From the desks of Shawn Wortman, FSA CED and Ryan Blackwood, NRCS DC

• Gibson County Producers May be Eligible for Emergency Conservation Program Assistance
• Emergency Commodity Assistance Program
• ARC and PLC Enrollment
• USDA Microloans Help Farmers Purchase Farmland and Improve Property
• Every Successful Farm Starts with a Plan

Dates of Importance  

March 18, Emergency Commodity Assistance Program applications (FSA-63 ECAP) mailed to producers, please sign and return (FSA)

April 15, Final Date for timely 2025 ARC/PLC sign-up (FSA)

April 15, Final Date to enroll in STAX supplemental cotton insurance (Crop Insurance Agent)

April 16, Final date to enroll in Emergency Conservation Program (February 14-15, Storm damage) (FSA

July 15, Final date to timely report spring seeded crops (FSA)

August 15, Final date to return or sign in office ECAP applications. (FSA)

To subscribe to text message alerts, text TNGibson to FSANOW (372-669). Standard text messaging rates apply.

Gibson County Producers May be Eligible for Emergency Conservation Program Assistance

Flooding has caused damage in Obion and Forked Deer River area(s) of the County and tornadoes in the Davidson Chapel, Idlewild, Gann and Hollyleaf areas of the county.

If you’ve suffered damage, you may be eligible for assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) administered by the Gibson County Farm Service Agency (FSA)

For land to be eligible, the natural disaster must create new conservation problems that, if untreated, would:

• be so costly to rehabilitate that Federal assistance is or will be needed to return the land to productive agricultural use
• is unusual and is not the type that would recur frequently in the same area
• affect the productive capacity of the farmland
• impair or endanger the land

If you qualify for ECP assistance, you may receive cost-share levels not to exceed 75 percent of the eligible cost of restoration measures. Eligible socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers and ranchers can receive up to 90 percent of the eligible cost of restoration. No one is eligible for more than $500,000 cost sharing per natural disaster occurrence.

If you’ve suffered a loss from the flood or tornado of February 14-15, 2025, contact the Gibson County FSA Office and request assistance between March 17, 2025, to April 18, 2025.

To be eligible for assistance, practices must not be started until all of the following are met:

• an application for cost-share assistance has been filed
• the local FSA County Committee (COC) or its representative has conducted an onsite inspection of the damaged area
• the Agency responsible for technical assistance, such as the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), has made a needs determination, which may include cubic yards of earthmoving, etc., required for rehabilitation
• OR exceptions allowed by the FSA County Committee (COC) are extensive photographs, showing damage and extent of damage, taken and provided at the time of application. 

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), FSA must complete an environmental compliance review prior to producers taking any actions.

For more information about ECP, contact your Gibson County USDA Service Center at 731-855-0023 or visit fsa.usda.gov.

Emergency Commodity Assistance Program

The American Relief Act, 2025 Authorizes $10 billion in funding to issue 1-time economic assistance payment to eligible producers of eligible commodities for the 2024 crop year. USDA has directed FSA to administer this assistance through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP).  The payments will help farmers of eligible commodities cope with increased costs and falling commodity prices, allowing them to pay down debt relative to the 2024 crop and obtain financing for the 2025 crop year. 

ECAP payments are based on a producer’s eligible acres of eligible commodities.  Eligible acres include the acreage of eligible commodities panted on a farm for harvest, grazing, haying, silage, or other similar purposes for the 2024 crop year; and 50 percent of the acreage on the farm that was prevented from being planted during the 2024 crop year to an eligible commodity due to natural disaster or other condition beyond the producer’s control.  To determine eligibility and calculate payments, FSA must obtain acreage information from producers if not already on file, and producers must confirm their previously reported acreage is eligible for ECAP.

FSA is creating the ECAP application electronically for producers. FSA-63 ECAP applications will be pre-filled based on a producers 2024 crop year FSA-578, Report of Acreage.  Most producers already reported their acreage because of the applicant’s participation in prior FSA programs. 

