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August 1, 2014     
Inside This Issue.....
USDA Sending Acreage History and Yield Reports to Help Producers Prepare for New Farm Bill Programs
USDA Implements Key Farm Bill Crop Insurance Provision
Congress Must Take 5 ½-Week Summer Recess
White House Rolls Out Climate Change "Food Resilience" Initiative.
Stabenow Leads Senate Democrats in Calling for EPA Action on WOTUS
EPA to Try and "Clarify" No USDA Reg Role in WOTUS
CSA Mid Year Meeting 2014
Upcoming Meetings
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USDA Sending Acreage History and Yield Reports to Help Producers Prepare for New Farm Bill Programs

08/01/2014 04:04 PM EDT

 

USDA Sending Acreage History and Yield Reports to Help Producers Prepare for   

New Farm Bill Programs

 

Data will Help Farmers and Ranchers to Select the Coverage Options that Their Fit Needs

 

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2014 - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Juan M. Garcia announced today that farmers should start receiving notices updating them on their current base acres, yields and 2009-2012 planting history. The written updates are an important part of preparing agricultural producers for the new safety net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill.

  

"We're sending these reports to make sure that farmers and ranchers have key information as they make critical decisions about programs that impact their livelihood," said Garcia. "It's important that producers take a few minutes to cross check the information they receive with their own farm records. If the information is correct, no further action is needed at this time. But if our letter is incomplete or incorrect, producers need to contact their local FSA county office as soon as possible."

  

Verifying the accuracy of data on a farm's acreage history is an important step for producers enrolling in the upcoming Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program and the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program. Later this summer, farmers and ranchers will have an opportunity to update their crop yield information and reallocate base acres.   

  

"We're working hard to prepare and educate farmers on the new programs created by the 2014 Farm Bill," added Garcia. "I encourage producers to bring their USDA notice to any scheduled appointments with the local FSA county office. This will help ensure they have the information they need with them to discuss the available program options."

  

By mid-winter all producers on a farm will be required to make a one-time, unanimous and irrevocable election between price protection and county revenue protection or individual revenue protection for 2014-2018 crop years. Producers can expect to sign contracts for ARC or PLC for the 2014 and 2015 crop years in early 2015.   

  

Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice (includes short grain rice and temperate japonica rice), safflower seed, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed, and wheat. Upland cotton is no longer a covered commodity.

 

 

August 2014

Late Summer 2014

Winter 2014

Early 2015

Producers receive letters notifying them of current bases and yields and 2009 to 2012 planting history.

ARC and PLC online tools become available. Owners have opportunity to update yields and reallocate bases for ARC/PLC purposes.

ARC/PLC one-time elections occur.

ARC/PLC sign-up for 2014 and 2015 starts.

 

Visit www.fsa.usda.gov or the local FSA office for information about FSA and the 2014 Farm Bill programs.

Today's announcement was made possible through the 2014 Farm Bill, which builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for the taxpayer. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

 

 

USDA Implements Key Farm Bill Crop Insurance Provision

2014 Farm Bill Measure Strengthens and Expands Insurance Coverage Options for Farm Operations

 

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2014 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced continued progress in implementing provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill that will strengthen and expand insurance coverage options for farmers and ranchers. The new Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), available through the federal crop insurance program and set to begin with the 2015 crop year, is designed to help protect producers from yield and market volatility.

 

"America's agricultural producers work hard to produce a sufficient amount of safe and nutritious food for the country," said Secretary Tom Vilsack. "It's critical that they have crop insurance options to effectively manage risks and ensure that they do not lose everything due to events beyond their control. Following the 2014 Farm Bill signing, USDA has made it a priority to ensure the Supplemental Coverage Option was available to help farmers in this upcoming crop year."

 

The 2014 Farm Bill strengthens and expands crop insurance by providing more risk management options for farmers and ranchers and by making crop insurance more affordable for beginning farmers. SCO, which is administered by the Risk Management Agency (RMA), further strengthens the farm safety net.

 

SCO will be available for corn, cotton, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, spring barley, spring wheat, and winter wheat in selected counties for the 2015 crop year. Producers should contact their crop insurance agents to discuss eligibility in time to sign up for winter wheat coverage. RMA plans to make SCO more widely available by adding more counties and crops. Information on SCO for 2015 winter and spring wheat is available on the RMA website at www.rma.usda.gov. Selected counties for other commodities will be released later this summer.

 

SCO is a county-level policy endorsement that is in addition to an underlying crop insurance policy, and covers a portion of losses not covered by the same crop's underlying policy. Producers who elect to participate in Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC), which is offered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), are not eligible for SCO for the crop and farm participating in ARC.

