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Farm Service Agency Seeking Nominations for Farmers and Ranchers to Serve on Local County Committees

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2024 – Nominations are now being accepted for farmers and ranchers to serve on local U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees. These committees make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2024 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by Aug. 1, 2024.    

USDA Stands Up New Team to Better Serve Beginning Farmers and Ranchers

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2020 ─The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is standing up a new team of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) staff that will lead a department-wide effort focused on serving beginning farmers and ranchers.

“More than a quarter of producers are beginning farmers,” said USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky. “We need to support the next generation of agricultural producers who we will soon rely upon to grow our nation’s food and fiber.”

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans Available to Idaho Small Businesses

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Small nonfarm businesses in nine Idaho counties and neighboring counties in Montana and Washington are now eligible to apply for low‑interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, announced Francisco Sánchez Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration.

Availability of Low-Interest Physical Loss Loans for Producers Affected by Natural Disasters

Physical loss loans can help producers repair or replace damaged or destroyed physical property essential to the success of the agricultural operation, including livestock losses. Examples of property commonly affected include essential farm buildings, fixtures to real estate, equipment, livestock, perennial crops, fruit and nut bearing trees and harvested or stored crops and hay.

State: Montana

Triggering Disaster Event: Blizzard and excessive snow that occurred April 11, 2022, through April 24, 2022

USDA Expands Funding Opportunities for Specialty Crop Growers to Help Offset On-Farm Food Safety Expenses for 2024 and 2025  

WASHINGTON, June 26, 2024— The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program to now include medium-sized businesses in addition to small businesses. Eligible specialty crop growers can apply for assistance for expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification.

USDA’s New CRP Pilot Program Offers Longer-Term Conservation Benefits

RICHMOND, VA, April 29, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will open signup this summer for CLEAR30, a new pilot program that offers farmers and landowners an opportunity to enroll in a 30-year Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contract. This pilot is available to farmers and landowners with expiring water-quality practice CRP contracts in the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay regions. The program signup period is July 6 to Aug. 21, 2020. 

Deadline Extended and More Pre-Filled Forms For 2020 and 2021 Disasters on the Way

COLUMBIA, S.C., July 27, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that it will indefinitely extend the deadline for producers to return the pre-filled applications for Phase One of the Emergency Relief Program (ERP).  A new deadline will be announced after the last Phase One applications are mailed and provide at least 30 days following the mailing.  

USDA Expands Funding Opportunities for Specialty Crop Growers to Help Offset On-Farm Food Safety Expenses for 2024 and 2025   

MADISON, June 27, 2024— The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program to now include medium-sized businesses in addition to small businesses. Eligible specialty crop growers can apply for assistance for expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification. The program has also been expanded to include assistance for 2024 and 2025 expenses.