FSA will print and mail a pre-filled FSA-63 ECAP to producers who will then file the forms (in hard copy or electronically) with their FSA County Office.  Applicants may return the pre-filled application to an FSA County Office, in person, by mail, or electronically by email or using Box and One-Span, which is used for other FSA programs. Producers with a level 2 eAuthentication account will be able to access and submit their application electronically through the program’s main webpage.  Applicants may visit their county office to complete the application prior to receiving the printed and mailed application. 

ECAP Applicants must submit the following forms, if not already on file with FSA; FSA-63 ECAP, Application, AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification, AD-2047 Customer Data Worksheet, CCC-902 Farm Operating Plan for Individuals or Legal Entities and supporting documentation, FSA-578, Report of Acreage, and CCC-576, Notice of Loss and Application for Payment(Part A and B only) and CCC-943, 75% of Average Gross Income from Farming, Ranching or Forestry Certification.

ARC and PLC Enrollment

ARC/PLC enrollment period for the 2025 crop year is Jan. 21, 2025, through April 15, 2025. 

Reminder to producers that: 

Although election changes for 2025 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Also, if a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm it will continue for 2025 unless an election change is made.      

If producers do not submit their election revision by the April 15 deadline, their election remains the same as their 2024 election for commodities on the farm. Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the cropland.  

ARC and PLC elections and enrollments can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products including Supplemental Coverage Option, Enhanced Coverage Option and, for cotton producers, the Stacked Income Protection Plan (commonly referred to as STAX).

USDA Microloans Help Farmers Purchase Farmland and Improve Property

Farmers can use USDA farm ownership microloans to buy and improve property. These microloans are especially helpful to beginning or underserved farmers, U.S. veterans looking for a career in farming, and those who have small and mid-sized farming operations. Microloans have helped farmers and ranchers with operating costs, such as feed, fertilizer, tools, fencing, equipment, and living expenses since 2013.

Microloans can also help with farmland and building purchases and soil and water conservation improvements. FSA designed the expanded program to simplify the application process, expand eligibility requirements and expedite smaller real estate loans to help farmers strengthen their operations. Microloans provide up to $50,000 to qualified producers and can be issued to the applicant directly from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).

To learn more about the FSA microloan program, contact Landon Hogan at the Gibson County FSA Office at 731-330-3072 or visit fsa.usda.gov/microloans.

Every Successful Farm Starts with a Plan

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) works to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners invest in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture and improve the quality of our air, water, soil and wildlife habitat.

Simply put – NRCS helps America’s farmers, ranchers and forestland owners make conservation work for them.

Our Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program enables every acre of voluntary conservation applied through every program NRCS administers. It is the foundation of our financial and technical assistance delivery system.

Every farm and acre is unique and requires tailored management; and every decision maker has different management concerns and needs. Our technical assistance is one-on-one, personalized advice and support to help producers make the best decisions for their lands – and is offered free of charge.

This personalized assistance provides producers with the science-based data and tools to make informed decisions about where to target efforts to get the greatest return on their investment and ensure the long-term sustainability of American agriculture.

A comprehensive conservation plan is the first step to managing all the natural resources on a farm. NRCS walks the farm with the producer and develops options to address that producer’s needs. Our toolbox includes aerial photos, soil surveys, engineering solutions and individual science-based analysis customized for the producer’s property. The plan we develop with the producer combines existing production methods with recommended conservation practices to best manage that farm’s unique natural resources, while allowing the producer to grow sustainably and productively. Supported by our expert analysis and recommendations, the producer chooses which option best meets their needs. These decisions become the producer’s conservation plan, a step-by-step guide to reach their objectives.

This planning process also makes it easier to identify how and when the farmer, rancher or forest landowner could qualify for Farm Bill financial assistance to help them install conservation systems or receive incentives for trying new ones. We have the expertise to see our customers through this process. Because identifying when, where and how to implement practices is not plug and play.

The final plan provides a roadmap for the producer to meet their natural resource conservation goals. It includes helpful information on each of the producer’s practices, such as how they benefit the farm, how to maintain them, and how they help the soil, water and wildlife.

By developing a conservation plan and adding conservation to the land, farmers, ranchers and forest landowners can protect the land’s ability to provide for their family and future generations.

With offices in communities nationwide, NRCS staff provide the information, tools and delivery systems necessary for producers – in every state and territory – to conserve, maintain and improve their natural resources.

