By Mandi Bird
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
Find out how to advertise here - Email us! [email protected]
Hi folks. Thanks for reading the March edition of Coffee Shop Talk with Daviess County FSA. I hope it’s safe to say spring is here. We could really use some of those spring showers. We finished February off with .99 inches of measurable precipitation compared to normal 1.98 inches. Daviess County continues to register at a Stage 1 on the US Drought Monitor.
Thinking of greasing the planter soon? Come sign your ARC/PLC contracts first. It is to your benefit to get those enrolled and out of the way before it’s time to report crops. It can greatly expedite your trip this summer. Stop by or give us a call if you’re thinking of coming in and we’ll have them ready for you.
CRP cool season grasses can be sprayed or burned as part of required Mid-Contract Management from March 15 through April 30. Warm season grasses can be burned through March 15 and light disking can be done through March 30. If you have any questions about your contract specifically, please don’t hesitate to call us!
New policy has been released to more easily allow the transfer of land to the next generation of farmers and ranchers. USDA is offering an early termination opportunity for certain CRP contracts that are being sold or have a lease to own contract with a beginning farmer or rancher. The policy waives the termination penalty and interest that is normally charged for early termination. This rule took effect Jan. 9. If you are interested in learning more, please contact the office.
On the topic of CRP, participants in the program should make sure they are complying with the program regulations. This includes keeping acres free of brush, trees and noxious weeds, no permanent parking machinery on CRP acreage, no haying or grazing without approval or outside of the approved timeframe, and no cropping CRP acreage. Erosion should continue to be monitored and controlled while in CRP.
Remember that FSA offers a variety of farm loan programs, including several different farm ownership loans, operating loans, emergency loans and loans on farm storage facility or handling and hauling equipment. The March interest rate for a seven-year storage or equipment loan is fixed at 2.750%. Contact the Daviess County FSA office or Charles Meissen, farm loan manager at the Harrison County FSA office, for more information.
That’s all, folks. Thanks for reading this month’s edition of coffee shop talk. Until next time, we hope everyone has a safe and successful planting and calving season.