation, the Expanding Local Meat Processing Act (S. 813), was reintroduced by Sens. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) last week. This is the Senate companion to the Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States (APLUS) Act (H.R.530), being led by U.S. Representatives Mark Alford (R-MO), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), and Dusty Johnson (R-SD). If enacted, these bills would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to update a regulatory prohibition under the Packers and Stockyards Act which bars livestock auction owners from owning or investing in packers.

    “This is an antiquated rule that does not fit with the current, transparent method of selling livestock at an open auction where sellers can view the transaction either in person or by streaming the auction online,” the letter states.

    The bills would allow for investment in the packing industry at local and regional levels by those active in the livestock marketing business.

    “We appreciate our partners, both on Capitol Hill and at fellow livestock groups, fighting for opportunities to enhance participation in livestock packing,” said Mark Barnett, LMA President and owner of Kentucky-Tennessee Livestock Market. “Livestock auction markets, like mine, are in the competition business. Allowing livestock auction owners to invest in small and regional packers could enhance competition which equates to needed additional profit for producers who are being squeezed by high inputs and low margins.”

    If you have questions about this legislation, please reach out to Chelsea Good, Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs & Legal at cgood@lmaweb.com or 816-305-9540.

    About the Livestock Marketing Association

    The Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., is North America’s leading, national trade association dedicated to serving its members in the open and competitive auction method of marketing livestock. Founded in 1947, LMA has more than 800 member businesses across the U.S. and Canada and remains invested in both the livestock and livestock marketing industries through support, representation and communication efforts. For more information, visit www.LMAWeb.com.

  • California Farmland to Serve State in Recharging Groundwater Supply

    The Governor of California recently issued an Executive Order allowing local water districts to utilize floodwater for groundwater recharge purposes, a record amount of which will take place on California farmland.  This is desperately needed and welcomed by farmers and other water users all over the state that have suffered decades of drought conditions.  Watch this brief interview with Adam Borchard from the California Fresh Fruit Association for more insight on what the announcement entails.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Ranch Systems for their industry support.

  • Executive Order to Use California Floodwater to Recharge and Store Groundwater

    As storms bring rain and snow to California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to enable local water agencies and other water users to capture water from the latest round of storms to recharge state groundwater supplies.

    The order suspends regulations and restrictions on permitting and use to enable water agencies and water users to divert flood stage water for the purpose of boosting groundwater recharge. The order includes wildlife and habitat protections, ensuring that any diversions would not harm water quality or habitat or take away from environmental needs.

    WHAT GOV. NEWSOM SAID: “California is seeing extreme rain and snow, so we’re making it simple to redirect water to recharge groundwater basins. This order helps us take advantage of expected intense storms and increases state support for local stormwater capture efforts.”

    A copy of the executive order can be found here.

    FACT SHEET: Learn more about what the state is doing to reduce flood risks and recharge groundwater basins.

    HOW WE GOT HERE:

    • This executive order follows Governor Newsom’s order in February to protect the state’s water supplies from the impacts of climate-driven extremes in weather.
      • Allowed the State Water Project to conserve 237,000 acre-feet of water while providing protections for Delta smelt.
      • Allowed the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to divert over 600,000 acre-feet of floodwaters for wildlife refuges, underground storage, and recharge.
    • California has bolstered supply and storage, including a combined 1.1 million acre-feet of water – enough for 2.2 million households’ yearly usage:
      • The State Water Board has authorized nearly 790,000 acre-feet in diversions for groundwater recharge and other purposes since late December 2022.
      • The State Water Board streamlined the permitting process for temporary groundwater storage permits to fast-track efforts to capture floodwater to recharge groundwater basins. So far this winter it has authorized 186,153 acre-feet for recharge under those processes.
      • DWR has awarded $68 million to 42 groundwater recharge projects that provide nearly 117,000 acre-feet of potential recharge capacity. Ongoing applications include 52 groundwater recharge projects worth $211 million.
      • Since 2020, the State Water Board has provided $1 billion for 13 projects to bring 88,000 acre-feet per year to the state’s water supplies.
    • In August, the Administration released “California’s Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future” calling for investing in new sources of water supply, accelerating projects and modernizing how the state manages water through new technology.
    • Leveraging the more than $8.6 billion committed by Governor Newsom and the Legislature in the last two budget cycles to build water resilience, the state is continuing to take aggressive action to prepare for the impacts of climate-driven extremes in weather on the state’s water supplies. In the 2023-24 state budget, the Governor is proposing an additional $202 million for flood protection and $125 million for drought related actions.

