Farm Service Agency 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) are requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on a revision and an extension of a currently approved information collection. CCC and FSA use the information to determine whether representatives or survivors of a producer are entitled to receive payments earned by a producer who dies, disappears, or is declared incompetent before receiving payments or other disbursements.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on a revision and an extension of a current information collection request associated with the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). OCCSP provides cost share assistance to producers and handlers of agricultural products who are obtaining or renewing their certification under the National Organic Program (NOP). Certified operations may receive up to 75 percent of their certification costs paid. Certain State agencies also submit applications to FSA to administer OCCSP in their States.

This rule establishes provisions for providing agricultural disaster assistance as authorized by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2019 (Disaster Relief Act). The Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) will provide payments to eligible producers who suffered eligible crop, tree, bush, and vine losses resulting from hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, typhoons, volcanic activity, snowstorms, and wildfires that occurred in the 2018 and 2019 calendar years. The On-Farm Storage Loss Program will provide payments to eligible producers who suffered uncompensated losses of harvested commodities stored in farm structures as a result of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, typhoons, volcanic activity, snowstorms, and wildfires that occurred in the 2018 and 2019 calendar years. The Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program (WHIP) Milk Loss Program will provide payments to eligible dairy operations for milk that was dumped or removed without compensation from the commercial milk market due to hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, typhoons, volcanic activity, snowstorms, and wildfires that occurred in the 2018 and 2019 calendar years. This rule specifies the administrative provisions, eligibility requirements, application procedures, and payment calculations for WHIP+, On-Farm Storage Loss Program, and WHIP Milk Loss Program. As required by the Disaster Relief Act, this rule also expands eligibility for 2017 WHIP to include losses incurred from Tropical Storm Cindy, losses of peach and blueberry crops in calendar year 2017 due to extreme cold, and blueberry productivity losses in calendar year 2018 due to extreme cold and hurricane damage in calendar year 2017. This rule updates the regulations for the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) to provide assistance for eligible orchardists or nursery tree growers of pecan trees with a tree mortality rate that exceeds 7.5 percent (adjusted for normal mortality) and is less than 15 percent (adjusted for normal mortality) for losses incurred in calendar year 2018. Prevented planting supplemental disaster payments will provide support to producers who were prevented from planting eligible crops for the 2019 crop year due to excess precipitation, flood, storm surge, tornado, volcanic activity, tropical depressions, hurricanes, and cyclones in the 2019 calendar year. This rule specifies the administrative provisions, eligibility requirements, and payment calculations for prevented planting supplemental disaster payments.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is hosting two listening sessions for public input about the heirs' property relending program and heirs' property issues for landowners or farm operators providing proper documentation as the owner of the farm or land in order to obtain a farm number to be eligible for the FSA programs, as required by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill). FSA is interested in your input and comments in resolving ownership and succession on farmland and undivided interest that has multiple owners. We invite you to participate in the listening session. The listening session is open to the public.

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) amended provisions of the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP). This rule implements those changes to ECP and makes additional minor technical amendments to the ECP regulations. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is amending regulations to add wildfires as an eligible natural disaster, expand eligibility requirements, increase the maximum payment amount certain participants may receive, provide cost-share for fence repair and replacement, and provide certain cost-share payments more expeditiously than was previously authorized under ECP. In addition, this rule makes minor changes related to the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP).

This final rule implements the requirements of the dairy programs administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). The Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program, as authorized by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill), replaces the Margin Protection Program (MPP-Dairy) for dairy producers and retains much of the structure of MPP-Dairy. DMC is a margin-based support program for dairy producers that provides risk management coverage that will pay producers when the difference between the national price of milk and the national estimated cost of feed (the margin) falls below a certain level. The rule also extends the Dairy Indemnity Payment Program (DIPP) through 2023 and amends the regulations to incorporate a specific period of time for which claims for the same loss will be eligible for indemnification under DIPP.

As required by the Privacy Act of 1974, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A-108, this notice proposes that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA or Department) revisions to the Privacy Act System of Records titled Applicant/ Borrower USDA/FSA-14, which include information on current, former, and prospective applicants and borrowers including members of entities. The system contains information on agricultural producers in the United States requesting or obtaining the Farm Service Agency (FSA) Farm Loan Programs benefits. In general, USDA proposes to revise the system of records to make minor corrections and updates to meet additional requirements. USDA is also revising the system of records to add 10 new routine uses.

In preparing to implement the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (commonly referred to as the 2018 Farm Bill), we are hosting a listening session for initial public input about new programs and changes to existing programs implemented by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Risk Management Agency (RMA). The 2018 Farm Bill is intended to provide support, certainty, and stability to our Nation's farmers, ranchers, and land stewards by enhancing farm support programs, improving crop insurance, maintaining disaster programs, and promoting and supporting voluntary conservation. We invite you to participate in the listening session. The listening session is open to the public.