Whether you’ve experienced wildfire damage on the farm or other disasters, disease outbreaks on your trees and vines — the USDA-Farm Service Agency has a program to support you. Watch this brief interview with Farm Service Agency California representative Lisa Velasquez as she explains some of these programs to get involved in.
Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support and see them at their booth at Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, February 4-6 (Booth P1842).
What kinds of damage/losses did California pistachio growers incur this year? How was Navel Orangeworm, the industry’s most formidable pest? How about the international trade war? Can pistachios growers still get trade mitigation funding? Watch this brief video with American Pistachio Growers’ Executive Director Richard Matoian and read more about in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support and see them at their booth at the California Almond Conference in Sacramento, December 10-12.
Over the last few years, many western wine grape growers have had issues around harvest with wildfires, and some have even had their grapes rejected by the wineries due to the smoke exposure from these relentless fires. Many of these growers were even under contract. This regular wildfire pattern does not appear to be changing anytime soon, and there is very limited information on smoke taint in grapes, and at what point a crop merits rejection. That is why the industry has received some funding to conduct more research in this field of study and previously impacted growers now have the opportunity to recoup some of their losses through the USDA Farm Service Agency. Watch this interview with John Aguirre, President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers as he explains and read more in the September issue of American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support and attend their upcoming Grapevine Clonal Field Days. Learn more HERE.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is expanding its payment options to now accept debit cards and Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit. These paperless payment options enable FSA customers to pay farm loan payments, measurement service fees, farm program debt repayments and administrative service fees, as well as to purchase aerial maps.
“Our customers have spoken, and we’ve listened,” said Bill Northey, USDA’s Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. “Finding ways to improve customer service and efficiency is important for our farmers, ranchers, producers, and forest landowners who work hard for our nation every day. Now, our customers can make electronic payments instantly by stopping in our offices or calling over the phone.”
Previously, only cash, check, money orders and wires were accepted. By using debit cards and ACH debit, transactions are securely processed from the customer’s financial institution through Pay.gov, the U.S. Treasury’s online payment hub.
While traditional collection methods like cash and paper checks will continue, offering the new alternatives will improve effectiveness and convenience to customers while being more cost effective. In 2017, the average cost to manually process checks, a process that included navigating multiple systems, cost USDA more than $4.6 million. The expanded payment options will cut the time employees take processing payments by 75 percent.
“At USDA, we’re focused on modernization to improve customer service,” said Northey. “If half of our customers use these new payment options, we’ll see a $1 million savings in one year. These new payment methods are one part of a much larger effort to expand options for our customers, as well as to make our services more effective and efficient.”
Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a multi-phased roll-out of new payment options for USDA customers. Ultimately, payment option flexibility will be extended to allow farmers and producers to use debit cards and ACH debit payments to make payments for all FSA programs, including farm storage facility loan repayments, farm loan facility fees, marketing assistance loan repayments, Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) administrative fees and premiums and Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) fees.
While there has been a lot of talk about the new Farm Bill that finally passed, California dairy producers may be wondering how and if it will really impact them. Aubrey Bettencourt, Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in California shared that it will, through the new Dairy Margin Coverage Program replacing the less impactful Margin Protection Program. Watch this brief interview as Bettencourt explains and don’t miss the Farm Bill Implementation Listening Session of February 26th.
With all the regulatory and economic challenges facing our agricultural industries, California growers understandably have a lot to grunt and complain about; however, if growers see these challenges as opportunities and work together to overcome them, so much more can be accomplished, as has been done in the California citrus industry. Check out this brief video interview with former President of the California Citrus Mutual, Joel Nelsen, as he explains. Read more about it in the coming issue of California Fresh Fruit Magazine. Don’t currently receive the publication? Subscribe for free at https://malcolmmedia.com/california-fresh-fruit-subscriptions/.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that many Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices will reopen temporarily in the coming days to perform certain limited services for farmers and ranchers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recalled about 2,500 FSA employees to open offices on Thursday, January 17 and Friday, January 18, in addition to Tuesday, January 22, during normal business hours. The offices will be closed for the federal Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Monday, January 21.
In almost half of FSA locations, FSA staff will be available to assist agricultural producers with existing farm loans and to ensure the agency provides 1099 tax documents to borrowers by the Internal Revenue Service’s deadline.
“Until Congress sends President Trump an appropriations bill in the form that he will sign, we are doing our best to minimize the impact of the partial federal funding lapse on America’s agricultural producers,” Perdue said. “We are bringing back part of our FSA team to help producers with existing farm loans. Meanwhile, we continue to examine our legal authorities to ensure we are providing services to our customers to the greatest extent possible during the shutdown.”
Staff members will be available at certain FSA offices to help producers with specific services, including:
Processing payments made on or before December 31, 2018.
Continuing expiring financing statements.
Opening mail to identify priority items.
Additionally, as an intermittent incidental duty, staff may release proceeds from the sale of loan security by signing checks jointly payable to FSA that are brought to the county office by producers.
Information on the locations of FSA offices to be open during this three-day window will be posted:
While staff are available in person during this three-day window, most available services can be handled over the phone. Producers can begin contacting staff on January 17 here.
Additionally, farmers who have loan deadlines during the lapse in funding do not need to make payments until the government shutdown ends.
Other FSA Programs & Services
Reopened FSA offices will only be able to provide the specifically identified services while open during this limited time. Services that will not be available include, but are not limited to:
New direct or facility loans.
New Farm loan guarantees.
New marketing assistance loans.
New applications for Market Facilitation Program (MFP).
Certification of 2018 production for MFP payments.
Dairy Margin Protection Program.
Disaster assistance programs, such as:
Livestock Indemnity Program.
Emergency Conservation Program.
Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program.
Livestock Forage Disaster Program.
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish.
While January 15, 2019 had been the original deadline for producers to apply for MFP, farmers have been unable to apply since December 28, 2018, when FSA offices closed because of the lapse in federal funding. Secretary Perdue has extended the MFP application deadline for a period of time equal to the number of business days FSA offices end up being closed, once the government shutdown ends. These announced days of limited staff availability during the shutdown will not constitute days open in calculating the extension. Producers who already applied for MFP and certified their 2018 production by December 28, 2018 should have already received their payments.
Pistachio Bushy Top Syndrome has caused a lot of economic injury and heartache to the western pistachio industry over the last several years. Thankfully, the USDA Farm Service Agency recently announced approval of Bushy Top as a natural disaster qualifying for coverage under the federal Tree Assistance Program for replacement of affected trees. Watch this brief interview with Richard Matoian from American Pistachio Growers as he explains and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
