WASHINGTON, April 24, 2012 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Hendry, Nassau and Palm Beach counties in Florida as primary natural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by frost and freezing temperatures that occurred Jan 3-16, 2012.
“Assistance at this point and time is critically important for producers in Florida to help keep their farmland healthy for the remainder of the year,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “President Obama and I realize that during this time of disaster, federal assistance will be needed until conditions improve and farmers strive to recover from their losses.”
Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Florida also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are:
| Baker | Broward | Charlotte | Collier |
| Duval | Glades | Lee | Martin |
| Okeechobee |
Farmers and ranchers in Charlton and Camden counties in Georgia also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their county is contiguous.
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas April 20, 2012, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.
USDA also has made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), which was approved as part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008; the Emergency Conservation Program; Federal Crop Insurance; and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
WASHINGTON, April 24, 2012 — The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) today announced county loan rates for the 2012 crops of wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, soybeans and other oilseeds (sunflower seed, flaxseed, canola, rapeseed, safflower, mustard seed, crambe and sesame seed). The rates are posted on the Farm Service Agency (FSA) website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport.
The 2008 Farm Bill authorizes the national loan rates for the 2012 crops of wheat, feed grains and oilseeds at these levels:
| Wheat | $2.94 per bushel |
| Corn | $1.95 per bushel |
| Grain Sorghum | $1.95 per bushel |
| Barley | $1.95 per bushel |
| Oats | $1.39 per bushel |
| Soybeans | $5.00 per bushel |
| Other Oilseeds | $10.09 per hundredweight for each “other oilseed” |
PO Box 2900
College Station, Texas – 77841
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/tx
FSA Allocates an Additional 400,000 Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative
(COLLEGE STATION, TX) – April 24, 2012–USDA Texas Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Executive Director, James B. Douglass today announced that FSA has allocated an additional 400,000 acres nationwide to the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) program that improves habitat for high-priority wildlife species.
“SAFE is a voluntary conservation initiative that provides an opportunity for grassroots conservation partners to develop related projects to address high priority wildlife needs through habitat restoration,” said Douglass.
SAFE project area proposals are being accepted for the purpose of improving habitats for the designated wildlife species in new areas as well as possibly expanding current SAFE project areas by requesting additional acreage. SAFE project sponsors must submit all project proposals as soon as possible as the State Technical Committee is scheduled to complete the proposal review process on May 23, 2012.
The Texas FSA State Committee will complete the final review and submit recommended proposals to the National FSA Office for final evaluation no later than June 1, 2012.
Various conservation practices currently offered under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) are fine-tuned through the SAFE proposal to improve, connect or create higher-quality wildlife habitats by promoting healthier ecosystems in the project areas identified as essential to the effective management of high priority wildlife species.
Douglass added, “Once a project proposal is approved and acreage allocated, the SAFE program is implemented through a continuous CRP signup allowing USDA to accept producer acreage offers year-round.”
As with other Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) initiatives, the land and producer must meet certain eligibility requirements. Once approval of the SAFE project is announced, interested landowners can submit offers to voluntarily enroll qualifying acres in a SAFE project/CRP contract for a term of 10 to 15 years. In exchange, SAFE/CRP program participants receive annual rental payments, project incentives and cost-share assistance to establish habitat-enhancing natural covers on eligible land.
According to Douglass, Texas currently has 76,376 acres across the state enrolled in existing SAFE program project areas benefitting targeted wildlife species including the Lesser Prairie Chicken, the Ocelot and the Mottled Duck as well as other wildlife species that are present in the enhanced habitat.
April 24, 2012
Contact:
Trudy Kareus, 720.544.2876
FSA Allocates an Additional 400,000 Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative
(Denver, Colorado) – April 24, 2012–USDA Colorado Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director, Trudy Kareus today announced that FSA has allocated an additional 400,000 acres nationwide to the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) program that improves habitat for high-priority wildlife species.
“SAFE is a voluntary conservation initiatives that provides an opportunity for grassroots conservation partners to develop related projects to address high priority wildlife needs through habitat restoration,” said Kareus.
SAFE project area proposals are being accepted for the purpose of improving habitat for the designated wildlife species in new areas as well as possibly expanding current SAFE project areas by requesting additional acreage. SAFE project sponsors must submit all project proposals as soon as possible as the State Technical Committee is scheduled to complete the proposal review process on May 23, 2012.
The Colorado FSA State Committee will complete the final review and submit recommended proposals to the National FSA Office for final evaluation no later than June 1, 2012.
Various conservation practices currently offered under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) are fine-tuned through the SAFE proposal to improve, connect or create higher-quality wildlife habitats by promoting healthier ecosystems in the project areas identified as essential to the effective management of high priority wildlife species.
Kareus added, “Once a project proposal is approved and acreage allocated, the SAFE program is implemented through a continuous CRP signup allowing USDA to accept producer acreage offers year-round.”
As with other Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) initiatives, the land and producer must meet certain eligibility requirements. Once approval of the SAFE project is announced, interested landowners can submit offers to voluntarily enroll qualifying acres in a SAFE project/CRP contract for a term of 10 to 15 years. In exchange, SAFE/CRP program participants receive annual rental payments, project incentives and cost-share assistance to establish habitat-enhancing natural covers on eligible land.
According to Kareus, Colorado currently has 18,939 acres across the state enrolled in the SAFE program benefitting targeted wildlife species including [Columbian and Plains sharp-tailed grouse, greater sage-grouse, Gunnison sage-grouse and Lesser prairie chicken (LePC)].
Completed SAFE project proposals can be submitted to billy.merritt@co.usda.gov. For additional SAFE project area details or other questions, please contact your local FSA Office or visit the web site at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov; click on “Conservation Programs.”