Kanas Farm Service Agency programs open to all farmers and ranchers
By WILLIAM J. HARMON
Executive Director
Marion County FSA
Kansas Farm Service Agency is reaching out to women and minority farmers in the state in an effort to get more of them involved in its farm programs. "We're in the business of helping our farmers and ranchers — all of them," said Bill Fuller emphasizing the word "all." Fuller is state executive director of Kansas Farm Service Agency (FSA).
"Our programs are generally well known throughout the ag community," he said. "We do not have to promote their availability to the producers who have traditionally used them. But there may be producers, especially among women and minority farmers, who still are not aware of our programs and the benefits that may be available to them. We want to reach those producers and tell them the Farm Service Agency is here for them too."
Fuller said while Farm Service Agency programs remain available to all producers, "We want to increase participation by traditionally underrepresented groups. We want to see more women and minorities take advantage of these programs."
Fuller summarized FSA's major programs and stressed they are open to all qualified producers.
— Farm Loans. FSA offers direct and guaranteed farm ownership and operating loan programs to farmers who are temporarily unable to obtain private, commercial credit and who meet other regulatory criteria. Each year a portion of the funding FSA receives for loan programs specifically is targeted for socially disadvantaged persons and beginning farmers. "In Fiscal Year 2004, Kansas obligated $2,673,000 for a total of 34 loans to qualified farmers under the Socially Disadvantaged Persons Loan Program. We also obligated $13,062,404 for a total of 188 loans to qualified farmers under the Beginning Farmer Program," Fuller said. FSA defines a socially disadvantaged person as one of a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of the group without regard to their individual qualities. For purposes of this program, these groups are women, African Americans, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, and Asians, and Pacific Islanders.
To qualify for an FSA loan, applicants must be U.S. citizens or resident aliens, have a satisfactory history of meeting credit obligations, a set amount of experience operating or managing a farm, and be unable to obtain credit elsewhere at reasonable rates and terms.
— Youth Loans. Loans up to $5,000 are available to rural youths to establish and operate income-producing projects of modest size in connection with their participation in 4-H, Future Farmers of America, and similar organizations. Eligible youth must be U.S. citizens between 10 and 20 years old, live in a town of less than 10,000 people and be unable to obtain a loan from other sources. Loan proceeds may be used to buy livestock, equipment, and supplies; buy, rent, or repair needed tools and equipment; and pay operating expenses for running the project.
— Disaster Assistance. The Non-insured Assistance Program (NAP) helps farmers who grow crops that are not eligible for regular crop insurance to recover from natural disasters. NAP provides farmers growing eligible crops with protection comparable to the catastrophic risk protection plan provided by crop insurance. In addition, eligible producers with weather-related damage of 35 percent or more have until Sept. 9 to sign-up for the Crop Disaster Program for 2003 or 2004 crops. Sign-up for the Livestock Assistance Program continues in certain eligible counties.
— Emergency Loans. FSA provides emergency loans to help cover production and physical losses in counties declared disaster areas by the president, or designated as such by the secretary of agriculture or the FSA administrator. Emergency loans also are available in counties that are contiguous to a declared area.
— Conservation Programs. The Conservation Reserve Program protects the nation's most fragile farmland by encouraging farmers to stop growing crops on highly erodible and environmentally sensitive land. Owners receive an annual rental payment in exchange for planting a protective cover of grass or trees on the land. CRP offers under a general CRP Sign-up are only accepted during an announced sign-up period. Under the continuous sign-up provisions, producers can enroll eligible land at any time.
— Marketing Assistance Loans. This commodity loan program is for barley, corn, honey, grain sorghum, lentils, wool and mohair, oats, oilseeds (including soybeans), peanuts, wheat, and upland cotton. This program provides short-term loans that allow producers to borrow the value of their crops and use the crops as collateral. To be eligible for loans and loan deficiency payments producers must retain beneficial interest in the crop.
— Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program. June 1 was the final date for producers to sign-up for the 2005 direct and counter-cyclical payments, without paying a late fee. Those producers that missed the June 1 deadline have until Sept. 30 to sign-up and pay a late fee. Direct payments are available for wheat, corn, barley, oats, grain sorghum, upland cotton, and oilseeds. Counter-cyclical payments will be issued if the effective price for a crop year is less than the target price. There is a $40,000 payment limitation for direct payments and $65,000 for counter-cyclical payments.
— Milk Income Loss Contracts. This program financially compensates dairy producers when the monthly Boston Class I milk price falls below $16.94 per cwt. Eligible production is milk produced from Dec. 1, 2001, through Sept. 30, 2005, not to exceed a maximum 2.4 million pounds of milk produced and marketed by the dairy operation per fiscal year. Eligible dairy producers must enter into a contract and provide monthly milk marketing evidence. This program is currently set to end Sept. 30.
Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements for a given program before FSA can extend program benefits. For more information on these programs and other programs available through FSA, contact the Farm Service Agency at the county USDA Service Center.
