Farm Service Agency 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension of a currently approved information collection that supports the 2017 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program (WHIP) and the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program. FSA provides payments to eligible producers who suffered eligible crop, tree, bush, and vine losses resulting from a qualifying disaster event. FSA also administers the QLA Program to provide financial assistance to eligible producers who experienced a crop quality loss due to a qualifying disaster event in calendar years 2018 or 2019. The qualifying disaster events are listed in the Background section below.

This rule amends the regulations for Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) to allow supplemental DMC payments to participating eligible dairy operations. DMC provides dairy producers with risk management coverage that pays producers when the difference between the price of milk and the cost of feed (the margin) falls below a certain level. Eligible dairy operations with less than 5 million pounds of established production history may enroll supplemental pounds based upon a formula using 2019 actual milk marketings. Supplemental DMC coverage is applicable to calendar years 2021, 2022, and 2023. Participating dairy operations with supplemental production may receive supplemental payments in addition to payments based on their established production history. In addition, the rule amends the alfalfa hay calculation used in determining the average feed cost and actual dairy production margin. To end prolonged months of milk indemnity payments, the rule amends the regulations for Dairy Indemnity Payment Program (DIPP) to indemnify affected farmers for depopulating and permanently removing cows after discovery of chemical residues affecting the commercial marketing of milk for the applicable farm and likely affecting the marketability of cows for a lengthy duration. The rule also implements a new Oriental Fruit Fly (OFF) Program as authorized in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019. In addition, the rule updates the existing Marketing Assistance Loans (MAL) and Loan Deficiency Payments (LDP) loan rates to be consistent with the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill); the loan rates were already changed administratively because the loan rate changes were self-enacting. This rule also amends the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) regulations to remove two discretionary requirements.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension of a currently approved information collections associated with Pandemic Livestock Indemnity Program (PLIP) and Pandemic Assistance for Timber and Haulers and Harvesters (PATHH) Program. FSA is making PLIP payments to livestock and poultry producers for losses of livestock or poultry depopulated before December 27, 2020, due to insufficient processing access, based on 80 percent of the fair market value of the livestock and poultry, and for the cost of depopulation (other than costs already compensated under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program). FSA is also providing assistance to timber harvesting businesses and timber hauling businesses impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 Outbreak.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is implementing a new Heirs' Property Relending Program (HPRP) authorized in the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill). HPRP provides loans to eligible entities to relend with the purpose of assisting heirs with undivided ownership interests resolve ownership and succession issues on farms that are owned in common by multiple heirs. The loan funds may be used by an ultimate recipient to purchase and consolidate fractional interests held by other heirs in jointly-owned property to pay for costs and fees associated with developing and implementing a succession plan, and to pay for costs associated with buying out fractional interests held in tenancy in common by other heirs in jointly-owned property to clear the title (for example closing costs, appraisals, title searches, surveys, preparing documents, mediation, and legal services). FSA is also amending the Farm Loan Programs (FLP) regulations to revise its rules related to loan making and servicing to improve program delivery and consolidate value-added oversight activities.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is issuing this notice announcing the availability of funds for the Pandemic Livestock Indemnity Program (PLIP) to provide assistance to producers for losses of livestock and poultry depopulated from March 1, 2020, through December 26, 2020, due to insufficient processing access as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and for the cost of depopulation and disposal. FSA is implementing PLIP, as authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), and 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.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is issuing this first notice announcing the availability of funds for eligible borrowers with direct loans under the Farm Loan Programs (FLP) and Farm Storage Facility Loan Program (FSFL) as authorized by section 1005 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). A subsequent notice addressing guaranteed loans and remaining loan balances eligible under section 1005 will be published within 120 days of publication of this NOFA. FSA will pay 120 percent of direct loan balances outstanding as of January 1, 2021, for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers as that term is defined by section 2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990.

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 an extension and revision of a currently approved information collection that supports CCC and FSA loan programs. The information collection is necessary to gather data regarding the applicant which is required on a financing statement, and to obtain the applicant's permission to file a financing statement prior to the execution of a security agreement.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, as amended, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension with a revision of currently approved information collection associated with the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). This information is collected in support of, respectively, sections 401-407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978, as amended, and section 9011 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, as amended.