Fall is here

The cool rain last Friday, along with some other cooler and more noticeably pleasant evenings, has convinced me that fall has at long last arrived. The calendar supports that conclusion as Saturday the 22nd marks the official commencement of autumn. That's a good thing as I think I have had about enough "good ol' summertime" for one year.

Cool-season grasses are making an incredible recovery with the recent rains -- getting very green and growing -- so may provide some fall grazing. With the widespread shortage of feed, that is very welcome. Another species encouraged by the recent moisture and cooler weather is that remarkably hearty noxious weed sericea lespedeza.

As long as the dry/hot conditions continued, chemical treatment of this persistent pest would have been difficult and risky. However, with the improved conditions encouraging the plants to bloom, chemical control is again a possibility.

The emergency haying of Conservation Reserve Program fields has helped to expose those areas in many fields that need treatment. Escort is generally effective for a fall application (while the plants are blooming -- normally during the month of September). Remedy and Pasturegard are also labeled for application during the bloom stage. This fall, and next spring (June) as well, will provide good opportunities to treat those sericea lespedeza and tree sprout problems on CRP fields.

LOAN FUNDS TARGETED: Adrian J. Polansky, state executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Kansas Farm Service Agency, recently announced that the FSA is reaching out to minority and women farmers who want to purchase or operate a family-size farm.

"Each year, FSA targets a portion of its farm loan funding for socially disadvantaged applicants (SDA)," Polansky said. The targeted funds are available to socially disadvantaged applicants who include minority and women farmers, as well as beginning farmers.

For FSA farm loan purposes, FSA defines a SDA person as one of group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities. For additional information regarding FSA loans to minority or women farmers, please visit FSA FLP -- Minority and Women Farmers and Ranchers.

A beginning farmer or rancher is defined as someone who:

* Has not operated a farm or ranch for more than 10 years

* Does not own a farm or ranch greater than 30 percent of the median-size farm

* Meets the loan eligibility requirements of the program to which he/she is applying

* Substantially participate is the operation; and

* If applying for a farm ownership loan, must have participated in a farm operation for at least three years

Polansky said that "while funding is targeted for loans to socially disadvantaged applicants and beginning farmers, loan approval is neither automatic nor guaranteed." Polansky stated that "in fiscal year 2011, Kansas obligated $8,316,818 for a total of 131 loans to qualified farmers under the Socially Disadvantaged Persons Loan Program.

We also obligated $45,685,152 for a total of 512 loans to qualified farmers under the Beginning Farmer Program."

"Applicants seeking credit through FSA must meet certain eligibility criteria." Polansky said. FSA applicants must be U.S citizens, have a satisfactory history of meeting credit obligations, have sufficient education, training or experience managing or operating a farm, possess legal capacity to incur debt; and be unable to obtain credit elsewhere.

For additional information, contact your local FSA Farm Loan team. Bourbon County residents should call Bob White or Jason Love, headquartered in Girard, at (620) 724-6227.