Contact your local USDA service center to find out more at 731-855=0023.

Gibson County USDA Service Center

This is likely no surprise to you, but drought persists across the western U.S. and is intensifying in some areas. No geographic area is immune to the potential of drought at any given time. The U.S. Drought Monitor provides a weekly drought assessment, and it plays an important role in USDA programs that help farmers and ranchers recover from drought.

Fact #1 - Numerous agencies use the Drought Monitor to inform drought-related decisions.

The map identifies areas of drought and labels them by intensity on a weekly basis. It categorizes the entire country as being in one of six levels of drought. The first two, None and Abnormally Dry (D0), are not considered to be drought. The next four describe increasing levels of drought: Moderate (D1), Severe (D2), Extreme (D3) and Exceptional (D4). 

While many entities consult the Drought Monitor for drought information, drought declarations are made by federal, state and local agencies that may or may not use the Drought Monitor to inform their decisions. Some of the ways USDA uses it to determine a producer’s eligibility for certain drought assistance programs, like the Livestock Forage Disaster Program and Emergency Haying or Grazing on Conservation Reserve Program acres and to “fast-track” Secretarial drought disaster designations. 

Fact #2 - U.S. Drought Monitor is made with more than precipitation data.

When you think about drought, you probably think about water, or the lack of it. Precipitation plays a major role in the creation of the Drought Monitor, but the map’s author considers numerous indicators, including drought impacts and local insight from over 450 expert observers around the country. Authors use several dozen indicators to assess drought, including precipitation, streamflow, reservoir levels, temperature and evaporative demand, soil moisture and vegetation health. Because the drought monitor depicts both short and long‐term drought conditions, the authors must look at data for multiple timeframes. The final map produced each week represents a summary of the story being told by all the pieces of data. To help tell that story, authors don’t just look at data. They converse over the course of the map-making week with experts across the country and draw information about drought impacts from media reports and private citizens

Fact #3 - A real person, using real data, updates the map.

Each week’s map author, not a computer, processes and analyzes data to update the drought monitor. The map authors are trained climatologists or meteorologists from the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (the academic partner and website host of the Drought Monitor), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and USDA. The author’s job is to do what a computer can’t – use their expertise to reconcile the sometimes-conflicting stories told by each stream of data into a single assessment.

Fact #4 - The Drought Monitor provides a current snapshot, not a forecast.

The Drought Monitor is a “snapshot” of conditions observed during the most recent week and builds off the previous week’s map. The map is released on Thursdays and depicts conditions based on data for the week that ended the preceding Tuesday. Rain that falls on the Wednesday just before the USDM’s release won’t be reflected until the next map is published. This provides a consistent, week‐to‐week product and gives the author a window to assess the data and come up with a final map.

Fact #5 – Your input can be part of the drought-monitoring process.

State climatologists and other trained observers in the drought monitoring network relay on-the-ground information from numerous sources to the US Drought monitor author each week. That can include information that you contribute.

The Drought Monitor serves as a trigger for multiple forms of federal disaster relief for agricultural producers, and sometimes producers contact the author to suggest that drought conditions in their area are worse than what the latest drought monitor shows. When the author gets a call like that, it prompts them to look closely at all available data for that area, to see whether measurements of precipitation, temperature, soil moisture and other indicators corroborate producer-submitted reports. This is the process that authors follow whether they receive one report or one hundred reports, although reports from more points may help state officials and others know where to look for impacts.

There are multiple ways to contribute your observations:

1. Talk to your state climatologist - Find the current list at the American Association of State Climatologists website.
2. Email - Emails sent toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. inform the USDM authors.
3. Become a CoCoRaHS observer - Submit drought reports along with daily precipitation observations to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network.
4. Submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) - go.unl.edu/CMOR.

For more information, read our Ask the Expert blog with a NDMC climatologist or visit farmers.gov/protection-recovery.

FARM SERVICE AGENCY

Shawn Wortman, County Executive Director This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Ryan Blackwood, District Conservationist This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Farm Service Agency

Landon Hogan, Loan Officer This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

FARM SERVICE AGENCY

Jon Quinn, Farm Loan Manager This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.