Coffee Shop Talk with Daviess County FSA

Happy fall everyone! Thanks for reading the November edition of Coffee Shop Talk with Daviess County FSA. I hope everyone is able to get harvest wrapped up soon and get ready for the holidays. We finished October with 9.74 inches of rain compared to a normal 3.14, with 90% of that rain coming between Oct. 4-10. We are still 7.27 inches behind normal for the calendar year, but luckily most of the ponds have filled back up as we head into winter. Here are a few FSA topics and reminders as we enter the winter months.

Wheat, barley, triticale and rye need to be reported by December 15, even if intended for silage. No need for an appointment, just come on by. Even if you are not insuring these crops, they still must be timely reported to FSA.

Folks with CRP, remember that in years 3-6 of your contract, you will need to perform Mid Contract Management on all acres of your contract. Your management options are burning, light disking or chemical spraying. Contracts under 50 acres can be done all in one year. Maintenance on contracts over 50 acres will need to be split up between multiple years. Producers need to certify completion of the activity to FSA and turn in any tickets for cost share. Let us know if you have any questions on your contract specifically and we’ll get you the information needed.

Landowners and/or operators in Benton, Lincoln, Jamesport, Salem and Washington townships should be receiving their county committee election ballots in the coming week. Please vote and return your ballot via mail or in person by Dec. 3.

Market Facilitation Program

I want to discuss the new Market Facilitation Program (MFP) being implemented as part of the trade mitigation package. We’ve been receiving quite a few questions about it here in the office. Here is what you need to know: To opt-in to the program, you must sign a CCC-910   application no later than Jan. 15, 2019. Your production must be certified for each commodity no later than May 1, 2019.  MFP is a certification of your entire 2018 harvested crops, including corn intended for grain but cut for silage.

Producers need to complete harvesting every acre of their corn, beans, etc. then sum up your share of the net bushels and bring us that figure. The sum means every bushel for a particular crop from every farm you have a share in, for every county and/or state, not by farm or by tract, but by total bushels produced. If another party has a share in the grain produced, their share will need to be included on their own application. Once you know those numbers then come into the office and we’ll run your application.

Beef Producers Seminar

The University of Missouri Extension is hosting a Beef Producers Seminar on Thursday, Nov. 8 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Peter’s Church Parish Hall in Stanberry. Eric Bailey, State Extension Beef Nutritionist for MU Extension, will discuss some of the feeding and management concerns and opportunities for the corn silage and corn baleage that was harvested this past year and feeding strategies moving forward.

Scott Poock, State Extension Beef and Dairy Veterinarian for MU Extension and the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, will discuss getting cows and heifers to breed and rebreed after the drought of 2018, as well as maintaining body condition score on your breeding-age females and how best to manage open cows.

Wayne Flanary, Field Specialist in Agronomy for University of Missouri Extension, will discuss management, recovery and looking toward 2019 regarding pasture and hay ground after the challenging year most livestock and forage producers in our area have dealt with. For more information regarding the Beef Producers Seminar or to pre-register, please contact the Andrew County MU Extension Center at 816-324-3147 or Jim Humphrey at [email protected].

Marketing Assistance Loans

Filled a bin with grain and need a little working capital? Contact the office and ask about an MAL to help with that. Many producers around the county take advantage of the Farm Service Agency’s MAL program. MALs provide producers interim financing after harvest to help them meet cash flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. FSA is now accepting requests for 2018 MALs for all eligible commodities. Requests for loans shall be made on or before the final availability date for the respective commodity.

The loan rate for corn in Daviess County is $1.92 and soybeans is $4.99.  MALs have a 9-month duration and the interest rate during the month of November is 3.125%.

Job Opening
Nodaway County FSA in Maryville has a permanent program technician position opening. The open application period began Oct. 26, 2018, and ends Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. Application may be found at www.usajobs.gov by searching Job Announcement Number MO-2019-0003. If you have questions contact Tim Dreier, County Executive Director at 660-582-7423.