Mandi Bird, County Executive Director
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Hi folks! Thanks for reading the January edition of Coffee Shop Talk with Daviess County FSA. Hope this newsletter finds everyone well so far in 2018! We finished December with 0.09 inches of precipitation compared to a normal 1.84. For the 2017 year as a whole, Daviess County totaled 29.13 inches of rain compared to the normal 40.4, so closing out at 11.27 inches below normal. The lack of rainfall this year leads me to the first FSA topic I’d like to remind farmers about.
The Farm Service Agency has a program to assists farmers with providing emergency water to livestock in drought situations. If the lack of precipitation continues through the winter and water supplies continue to weaken or reach depletion, and qualifications are met, we can request funding from National Office to offer financial and technical assistance to establish water sources. The type of assistance must supply immediate water (digging a pond will not qualify), and we will assist with the least costly option, for example cost of connecting to an existing rural water line and setting a tank versus cost of digging a well. Stay tuned for more details if drought conditions continue.
Contracts for the 2018 ARC and PLC signup can now be enrolled. The deadline for all signatures is August 1, but if you’d like to get those out of the way, we can do those at any time.
If you plan to clear any timber ground or break out sod at any time, please file an AD-1026 form (Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification) at our office before you begin. This helps you avoid future penalties and keeps you in compliance. Remember: compliance is now tied to all USDA programs, including crop insurance.
FSA can make loans on new and used grain storage and handling equipment. The January interest rates go from 1.875% for a 3-year term, to 2.375% for a 12-year term. Please contact the office for more information!
One final reminder, FSA has a program called the Livestock Indemnity Program. This can provide benefits to farmers for livestock deaths, in excess of normal mortality, caused by severe weather events such as lightning, extreme cold, or blizzard. The normal mortality rate for adult beef cattle is 1.5%, calves 5%, adult sheep 4%, and lambs 10.7%. Livestock deaths in excess of this loss percentage due to extreme weather can be compensated for 75% of their market value. This program runs by calendar year. As we head into 2018, be sure to keep track of normal mortality throughout the year so in the event of livestock losses due to weather, those animals can be compensated for.
That’s all folks! If you have any questions about anything in this newsletter or any of our programs in general, don’t hesitate to give us a call or stop on by. We wish you all nothing but the best in 2018!