WABAUNSEE COUNTY
FARM SERVICE AGENCY
County Committee: Monte N. Johnson Office Staff:
Shirley A Stuewe, Member County Executive Director Deb Ridgway
Janice Stevens, Member Wabaunsee County FSA Office Nancy Sommer
Robert Kraus, Member 103 E 6 St Debbie Figge
Alma, Kansas 66401
COC Mtg. 2
nd
Thursday of the Month @ 10:00 a.m.
Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 2010 Phone: (785) 765-3329
Monday through Friday Fax: (785) 765-3673
LIVESTOCK DEATH PROGRAM
The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) provides
compensation to livestock producers for death loss in
adverse weather. Adverse weather includes extreme heat,
extreme cold, blizzard, winter storm, flood, earthquake,
hail, hurricane lightning, tornado, tropical storm, typhoon
and wildfire. Payments are issued for losses in excess of
normal mortality for the livestock type, and weight range.
Payment rates are equal to 75% of the fair market of the
livestock by weight range, as determined by FSA. To be
eligible, you must be associated with a farming operation,
and own the livestock at the time of death.
What paperwork do I need?
The notice of loss must be submitted the earlier of 30
calendar days of when the loss of livestock was apparent
from the adverse weather event. The notice can be done
in person or by phone. Document the death of the animal
when it occurred and what caused the death loss. The
program is administered on a calendar year basis, so for
2010 you must document these losses through December
31, 2010. All notices of loss for 2010 must be filed, and
applications for payment made, by January 30
th
, 2011.
Documenting loss
There are 3 types of documentation.
The first is considered verifiable, the most common of
which is veterinary records, rendering truck records,
insurance claim documents, or commercial feedlot
records. The information supplied must include livestock
type, weight, date of death, and cause of death.
The second verification is considered reliable. This
includes dated pictures, and any other contemporaneous
record that exists. With this type of record, you are also
required to provide a beginning inventory record, and an
ending inventory record.
The third type of evidence is third party verification. This
can only be used if a producer has no evidence that falls
into one of the first two verification categories. Third
party verification is an FSA form (FSA-926). It must be
completed in its entirety by one or more individuals that
are not related to, or employed by you. This record also
requires submission of a verifiable inventory record for
the date of the adverse weather event.
To learn more about this program, contact the Wabaunsee
County office at 785-765-3329.
FOREIGN INVESTORS
Foreign investors acquiring or transferring any interest in
agricultural land exceeding 10 acres are required to report
the transaction to the Farm Service Agency within 90
days. An interest of 10 acres or less does not require a
report unless annual sales proceeds exceed $1,000.
Failure to disclose this interest can result in civil penalties
of up to 25 percent of the land’s market value.
DCP / ACRE Sign up
This is the time to enroll you farm into the Direct and
Counter-cyclical Program (DCP) or the Average Crop
Revenue Election (ACRE) program for 2010. These
contracts must be signed annually. Advance payments of
22% of the total direct payment for each farm can be
requested at signup. Final payments are issued in
October. If you are interested in signing up contact the
FSA office and let us know if you have any changes to
your operation for 2010. Changes include share, added
farms, deleted farms, purchases or sale of land, changes
to you cropland, etc. Contact the office for appointment.
Reporting Wheat, Oats and Triticale Acreage
June 1
st
is the deadline for reporting small grains, such as
wheat, oats, triticale, etc. that will be harvested in 2010.
You will need planting dates, your share, and intended
use of the crop. If reported after June 1
st
, a late file fee of
$46 per farm will be collected. Acreage reporting is a
requirement for participation in DCP, ACRE, CRP,
commodity loan programs, disaster programs and for
eligibility for loan deficiency payments, if applicable.
CRP General Signup this Summer
Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, made the announcement
last week, March 1, 2010, that anticipated General CRP signup
to be held this summer. Kansas landowners with expiring CRP
will have the opportunity to offer this land for re-enrollment
into the CRP program including offers on new land.
CCC COMMODITY LOANS AND LDPS
The 2009 crop loan rates for Wabaunsee County are:
Wheat $2.64 Grain Sorghum $3.33 cwt.
Corn $1.97 Soybeans $4.93
Oats $1.37 Barley $1.75
AGI and IRS
USDA and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
have developed an electronic information exchange
process strictly for the purpose of Average Gross
Income (AGI) verification. This will ensure that
payments are not issued to producers whose
adjusted gross income (AGI
) exceeds certain
limits. The limits set in the 2008 Farm Bill are
$500,000 nonfarm average AGI for commodity
and disaster programs; $750,000 farm average AGI
for direct payments; and $1 million nonfarm
average AGI for conservation programs. This
process will compare average amount of income to
the AGI limitations. FSA and NRCS will receive a
record that indicates whether or not the program
participant appears to meet the income limits. No
actual tax data will be included in this exchange
process.
Written consent by completing Form CCC-927
or CCC-928 and mailing to the IRS will be
required from each producer or payment
recipient for this process. This form was included
in the Kansas State Office Newsletter and is also
available in the FSA Office.
CHANGE OF LAND OWNERSHIP
Any changes that could affect the farming
operation, such as land ownership changes,
operator chan
ges, establishing estates/trusts or
other changes, need to be reported now so
changes can be made prior to enrolling the farm in
the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP).
For farm ownership changes, you will need to
provide a recorded deed or recorded land contract.
Failure to maintain accurate records with FSA on
all land you have an interest in can lead to
possible program ineligibility if you are
participating.
COUNTY FSA COMMITTEE ELECTION
Shirley Stuewe was re-electioned to the county
committee. Shirley will serve 3 years in the LAA
#2, which covers the western half of the county.
County Committees are elected by USDA
program participants to help deliver USDA
programs in their local communities.
CRP ACREAGE
Prohibited use of CRP acreage includes:
asphalt/concrete plant, trash disposal area, parking, or
storage of machinery; autos, livestock feed storage;
permanent roads/trails, trees not in the conservation
plan, mowing of strips for hunting, buildings, or
houses.
Noxious weeds are to be control
led on CRP acreage.
Fall chemical control is an excellent source of weed
repression
.
Failure to maintain your CRP acreage can cause
penalties to be assessed or possible contract
termination.
Loans for the Socially Disadvantaged
FSA has a number of loan programs available to
assist applicants to begin or continue in agriculture
production. Loans are available for operating type
loans and/or purchase or improve farms or ranches.
While all qualified producers are eligible to apply for
these loan programs, the FSA has provided priority
funding for members of Socially Disadvantaged
Applicants. A socially disadvantaged applicant is one
of a group whose members have been subjected to
racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of his or
her identity as members of the group without regard
to his or her individual qualities. For purposes of this
program, socially disadvantaged groups are women,
African Americans, American Indians, Alaskan
Natives, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Pacific
Islanders. If producers or their spouses believe they
would qualify as socially disadvantaged, they should
contact their local FSA office for details. FSA loans
are only available to applicants who meet all the
eligibility requirements and are unable to obtain the
needed credit elsewhere.
Calendar Dates
May 31: Last day to report wheat and small grains
June 1
st
: Last day for DCP/ACRE signup
Non-Discrimination Statement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability,
and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or
part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who
require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-
2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington,
D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