  • Farm Credit Contributed Nearly $1 Million to California Ag Organizations in 2022

    Farm Credit is the largest provider of credit to U.S. agriculture, but its support goes much deeper than that. Farm Credit is also committed to the sustainability and long-term viability of agriculture and rural communities and strongly supports non-profits working to preserve and protect California agriculture.

    In 2022, the Farm Credit Alliance – AgWest Farm Credit, American Ag Credit, CoBank, Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit, Fresno Madera Farm Credit, Golden State Farm Credit and Yosemite Farm Credit – contributed nearly $1 million to nearly 100 agricultural organizations around the state.

    The funding supports farming and ranching in four main areas – raising awareness of agriculture, preservation of agriculture, education and research, and support for young, beginning and small farmers.

    “By providing funding to a wide range of non-profits working to promote farming and ranching in California, Farm Credit is making an investment in helping the industry thrive today and to ensure it can continue providing food for the nation and the world in the years to come,” said Mark Littlefield, President and CEO of AgWest Farm Credit.

    The lion’s share – more than $480,000 – was directed to organizations that raise awareness through a variety of methods.

    One beneficiary is Western United Dairies’ educational and advocacy program. The organization’s Dairy Leaders program educates up-and-coming dairy industry leaders about the state and federal legislative and regulatory process, how milk products are marketed and ways they can communicate effective messages about the dairy industry.

    Another is the Family Winemakers of California. The group is a strong advocate for small family-owned wineries at the state Capitol, where it focuses on reforming post-Prohibition restrictions on selling directly to consumers. Farm Credit support also helps the group hold two large wine tastings a year to promote small family-owned wineries that can’t afford large advertising budgets.

    Farm Credit is also a strong supporter of groups seeking to preserve agriculture in the Golden State, donating over $150,000 to organizations involved in that cause. One recipient was Cultivate California, which educates policymakers and residents about the crucial link between water and their food supply and counters misinformation about farming’s use of water. The Cultivate California program helps bolster the natural support people have for agriculture and farms and provides them with facts and information about the connection between their food and the water supply.

    Education and research is another Farm Credit priority, receiving over $150,000 as well in 2022. The Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom has been educating students around the state for 36 years that the food they eat doesn’t just come from the supermarket. Its most recent program was highlighting the “99% club” – 16 commodities grown almost exclusively in California. A total of 16,000 students participated in the interactive program during the previous school year.

    In addition, for more than a decade Farm Credit has supported the California Cattlemen’s Association Livestock Memorial Research Fund, which played a major role in funding the development of a vaccine against a tick-borne disease – epizootic bovine abortion – that had wreaked havoc on the state’s cattle industry for decades. The Research Fund is now helping fund research against another tick-borne disease – bovine anaplasmosis – that causes billions of dollars in losses worldwide.

    Finally, Farm Credit continues to strongly support programs to nurture the next generation of farmers and ranchers to ensure the future of agriculture in California, donating over $125,000 to organizations such as FFA. By supporting FFA for more than 20 years, Farm Credit helped make numerous programs possible, including the new Change Makers Summit, which provides college-bound high school seniors with information about the many careers they can pursue in agriculture.

    Farm Credit also supports aspiring farmers, such as by providing the Center for Land-Based Learning with funding to create a new six-week Explorer Course for people interested in farming but who don’t have the time to participate in its seven-month Beginning Farmer Training program. A large percentage of participants aren’t ready for a lengthy program but do want to know what steps they would need to take to become successful farmers. This is especially important because the average farmer is nearly 60 years old, so encouraging people with an interest in farming is vital.

    “We know the importance of continuing to support, young, beginning, and small producers as they take the step to learn the complex and dynamic business of agriculture,” said Jeana Hultquist, who runs the local community impact program for American AgCredit. “Farm Credit is committed to the prosperity of not only today’s rural families, farms, and businesses, but also the next generation of agriculture.”

    About Farm Credit: 

    AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit, CoBank, Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit, Fresno Madera Farm Credit, Golden State Farm Credit and Yosemite Farm Credit are cooperatively owned lending institutions providing agriculture and rural communities with a dependable source of credit. For more than 100 years, the Farm Credit System has specialized in financing farmers, ranchers, farmer-owned cooperatives, rural utilities and agribusinesses. Farm Credit offers a broad range of loan products and financial services, including long-term real estate loans, operating lines of credit, equipment and facility loans, cash management and appraisal and leasing services…everything a “growing” business needs. For more information, visit www.farmcreditalliance.com

  • Legislation to Improve California Water Situation With Recharge

    While a record amount of rain has fallen on the drought-stricken soils of California over the winter, this will unfortunately not solve the state’s ongoing drought and water supply issues.  Watch this brief interview with Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers as he shares a new push for the state’s cooperation and support for groundwater recharge as a solution for times like these.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Ranch Systems for their industry support.

