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National Agriculture Day Set for March 20

(DES MOINES, Iowa) – March 20 is National Agriculture Day – a day designated each year by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA) to celebrate the accomplishments of agriculture.

This year’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) theme, Agriculture: Food for Life, spotlights the hard work of American farmers, ranchers and foresters who diligently work to provide food, fiber and more to the United States and countries around the world. To ensure a prosperous future for American agriculture, FSA provides continuous support to agriculturalists across the country.

FSA is rural America’s engine for economic growth, job creation and development, offering local service to millions of rural producers. In fiscal year 2017, USDA Farm Loan programs provided $6 billion in support to producers across America, the second highest total in FSA history. FSA also distributed $1.6 billion in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) payments to over 375,000 Americans to improve water quality, reduce soil erosion and increase wildlife habitat.

For agricultural producers who suffered market downturns in 2016, USDA is issuing approximately $8 billion in payments under the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs. USDA also continues to provide extensive assistance in response to natural disasters throughout the country, including last year’s hurricanes in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, drought in the northern high plains, wildfires in the west and central plains, floods, tornados, freezes and other catastrophic weather events.

To support beginning farmers and ranchers, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue signed a Memorandum of Understanding with officials from SCORE, the nation’s largest volunteer network of expert business mentors, to support new and beginning farmers. The agreement provides new help and resources for beginning ranchers, veterans, women, socially disadvantaged Americans and others, providing new tools to help them both grow and thrive in agribusiness.

For more information about FSA programs and services, visit https://www.fsa.usda.gov/.

FSA Welcomes Julie Van Waardhuizen Back to the Mahaska County Committee

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Mahaska County Farm Service Agency (FSA) Office is pleased to announce that Julie Van Waardhuizen has been re-elected to serve a three-year term on the County Committee (COC). The Farm Service Agency is a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provides financial assistance through disaster assistance, conservation, commodity and price support programs, and farm loans.

The national FSA office guides state and county offices in the implementation of farm programs legislated by Congress. Farmers who are eligible for FSA programs nominate and elect representatives in the local community to serve on the local FSA County Committee. This extensive county-based structure provides FSA a unique position from which to serve rural America.

Effective January 1, 2017, Ms. Van Waardhuizen will continue to represent Scott, Jefferson, West Des Moines, East Des Moines, Harrison and Cedar townships. She will continue to serve on the COC with E.T. (“Ted”) Ver Steegh and Gary DeGoey. Committee members help make decisions necessary to administer the programs in the county and provide local input on price support loans and payments,
conservation programs, disaster payments, emergency programs, and payment eligibility
determinations.

FSA serves the public by providing all farmers and ranchers access and opportunity to participate in their farm programs. Through these activities, FSA supports the USDA mission and helps ensure a healthful, stable, accessible, and affordable food supply. FSA also fosters good land stewardship, which will help preserve our agricultural prosperity for generations to come.

To learn more information about the programs and services FSA has to offer, contact the Mahaska County Office at (641) 673-3476, Extension 2, or visit FSA online at www.fsa.usda.gov/ia.

FSA Announces Disaster Area in 38 Counties

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Administrator Steven J. Peterson today announced that physical loss loans are available for 10 counties in Iowa, due to four separate disaster events. Farm operators who have suffered major physical losses caused by excessive rain, flash flooding, flooding, hail, high winds, lighting and tornadoes that occurred from June 22 through August 18, 2017, may be eligible for emergency loans.

For the June 22 disaster event, an Administrator’s Physical Loss Notification has been issued for Butler and Franklin counties as the primary damaged area.

Additionally, 10 Iowa counties are contiguous to this designated disaster area, making these producers also potentially eligible for programs based on this designation. The contiguous counties are: Black Hawk, Bremer, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Floyd, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin and Wright.

For the June 28 disaster event, an Administrator’s Physical Loss Notification has been issued for Fremont, Jones, Linn, Marion, Page and Taylor counties as the primary damaged area.

Additionally, 20 Iowa counties are contiguous to this designated disaster area, making these producers also potentially eligible for programs based on this designation. The contiguous counties are: Adams, Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Lucas, Mahaska, Mills, Monroe, Montgomery, Polk, Ringgold, Union and Warren.

For the Aug. 10 disaster event, an Administrator’s Physical Loss Notification has been issued for Clinton County as the primary damaged area.

Additionally, four Iowa counties are contiguous to this designated disaster area, making these producers also potentially eligible for programs based on this designation. The contiguous counties are: Cedar, Jackson, Jones and Scott.

FSA’s low interest emergency loans may be made available to any applicant with a qualifying loss in the counties named above. Approval is limited to applicants who suffered severe physical losses only.

Physical loss loans may be made to eligible farmers and ranchers to repair or replace damaged or destroyed physical property essential to the success of the agriculture 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.

Producers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans for physical losses.

Please contact FSA for more information on loan eligibility and the application process. FSA office information is available at offices.usda.gov. Additional FSA disaster assistance program information is available at disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

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