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January 16, 2013 - USDA to hold Public Meeting on Maui, January 29, 2013

June 5, 2012 - Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Intends to Appoint Socially-Disadvantaged Farmers as Voting Members of County Committees

May 31, 2012 - Farmers and Ranchers Reimbursed for Transportation Expenses

April 23, 2012 - Kauai Producers Eligible for Disaster Loans following March Flooding

April 13, 2012 - Relief from March Rains for Maui and Kauai Producers

March 22, 2012 - FSA Announces Application Period for Biomass Crop Assistance Program Project Areas

March 21, 2012 - USDA Announces Implementation of the Emergency Conservation Program

October 6, 2011 - USDA Farm Service Agency Increases Guaranteed Loan Limit

July 21, 2011 – USDA Announces Reimbursement of Transportation Costs for Geographically Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers RTCP FACT SHEET

September 28, 2011 – USDA Farm Service Agency Decreases Complaint Rate to Lowest Level in History, While Loans Increase to Socially Disadvantaged Borrowers

September 1, 2011 – FSA Reminds Producers of Disaster Assistance Deadlines

Please take some time to explore the Hawaii and Pacific Basin Farm Service Agency's (FSA) website which includes links to other programs and services within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The website features up to date program notices and fact sheets, deadlines and newsletters, all geared to provide you with critical information at the click of a button. On the website you will also find detailed contact information for local FSA offices and the names of farmer-elected representatives to the FSA County Committees.

I urge you to sign up to receive FSA’s e-newsletters and e-news bulletins here. Quick, convenient and at no cost to you or your business, FSA’s newsletters will arrive in your e-mail or via text on a monthly basis and e-news items as the “news” happens.

Finally, I urge you to call and schedule an appointment with staff at your local FSA office and learn more about the programs that FSA offers to maximize your business' success. Our staff is deeply committed to support our farm and ranch businesses and will walk you through a host of programs and services including farm loans, payment programs, disaster relief, and conservation programs.

Covering a geographic area the size of the Continental U.S., FSA Hawaii and the Pacific Basin supports a wealth of diverse farms and ranches in terms of size of operations, crops, type of production systems, and markets. Perhaps, more importantly, it is the diversity of the people engaged in agricultural systems that makes this region unique. The cultures, customs, languages and even the business systems are distinctive from place to place whether it is each island within the State of Hawaii or the islands encompassing the territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Common Wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the republics of the Marshall Islands and Palau or the Federated States of Micronesia.

Yet, as diverse as our agricultural communities are, we are all firmly linked by our common commitment and passion for agriculture. Be it producing food for consumption, flowers and plants to enhance the quality of our lives, or the production of fiber for the energy sector, we are all working to assure the successful development of the region's agricultural businesses.

Thank You, Mahalo, Fa’afetai Lava & Si Yu’us Ma’ase

Diane L. Ley

State Executive Director