  • Emergency Conservation Program Applications Now Being Accepted in CA

    U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Blong Xiong today announced that 41 counties in California are accepting applications for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to address damages from the recent severe storm to eligible farmland, fences, and conservation structures/other installations. ECP signup will begin on February 13th, 2023, and end on April 14th, 2023.

    The approved ECP practices under this authorization include debris removal, grading, shaping & leveling, fence restoration & restoring conservation structures & other installations. The use of ECP funds is limited to activities to return the land to the relative pre-disaster condition. Conservation concerns that were present on the land prior to the disaster are not eligible for ECP assistance.

    Counties approved for ECP: Alameda, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Ventura, Yolo and Yuba.

    ECP assists producers with the recovery cost to restore the farmland to pre-disaster conditions. Approved ECP applicants may receive up to 75 percent of the eligible cost of restoration measures. Eligible socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers and ranchers can receive up to 90 percent of the eligible cost of restoration. No one is eligible for more than $500,000 cost sharing per natural disaster occurrence.

    Cost share assistance has now been authorized to:

    • provide advance payments, up to 25% of the cost, for all ECP practices before the restoration is carried out, an option that was previously only available for fence repair or replacement. The cost-share payment must be spent within 60 days; and
    • allow producers who lease Federally owned or managed lands, including tribal trust land, as well as State land the opportunity to participate.

    To be eligible for assistance, practices must not be started until all the following are met:

    • an application for cost-share assistance has been filed
    • the local FSA County Committee (COC) or its representative has conducted an onsite inspection of the damaged area
    • the Agency responsible for technical assistance, such as the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), has made a needs determination, which may include cubic yards of material moved, etc., required for rehabilitation

    Producers with damage from such events must apply for assistance prior to beginning reconstructive work. FSA’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and environmental compliance review process is required to be completed before any actions are taken. Submitting an application after reconstructive work has been completed may impact eligibility for ECP.

    For more information on ECP, please contact your local FSA office or visit farmers.gov/recover. To find your local FSA office visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.

  • Governor Newsom Signs Order to Build Water Resilience

    Governor Gavin Newsom today signed an executive order to protect the state’s water supplies from the impacts of climate-driven extremes in weather. After years of prolonged drought, recent storms resulted in the wettest three-week period on record in California. The storms have been followed by an unseasonably dry February, however, and the state could see a return to warm and dry conditions during the remaining weeks of the wet season – just as heavy rains in fall 2021 gave way to the driest January-February-March period in over 100 years.

    While recent storms have helped replenish the state’s reservoirs and boosted snowpack, drought conditions continue to have significant impacts on communities with vulnerable water supplies, agriculture, and the environment. The latest science indicates that hotter and drier weather conditions could reduce California’s water supply by up to 10% by the year 2040.

    The frequency of hydrologic extremes that is being experienced in California demonstrates the need to continually adapt to promote resiliency in a changing climate. To protect water supply and the environment given this new reality, and until it is clear what the remainder of the wet season will hold, the executive order includes provisions to protect water reserves, and replace and replenish the greater share of rain and snowfall that will be absorbed by thirstier soils, vegetation and the atmosphere.

    The order helps expand the state’s capacity to capture storm runoff in wet years by facilitating groundwater recharge projects. It also continues conservation measures and allows the State Water Board to reevaluate requirements for reservoir releases and diversion limitations to maximize water supplies north and south of the Delta while protecting the environment. Additionally, the order directs state agencies to review and provide recommendations on the state’s drought response actions by the end of April, including the possibility of terminating specific emergency provisions that are no longer needed, once there is greater clarity about the hydrologic conditions this year.

    The text of the executive order can be found here.

    Leveraging the more than $8.6 billion committed by Governor Newsom and the Legislature in the last two budget cycles to build water resilience, the state is taking aggressive action to prepare for the impacts of climate-driven extremes in weather on the state’s water supplies. In the 2023-24 state budget, Governor Newsom is proposing an additional $202 million for flood protection and $125 million for drought related actions.

  • USDA-FSA Helps Farmers and Ranchers Tackle Challenges

    Under the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has worked to assist distressed borrowers, improve land access for underserved producers and provide disaster assistance and relief for producers impacted by natural disasters. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) also gave producers and landowners tools to help with climate-smart land management and made great strides in supporting USDA’s priorities of improving equity in program delivery and helping producers rebound and recover after natural disasters, the pandemic, and other challenges in the past two years.

