- Author: Ben Faber
USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers disaster assistance and low-interest loan programs to assist agricultural producers in their recovery efforts following wildfires or other qualifying natural disasters. Available programs and loans include:
- Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP)
- - provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters including excessive wind and qualifying drought (includes native grass for grazing). Eligible producers must have purchased NAP coverage for 2017 crops. A notice of loss must be filed within 15 calendar days of when the loss is apparent or 15 calendar days after the normal harvest date.
- Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)
- - offers payments to eligible producers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather. Eligible losses may include those determined by FSA to have been caused by hurricanes, floods, blizzards, wildfires, tropical storms, tornados lightning, extreme heat, and extreme cold. Producers will be required to provide verifiable documentation of death losses resulting from an eligible adverse weather event and must submit a notice of loss to their local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is apparent.
- Tree Assistance Program (TAP)
- – provides assistance to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers for qualifying tree, shrub and vine losses due to natural disasters including excessive wind and qualifying drought.
- Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP)
- - provides emergency relief for losses due to feed or water shortages, disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, which are not adequately addressed by other disaster programs. ELAP covers physically damaged or destroyed livestock feed that was purchased or mechanically harvested forage or feedstuffs intended for use as feed for the producer's eligible livestock. In order to be considered eligible, harvested forage must be baled; forage that is only cut, raked or windrowed is not eligible. ELAP also covers up to 150 lost grazing days in instances when a producer has been forced to remove livestock from a grazing pasture due to wildfire and for beekeepers, ELAP covers beehive losses (the physical structure) in instances where the hive has been destroyed by a natural disaster including flooding, high winds and tornadoes. Producers must submit a notice of loss to their local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss is apparent.
- Emergency Loan Program
- – available to producers with agriculture operations located in a county under a primary or contiguous Presidential or Secretarial disaster designation. These low interest loans help producers recover from production and physical losses.
- Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)
- - provides emergency funding for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate land severely damaged by natural disasters; includes fence loss.
- HayNet
- - is an Internet-based Hay and Grazing Net Ad Service allowing farmers and ranchers to share ‘Need Hay' ads and ‘Have Hay' ads online. Farmers also can use another feature to post advertisements for grazing land, specifically ads announcing the availability of grazing land or ads requesting a need for land to graze. www.fsa.usda.gov/haynet.
www.fsa.usda.gov/disaster
For more information on these programs, visit FSA online at www.fsa.usda.gov.
To find a local FSA office near you, visit
http://offices.usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity lender, provider and employer.
- Author: Sam Urie
Holtville, CA –
Nearly 250 local high school students from Calexico, Imperial, Southwest, Holtville and Central Union high schools visited UC FARM SMART the first week of November over five separate days. The program was a collaboration between United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Hispanic Serving Institutions, led by Regional Director Roberto Gonzalez, and the UC FARM SMART Program. The program was titled “Agrilicious Research Days: From Farm to Table”.
Presenters from the University of California and the University of Arizona opened the eyes of students to potential careers in agricultural science, veterinary medicine, and more. Tanya Hodges, Academic Programs Coordinator at University of Arizona-Yuma, highlighted options for Imperial Valley students to take courses at Imperial Valley College and receive in-state tuition rates upon transfer to University of Arizona-Yuma. Among the degree programs offered are agriculture technology management and sustainable plant systems/agronomy. Tanya Hodges also promoted the USDA AgDiscovery program, a two-week summer camp for high school students interested in an agricultural career.
Students were encouraged to make career goals and to consider agricultural careers. UC FARM SMART staff Sam Urie and Stephanie Collins highlighted research being done throughout California and the effects of that research on our daily lives. Students were then given an overview of local farm practices from “farm-to-table” including soil preparation, irrigation, pest management, and harvesting.
A highlight of the program included a visit on the last day by Oscar Gonzalez, newly appointed State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in California, and Rosa Singh, Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in Imperial County. Oscar and Rosa encouraged students to take advantage of educational opportunities and Rosa Singh offered information about USDA youth loans for agricultural projects including fair animals.
Students boarded hay wagons and were given a tour of the Desert Research and Extension Center including the research feedlot, biofuel experiments, irrigation projects, and the FARM SMART vegetable garden. Each day ended with lunch and the opportunity for students to ask questions about research and agricultural careers.
- Author: Shermain Hardesty
USDA launched the new year by announcing an exciting new program that it has developed: microloans designed to help small and family farm operations, and socially disadvantaged farmers obtain loans under $35,000. The microloan program also has a more simplified application process in comparison to traditional farm loans.
Producers can apply for a maximum of $35,000 to pay for start-up expenses such as season-extending hoop houses, tools, irrigation systems, delivery vehicles, as well as operating costs such as seed, fertilizer, utilities, land rental, marketing, and distribution expenses. The current interest rate is 1.25%. Repayment terms vary, but do not exceed seven years. Annual operating loans need to be repaid within 12 months, or when the crops produced are sold.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) recognizes that some microloan applicants will not have traditional farm experience. FSA will consider an applicant’s small business experience, as well as any self-guided farm apprenticeship, as possibly fulfilling the farm management experience requirement. More details about the Microloan program are included in the Fact Sheet. Producers interested in applying for a microloan may contact their local Farm Service Agency office.
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