 

Producers applying for SCO for the 2015 winter wheat crop may withdraw coverage on any farm where they have elected, or where they intend to elect, ARC for winter wheat by the earlier of their acreage reporting date or Dec. 15, without penalty. This allows producers additional time to make an informed decision related to whether to elect to participate in either the ARC or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for their winter wheat. If producers withdraw SCO coverage for a farm by the earlier of their acreage reporting date or Dec. 15, they will not be charged a crop insurance premium. In order to withdraw coverage without penalty, producers must notify their agents of their intended election for ARC by the earlier of their winter wheat acreage reporting date or Dec. 15.

 

Today's announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

 

Congress Must Take 5 �-Week Summer Recess

Where Issues Stand

The Senate is in recess, but the House continues to try and get agreement on some kind of emergency spending bill aimed at the immigration border crisis in Texas. In true congressional style, both chambers crashed through a number of issues - some successfully, some not. Here's the status of some key legislation as of this writing:

 

Border Supplemental Spending Bill Punted to September - Short of a procedural miracle, an emergency supplemental spending bill to deal with the flood of illegal aliens crossing the Texas border will not see the President's desk until September at the earliest. The Senate recessed last night, but the House was the center of procedural drama as its $659-million package was suddenly pulled from the floor this week when it was apparent it lacked the votes for approval. Delaying its August recess by a day, the House GOP is regrouping around a bill that will be "tweaked" to increase sanctions on illegal immigrants, as well as a commitment from House leadership to vote on a separate measure to bar any "administrative amnesty" measures, including the President's announced plan to further delay deportations of undocumented workers already in custody.  

 

Funding only the security portion of the President's original $3.7-billion border request, a House vote on the bill appeases House members who say it's irresponsible and politically untenable to leave town without acting on the immigration crisis. The Senate, pushing a $3.6-billion package including money for USDA wildfire efforts and aid to Israel, fell apart late this week on a budget point order, with all Republicans and two Democrats voting to stop the bill. Further, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, NV) again foreclosed on any amendments in an effort to thwart GOP efforts to amend a 2007 human trafficking law as part of the border supplemental. This leaves USDA without its wildfire money and Israel without aid for its "Iron Dome" defense system. The likelihood now is that the emergency border supplemental could get tacked on to the continuing resolution expected in early September to keep the government running through FY2015.

 

Pesticide Permitting Bill H.R. 935 Passes House on Second Try - After failing to get the necessary two-thirds majority vote on Monday to pass the bill under suspension of the rules, the House approved H.R. 935 on Thursday. The bill would reverse an EPA rulemaking on pesticide permitting. The bill seeks to roll back what it sees as dual permitting requirements on pesticide applications on or near water, allowing pesticide applicators to avoid NPDES permitting if the pesticide is already registered under FIFRA. The bill was approved when 37 Democrats from farm states joined the GOP in voting for the bill. But, as has been the case for the last four years, the remedy likely will not see Senate action.

 

White House Rolls Out Climate Change "Food Resilience" Initiative

As part of his Climate Data Initiative to recognize climate change and help the nation adapt, this week President Obama unveiled the "Food Resilience" component of the overall program, action "empowering America's agricultural sector and strengthening the resilience of the global food system in a changing climate."

 

The program is supposed to connect producers, processors, and agribusiness with "data, tools and information" available through the federal government to deal with the climate change phenomena, including: "more intense heat waves, heavier downpours and severe drought and wildfires out West," so they can see the potential impacts and take action to mitigate changes.

 

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), while not dismissing the effort, said climate fluctuations could be the result of natural climate cycles; GOP members of Congress called the initiative a "gimmick" to justify the Obama Administration's regulatory agenda.

 

The initiative includes the following program actions, according to a White House fact sheet (http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-and-releases):

  • White House meetings for food companies and technology leaders to share ways to mine federal data sources. This week, the White House invited a number of multinational food companies to a meeting to discuss the initiative. Among the companies invited were Coca-Cola, Mars, Inc., Monsanto, Nestle USA, the Kellogg Co., and Walmart, with these companies expected to announce "commitments" to the effort;
  • New features on www.climate.data.gov, including expansion of the site to include more accessible data;
  • Hosting "agriculture innovation workshops," for beginning farmers, "open data," and discussions with international partners;
  • "Private sector commitments," including a "principles for responsible investment" made up of five European investor groups to "address risks from climate change to companies with agricultural supply chains" and will include 50 companies with which the investor group will have "constructive dialogues;"
  • A series of workshops and webinars hosted by Microsoft;
  • A commitment by the U.S. dairy industry to use the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy to conduct research and test four new "Farm Smart" modules on energy, feed, nutrients and herd management by the end of 2014, and
  • Eight more pages listing 27 public and private commitments to help educate and provide information on how the ag and food systems can best cope with climate change.