    “Although we are always considering ways to improve our programs and looking for growth opportunities, I am extremely proud of the extra effort and ingenuity our employees have put forth over the past couple of years – exceptionally difficult years defined by an economic-crippling pandemic and catastrophic natural disasters – to ensure agricultural producers received the quality service they have come to expect and deserve from FSA,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux.  “For 2023, FSA remains committed to continually evaluating how we can deliver our programs in a manner that is meaningful to the farmers and ranchers we serve and demonstrates our ongoing dedication to improving customer service and enhancing equity in program delivery.”

    Key highlights from the past two years include:

    • In 2022, FSA provided nearly $800 million in assistance to distressed borrowers with direct and guaranteed loans to help cure delinquencies and resolve uncollectable farm loan debts. Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act provided $3.1 billion for USDA to deliver this relief for distressed borrowers and to expedite assistance for those whose agricultural operations are at financial risk. FSA is currently working with borrowers to address complex cases and help producers with cashflow challenges. In 2023, additional opportunities for financially distressed borrowers to receive payments will begin. FSA will start by contacting direct borrowers, or a guaranteed borrower’s lender, to validate payment amounts.
    • The Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program invests up to $300 million in funding to support projects that enabled underserved producers to access land, capital and markets. Land access is critical to the success of agriculture. Underserved producers have not received the amount of specialized technical support that would benefit the launch, growth, resilience and success of their agricultural enterprises. USDA accepted applications for the program through Nov. 18, 2022 and anticipates announcing selections in 2023.
    • In 2022, USDA launched the Loan Assistance Tool to help farmers and ranchers better navigate the farm loan application process. FSA experiences a high rate of incomplete or withdrawn applications, particularly among underserved customers, due in part to a challenging and lengthy paper-based application process. This uniform application process helps to ensure all farm loan applicants receive equal support and have a consistent customer experience with FSA regardless of their individual circumstances. Access the Loan Assistance Tool at farmers.gov/farm-loan-assistance-tool.
    • FSA administers several programs designed to help agricultural producers recover from the impacts of natural disasters including drought, winter storms, hurricanes and more. Over the past two years, FSA has paid more than $3.5 billion through these disaster programs and has made several policy enhancements to better meet the recovery needs of producers who have suffered significant production and physical losses on their operations.  FSA expanded the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program to provide program benefits to producers of fish raised for food and other aquaculture species as well as cover above normal expenses for transporting livestock to forage and grazing acres and to transport feed to livestock impacted by qualifying drought. FSA also updated the Livestock Indemnity Program payment rates to better reflect true market value of non-adult beef, beefalo, bison and dairy animals. In the wake of devastating tornadoes and derechos in 2021, FSA designed a new program to deliver direct assistance to producers who lost critical grain storage facilities and struggled to meet their on-farm storage capacity needs. USDA also just announced expanded program benefits and improvements to several conservation, livestock and noninsured crop assistance programs to ensure these programs are reaching all producers in need including underserved producer groups.  Read the Jan. 10, 2023, news release.
    • Building on the existing suite of USDA disaster assistance programs that help offset losses and manage risk incurred as a result of natural disaster events USDA rolled out the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) and Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP). In 2022, FSA implemented ERP Phase One, which delivered more than $7 billion in payments to commodity and specialty crop producers. FSA also delivered more than $600 million through ELRP to livestock producers who experienced losses to drought and wildfire in calendar year 2021.  USDA recently announced additional relief through ERP Phase 2 for producers who suffered a decrease in allowable gross revenue in 2020 or 2021 due to losses of eligible crops from a qualifying natural disaster event. Read the Jan. 9, 2023 news release.
    • In 2022, FSA took steps to improve coverage through the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC), especially for small- and mid-sized dairies. This included offering a new Supplemental DMC (SDMC) program and updating its feed cost formula to reflect the actual costs dairy producers pay for high-quality alfalfa hay. For 2022, SDMC paid producers nearly $3 million.  DMC provided $76.6 million to dairy producers who had coverage in 2022, and the signup for 2023 closed on Jan. 31, 2023. In additional safety-net support, FSA provided more than $2.1 billion in critical support through the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs to mitigate fluctuations in either revenue or prices for certain crops.
    • FSA updated the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to improve their environmental benefits while expanding the reach of the program. In 2021, FSA added a Climate-Smart Payment Incentive and higher payment rates for CRP as well as tweaked CREP to allow for added staffing capacity and to better include organizations including Tribes. Just this past year, FSA enrolled about 5.6 million acres into the CRP through its General, Continuous and Grassland signups in 2022. This surpassed the 3.9 million acres expiring this year. Grassland CRP had its largest signup in history, enrolling 3.1 million acres.

    More Information

    Producers can explore all FSA farm loan and disaster assistance options at www.farmers.gov or by contacting their local USDA Service Center.