Farm Service Agency programs open to all area producers

The Kansas Farm Service Agency is reaching out to women and minority farmers in the state in an effort to get more of them involved in its farm programs. "We're in the business of helping our farmers and ranchers-all of them," said Adrian J. Polansky, state executive director of USDA's Farm Service Agency in Kansas.

"Our programs are generally well known throughout the ag community," he said. "We do not have to promote their availability to the producers who have traditionally used them. But there may be producers, especially among women, minority, beginning, and limited resource farmers, who still are not aware of our programs and the benefits that may be available to them. We want to reach those producers and tell them the Farm Service Agency is here for them too."

Polansky said that while Farm Service Agency programs remain available to all producers, "We want to increase participation by traditionally underrepresented groups. We want to see more women and minorities take advantage of these programs."

Polansky summarized FSA's major programs and stressed that they are open to all qualified producers.

FSA offers direct and guaranteed farm ownership and operating loan programs to farmers who are temporarily unable to obtain private, commercial credit and who meet other regulatory criteria. Each year a portion of the funding FSA receives for loan programs is specifically targeted for socially disadvantaged persons and beginning farmers. "In Fiscal Year 2009, Kansas obligated $8,568,210 for a total of 132 loans to qualified farmers under the Socially Disadvantaged Persons Loan Program. We also obligated $54,133,329 for a total of 539 loans to qualified farmers under the Beginning Farmer Program," Polansky said.

For farm loan purposes, FSA defines a socially disadvantaged person as one of a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of the group without regard to their individual qualities. For purposes of this program, these groups are women, African Americans, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, and Asians and Pacific Islanders. For farm loan purposes, FSA defines a beginning farmer as a person who 1) has operated a farm for not more than 10 years; 2) will materially and substantially participate in the operation of the farm; 3) agrees to participate in a loan assessment, borrower training and financial management program sponsored by FSA; 4) does not own a farm in excess of 30 percent of the county's median size; or 5) participated in a farm for at least 3 years (for direct farm ownership loans).

To qualify for an FSA loan, applicants must be U.S. citizens or resident aliens, have a satisfactory history of meeting credit obligations, a set amount of experience operating or managing a farm, and be unable to obtain credit elsewhere at reasonable rates and terms.

Other loan programs include Youth Loans, Emergency Loans, Marketing Assistance Loans (using harvested crops as collateral), and Farm Storage Facility Loans to assist with crop storage facilities.

Other programs include Disaster Assistance through the Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), the Supplemental Revenue Assistance (SURE) program, Livestock Forage Program (LFP), Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm Raised Fish (ELAP), and Tree Assistance Program (TAP). To be eligible for the supplemental disaster programs, producers must obtain crop insurance on insurable crops and NAP coverage on non-insurable crops.

The Conservation Reserve Program is also an important offering through FSA. This program strives to protect the nation's most fragile farmland by encouraging farmers to stop growing crops on highly erodible and environmentally sensitive land. The Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP) and Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) programs are also available for farms in the county with crop bases. June 1, 2010 is the final date to sign up for the 2010 DCP and ACRE.

Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements for a given program before FSA can extend program benefits. For more information on these programs and other programs available through FSA, contact the Farm Service Agency at the county USDA Service Center, or on the Internet at www.fsa.usda.gov/ks. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.

Editor's Note: Doug Niemeir is the County Executive Director for the USDA/Farm Service Agency. He can be reached by emailing him at Douglas.Niemeir@ks.usda.gov