Stabenow Leads Senate Democrats in Calling for EPA Action on WOTUS, Wants Farmer "Certainty"

 

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D, MI), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, this week garnered the support of 12 Senate Democrat colleagues on a letter to EPA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and USDA urging them to provide farmers and ranchers "more certainty" as to how the three government entities will operate under EPA's "waters of the U.S." (WOTUS) rulemaking.

 

The Michigan lawmaker said stakeholder concerns with the WOTUS rulemaking and EPA's continuing dismissal of those concerns argue the agencies must provide greater clarity and assurances to ensure WOTUS and the agency's guidance on farm exemptions "don't have unintended effects on agriculture and on critical conservation efforts."

 

"Voluntary conservation practices supported by USDA and expanded in the 2014 Farm Bill are the federal government's largest investment in the conservation of private working lands and critical to sustaining clean water, clean air, wildlife habitat and other benefits," the Senate letter says. "The proposed 'waters of the U.S.' rule and the interpretive rule could undermine progress made in the 2014 Farm Bill if they create an atmosphere of uncertainty that results in fewer conservation practices or significant new burdens for our nation's farmers and ranchers."

 

The letter was signed by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D, VT); Sen. Tom Harkin (D, IA); Sen. Kay Hagan (D, NC); Sen. Al Franken (D, MN); Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D, MN); Sen. Tim Johnson (D, SD); Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D, NH); Sen. Sherrod Brown (D, OH); Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D, WI); Sen. Bob Casey (D, PA); Sen. Mark Warner (D, VA), and Sen. Michael Bennett (D, CO).

 

 

EPA to Try and "Clarify" No USDA Reg Role in WOTUS

The Administration this week said it will take steps to "clarify" again that USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will have no regulatory role if EPA is successful in expanding its Clean Water Act (CWA) authority to include all "waters of the U.S." (WOTUS).

 

EPA has been talking to NRCS and "other stakeholders" in the wake of criticism of its "interpretive rule" on how the rule will work for farmers and ranchers. These groups have strongly complained that the rule, issued along with the EPA's WOTUS rulemaking, while carrying 56 exemptions for farm practices, will require additional oversight or enforcement by NRCS if farmers are utilizing USDA conservation practices. The agency said during an American Soybean Assn. (ASA) webinar on the WOTUS rulemaking that its talks have led to the decision to issue "some clarification," but EPA was not specific, save for a comment that a new Q/A document was forthcoming.

 

CSA Mid Year Meeting 2014

Registration materials are available for the upcoming Mid Year Meeting in Monterey.  While we have streamlined the meeting schedule, all committees will have sufficient time to meet and discuss current issues impacting the seed industry.   

The meeting will be held at the InterContinental Clement Hotel on Cannery Row in Monterey, September 30/October 1, 2014  The InterContinental Hotel is located at  750 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA  93940.   Please make reservations directly with the hotel by calling (888) 666-5734 by  5:00 pm on Aug. 30, 2014 and please mention that you are with the California Seed Association to receive the group rate of $199.00.  We also have our own meeting reservation website you may access through the CSA  Website on the calendar of events page www.calseed.org.

The golf tournament will again be a fundraiser for the "Ginny Patin Scholarship" and will be held on Tuesday, September 30th at 1:00 pm  at the Carmel Valley Golf Ranch.  The tournament will begin with a shot-gun start at 1:00 pm and will include lunch on the carts.   For those of you who do not golf the Bocce Ball Tournament will also be held on Tuesday afternoon as a fundraiser for the scholarship program. (flyers for both events are enclosed).    

All committees will meet on Wednesday, October 1st  Participants can look forward to an engaging presentation by our keynote speaker this year, Laura McIntosh. The Mid Year meeting provides an opportunity for industry communication and a chance to get together with your business colleagues in a social atmosphere.  I look forward to seeing all of you in Monterey.

Call ASAP To Book Your Hotel Room - Guests can reserve a room using the below link, by calling 1-888-666-5734 or by emailing [email protected].

Click Here for CSA Personalized Webpage for On-Line Booking

For A Full Packet of Registration Material and Schedule - Click Here


 

Upcoming Meetings

     

 

2014
  • September 30, October 1, 2014 - CSA Mid Year Meeting - InterContinental Hotel in Monterey, CA 

 

2015 

  • March 23-25, 2015 - CSA Annual Convention at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, CA