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Spotlights

Enrollment Open for Commodity Crop Safety Net for 2021 Production Season; Producers Urged to Begin Process

Farmers can now make elections and enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2021 crop year. The signup period is open through March 15, 2021, and producers are encouraged to begin working with their county FSA office now to complete the paperwork.
ARC and PLC are key safety net programs designed to help producers weather fluctuations in either revenue or price for certain crops. For more information on the ARC/PLC 2021 election and enrollment process, click here.

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Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) Triggers in Nebraska Counties; Applications Accepted Through Feb. 1, 2021

Drought conditions have triggered the implementation of the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) in several Nebraska counties to address 2020 impacts. LFP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately-owned land or leased land where the producer has a risk in grazing, or fire on federally managed land. Counties that have triggered for this program for 2020 impacts include: Banner, Box Butte, Burt, Cheyenne, Colfax, Cuming, Dawes, Deuel, Dodge, Douglas, Dundy, Garden, Hitchcock, Keith, Kimball, Madison, Morrill, Perkins, Pierce, Platte, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sioux, Stanton, Thurston, Washington and Wayne. Livestock producers in these counties interested in learning more about LFP and applying for assistance should contact their county FSA office. Applications will be accepted through Feb. 1, 2021

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COVID-19 and FSA: Wondering Whether Your FSA Office is Open for In-Person Appointments?

In response to COVID-19, many USDA Service Centers in Nebraska are restricting in-person office visits. However, all Service Centers remain open for business by phone, by email, or by using other online tools.

All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business should call ahead to confirm the office’s status and make an appointment. For those offices open to in-person traffic, visitors will be pre-screened based on health concerns or recent travel and must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Visitors will be required to wear a face covering during their appointment.

To find out whether your FSA office is open for in-person appointments, go to this clickable map and select your county for details.

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FSA RESOURCES TO ASSIST WITH IMPACTS OF ADVERSE WEATHER

FSA Programs to Assist During Drought, Other Events

Farm Service Agency has programs that can be implemented to assist producers whose operations are negatively impacted by drought conditions. Programs such as Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Emergency Haying and Grazing and the Livestock Forage Disaster Program use the U.S. Drought Monitor as a program trigger and are valuable when grazing is negatively impacted by conditions.

Click on the links above to learn more about these program options or contact your County FSA office for additional information. County office contact information can be found at offices.usda.gov.

Farm Service Agency implements a variety of programs to address the impacts of adverse weather. County FSA office staff will be able to provide individuals with the best information for their individual situations. County office contact information can be found at offices.usda.gov.

Here is a summary of some of the other assistance programs that can be implemented as part of a disaster response effort:

Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP): This program financially assists producers when they suffer loss of livestock, above normal mortality, due to adverse weather. A notice of loss must be filed with the county FSA office within 30 days of when the loss becomes apparent.

Emergency Conservation Program (ECP): ECP can provide some cost-share assistance to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters. It also can provide cost-share assistance to help restore fences damaged or lost due to natural disaster. Contact your county office about this program before taking any action to repair damages.

Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP): ELAP can provide some financial assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish when losses are tied to an eligible adverse weather event and those losses are not covered under other disaster programs. This can include, in certain situations, some financial assistance for grazing losses or hay losses due to adverse weather events such as flooding. Contact your county FSA office to learn more about this program.

There also may be options for assistance through FSA farm loan programs, including the Disaster Set-Aside Program, which allows existing FSA farm loan customers to delay a loan payment, and the Emergency Loan Program. These programs become available when a disaster designation is granted for a county.

To view disaster designations, click below:

Fact sheets that outline the various disaster programs noted above, as well as other available programs, can be found at this link by scrolling down to the Disaster Protection and Recovery section.

Nebraska FSA GovDelivery Producer Newsletter

Click here for November 2020 Producer Newsletter
Click here for FSA Annual Policy Reminders

About FSA GovDelivery Electronic News Service

GovDelivery, FSA’s digital news service, distributes timely information on programs direct to your email inbox. It can help you remember important program deadlines and requirements so you can effectively utilize FSA programs in your farm or ranch operation.

In addition to the email newsletter, you also can sign up to receive information through our GovDelivery text messaging service. Text messages only are issued to remind subscribers of timely, important program deadlines or other information. No more than two texts will be sent in a month, and often, it will be less than that amount. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Click here to subscribe to either the newsletter, text messaging, or both.

FSA Loan Servicing Options

There are options for Farm Service Agency loan customers experiencing financial stress. If you are a borrower who is unable to make payments on a loan, contact your local FSA Farm Loan Manager to learn about the options available to you.

Primary and Preservation Loan Servicing for Delinquent FSA Borrowers Fact Sheet

From the Nebraska FSA State Executive Director:

Our primary mission is to help Nebraska farmers and ranchers secure financial assistance from USDA programs through accurate, timely and efficient program delivery.

Nebraska FSA is proud to continue its strong tradition of providing customer-based service to Nebraska producers. The hard-working men and women of our FSA county offices are at the forefront of our efforts and remain the primary contact for program participation. We encourage you to speak with the staff at your local office about how we can be of service. Our website can help you learn more about FSA programs and services and help you locate your local FSA Service Center.

In the event you need additional assistance that you can't get from the local level, please don't hesitate to contact me the State FSA Office at the address or phone number listed below.

With regards,

Nancy Johner, Nebraska FSA State Executive Director

Contact us at:

7131 A Street
Lincoln, NE 68510
Phone: 402-437-5581
Fax: 844-930-0237