St. Charles/St. Louis County (MO) January FSA Bulletin

USDA Farm Service Agency sent this bulletin at 01/21/2016 02:07 PM EST

January 21, 2016 Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Flood Damage CRP USDA Expands Microloan Program St. Charles/St. Louis County FSA Updates St. Charles/St. Louis County FSA Office 160 St. Peters Centre Blvd. Saint Peters, MO  63376 Phone: 636-922-2833 Fax: 855-863-7027 County Executive Director:Connie Gibson Farm Loan Manager:Amy Peiter Program Technicians:Jenny Glosemeyer Lori Painter Christine Ragan County Committee: Dawn Boerding Robert Feise Wendell Massmann Warren Stemme Next County Committee Meeting: February 10, 2016, 8:30 am Flood Damage Excessive rain and/or flooding may have caused severe damage in several areas of the County.   Farms and ranches suffering severe damage may be eligible for assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) administered by the St. Charles/St. Louis County Farm Service Agency (FSA) if the damage:  will be so costly to rehabilitate that Federal assistance is or will be needed to return the land to productive agricultural use is unusual and is not the type that would recur frequently in the same area affect the productive capacity of the farmland will impair or endanger the land A producer qualifying for ECP assistance may receive cost-share levels not to exceed 75 percent of the eligible cost of restoration measures. No producer is eligible for more than $200,000 cost sharing per natural disaster occurrence. The following types of measures may be eligible: removing debris from farmland grading, shaping, or releveling severely damaged farmland restoring permanent fences restoring conservation structures and other similar installations  Sign up dates will be announced shortly.  Contact the FSA County Office with questions regarding sign up dates and eligibility.  To be eligible for assistance, practices must not be started until all of the following are met: an application for cost-share assistance has been filed the local FSA County Committee (COC) or its representative has conducted an onsite inspection of the damaged area  the Agency responsible for technical assistance, such as the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), has made a needs determination, which may include cubic yards of earthmoving, etc., required for rehabilitation For more information about ECP, please contact the St. Charles/St. Louis County FSA Office at 636-922-2833, ext. #2 or visitwww.fsa.usda.gov/mo. CRP Farmers and ranchers are reminded that the general enrollment period for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) started Dec. 1, 2015, and ends on Feb. 26, 2016. December 2015 also marks the 30th anniversary of CRP, a federally funded program that assists agricultural producers with the cost of restoring, enhancing and protecting certain grasses, shrubs and trees to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and reduce loss of wildlife habitat.  Contact the St. Charles/St. Louis County FSA office if you are interested in submitting an offer for the program. USDA Expands Microloan Program The microloan program, which celebrates its third anniversary this week, has been hugely successful.  Microloans have helped farmers and ranchers with operating costs, such as feed, fertilizer, tools, fencing, equipment, and living expenses since 2013.   Now, microloans will be available to also help with farm land and building purchases, and soil and water conservation improvements. FSA designed the expanded program to simplify the application process, expand eligibility requirements and expedite smaller real estate loans to help farmers strengthen their operations. Microloans provide up to $50,000 to qualified producers, and can be issued to the applicant directly from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).  This microloan announcement is another USDA resource for America’s farmers and ranchers to utilize, especially as new and beginning farmers and ranchers look for the assistance they need to get started. To learn more about the FSA microloan program visit www.fsa.usda.gov/microloans, or contact your local FSA office. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

St. Charles/St. Louis County (MO) January FSA Bulletin



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