farm service agency

"Bridges to Opportunity", a Farm Service Agency customer service and outreach program, is now available nationwide.   FSA Administrator Val Dolcini said "Bridges" began a couple of years ago as a pilot program.   “We wanted to see if we could deliver customer service really in a new and technologically innovative way and a somewhat more creative way.”   "Brid...

The USDA’s Farm Operating Loan program has run out of money two months short of the end of the fiscal year.   Farm Service Agency Administrator Val Dolcini said there has been an uptick in loan applicants.   “This year we’ve seen a decline in commodity prices and a general softening in the ag economy and so that’s also had folks come in to FSA offices to talk about what we can do with them.”   Dol

The Farm Service Agency is reminding farmers that the deadline to sign up for the Agriculture Risk Coverage, or ARC, and the Price Loss Coverage, or PLC programs is Monday, August 1st.   Executive Director of the Washington State FSA Judy Olson said this is a critical deadline.  ...

As technology continues to change how farmers do their work in the field, it is now also helping them with their relationships with government agencies.   FSA Administrator Val Dolcini says they’re hoping they can help out with a new product, “Called FSA Farm PLUS which will allow a producer to access his or her data from the comfort of their home office or even their iPhone if they need to.”   Do

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency is reminding women and minorities that there are loan programs tailored to help them get into agriculture.   Farm Loan Manager Libby Anderson says there has been an increase in the numbers of women and minorities looking to start a farming operation.   “...

Getting into agriculture is difficult enough and the USDA and FSA are offering guaranteed loans as a way to help some of the financial burdens.   Nathan Franzen with First Dakota National Bank is one of the lending institutions that use the guaranteed loan program said, “The FSA Guaranteed Loan Program is a significant tool for us to help farmers and ranchers. Certainly we u...

The wildfires and drought damaged a lot of farms and ranches this year, but the FSA has a program that can help, but the deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 16.   Farm Program Manager Rod Hamilton said they can provide cost-share assistance through the Emergency Conservation Program.  ...