fsa

A new, simplified direct loan application is now available for all producers seeking a direct farm loan from the Farm Service Agency.  The new application went from 29 to 13 pages to provide an improved customer experience for producers applying for loans and enables them to complete a more streamlined application  Producers also have the option to complete an electronic fillable form or prepare a

One of the serious issues for beginning, small, or underserved farmers is the lack of access to credit.  And ask anyone who’s farmed for a while, without credit, it's almost impossible for any farmer to make it.   “This is what I feel like I was brought to the agency for is to help improve access to credit especially to those underserved populations.”   FSA Adminis...

On Monday, Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse as well as Representative Austin Scott, of Georgia, led a letter to United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack with Chair of House Agriculture Committee “GT” Thompson urging immediate action to improve outdated and inefficient FSA program operations.    “...

“We find that the percentage of socially disadvantaged and the percentage of getting farming operations are negatively correlated with things like average lease size," noted Scott Callahan with ERS.  "And positively correlated with the percentage of rented farmland.”    ...

FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux said he would like to see changes to the federal farm loan system.  He said he would like to see FSA operate less like a lending institution and more like a federal government initiative.  He said right now, one of the biggest challenges is that many of the Department’s loan officers have a more conservative frame of mind then needed, which he says does not result

Climate change as an issue in the next farm bill is already causing temperatures to rise in the nation’s capital.  But if there’s anything farm leaders agree on, it’s conservation incentives, not dictates.   “Let the innovators compete, let them go after it and do what they want, it’s not ‘one size fits all,’ it gives them a shot to do it," said former Farm Service Agency chief, Jonathan Copp

FSA announced last week that dairy producers now have through the end of January to consider enrolling in either USDA's Dairy Margin Coverage or the Supplemental-DMC for program year 2023.   “We're going to extend the deadline for submission of applications for DMC and Supplemental-DMC to give our producers time to get through year end activities and to ensure that they're able to take advantage o

The application deadline is fast approaching for Phase One USDA's Emergency Relief Program.   “The deadline on that is December 16th, and that so we can understand the amount of money we had to use for that Phase," said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux.  He added that...

The Department of Agriculture began mailing ballots for the FSA county and urban county committee elections this week.  Elections are occurring in certain Local Administrative Areas for these committee members who make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally.   "Voting in these election...

Sign-up for the 2023 USDA Dairy Margin Coverage is now open through December 9th.  FSA Deputy Administrator Scott Barlow said several improvements to coverage have been made over the past year.   “ the feed cost formula will pay for high quality alfalfa hay."   He noted, ...