GIBSON COUNTY USDA SERVICE CENTER NEWS- January 2025

Farm Service Agency  |  Natural Resources Conservation Service  |  Risk Management Agency

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

• New Marketing Assistance Now Available for Specialty Crop Producers
• Gibson County Farm Service Agency Announces County Committee Election Results
• USDA Launches Online Debt Consolidation Tool to Increase Farmer And Rancher Financial Viability
• NRCS delivers resources to inform science-based, data-driven conservation
• Update Your Records

Dates of Importance  

January 9, USDA Offices closed in for Former President Jimmy Carter's funeral

January 10, Final date to apply for MASC program

January 20, USDA Offices closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday

February 17, USDA Offices closed for Washington's Birthday

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

New Marketing Assistance Now Available for Specialty Crop Producers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) $2 billion Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program, aimed at helping specialty crop producers expand markets and manage higher costs, is now accepting applications from Dec. 10, 2024 through Jan. 8, 2025. Funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation, MASC was announced in November alongside the $140 million Commodity Storage Assistance Program for facilities impacted by 2024 natural disasters.

MASC helps specialty crop producers meet higher marketing costs related to: 

• Perishability of specialty crops like fruits, vegetables, floriculture, nursey crops and herbs; 
• Specialized handling and transport equipment with temperature and humidity control; 
• Packaging to prevent damage;  
• Moving perishables to market quickly; and 
• Higher labor costs. 

MASC Eligibility 

To be eligible for MASC, a producer must be in business at the time of application, maintain an ownership share and share in the risk of producing a specialty crop that will be sold in calendar year 2025.

MASC covers the following commercially marketed specialty crops: 

• Fruits (fresh, dried); 
• Vegetables (including dry edible beans and peas, mushrooms, and vegetable seed); 
• Tree nuts; 
• Nursery crops, Christmas trees, and floriculture; 
• Culinary and medicinal herbs and spices; and 
• Honey, hops, maple sap, tea, turfgrass and grass seed.   

Applying for MASC 

Eligible established specialty crop producers can apply for MASC benefits by completing the FSA-1140, Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) Program Application, and submitting the form to any FSA county office by Jan. 8, 2025. When applying, eligible specialty crop producers must certify their specialty crop sales for calendar year 2023 or 2024.  

New specialty crop producers are required to certify 2025 expected sales, submit an FSA-1141 application and provide certain documentation to support reported sales i.e., receipts, contracts, acreage reports, input receipts, etc. New producers are those who began producing specialty crops in 2023 or 2024 but did not have sales due to the immaturity of the crop, began producing specialty crops in 2024 but did not have a complete year of sales or will begin growing specialty crops in 2025. 

MASC applicants, established and new, must also submit the following information to FSA if not already on file at the time of application: 

• Form AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet.
• Form CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan for an individual or legal entity. 
• Form CCC-941, Average Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) Certification and Consent to Disclosure of Tax Information.  
• Form FSA-942, Certification of Income from Farming, Ranching and Forestry Operations, if applicable, for the producer and members of entities.  
• A highly erodible land conservation (sometimes referred to as HELC) and wetland conservation certification (Form AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification) for the ERP producer and applicable affiliates.   
• Other Documentation if requested by FSA to support reported specialty crop sales.   

Most producers, especially those who have previously participated in FSA programs, will likely have these required forms on file. However, those who are uncertain or want to confirm the status of their forms or producers who may be new to conducting business with FSA, can contact their local FSA county office.      For MASC program participation, eligible specialty crop sales only include sales of commercially marketed raw specialty crops grown in the United States by the producer. The portion of sales derived from adding value to a specialty crop (such as sorting, processing, or packaging) is not included when determining eligible sales. Further explanation of what is considered by FSA for specialty crop sales as well as an online MASC decision tool and applicable program forms, are available on the MASC program webpage.

MASC Payments 

For established specialty crop growers, those who certify crop sales in 2023 or 2024, FSA will calculate MASC payments based on the producer’s total specialty crop sales for the calendar year elected by the producer. Payments for new producers will be based on their expected 2025 calendar year sales. Payment calculation details and examples are available on the MASC webpage or related questions can be directed to local FSA county office staff. 

FSA will issue MASC payments after the end of the application period. If demand for MASC payments exceeds available funding, MASC payments may be prorated, and the payment limitation of $125,000 may be lowered.  If additional funding is available after MASC payments are issued, FSA may issue an additional payment. 

Specialty crop producers interested in applying for MASC benefits, are encouraged to review the program fact sheet for detailed information on program eligibility, required documentation, payment calculations and more. 

More Information 

Additional information on MASC is available in the Notice of Funding Availability, which went on public inspection in the Federal Register on Dec. 9, 2024. 

Gibson County Farm Service Agency Announces County Committee Election Results

Gibson County U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that County Committee elections are over, and the ballots have been counted.

Todd Littleton of Kenton was elected to represent local administrative area (LAA) 2.  Dylan Joyce was elected as the first alternate.

County committee members are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA. They help deliver programs at the county level and work to serve the needs of local producers. All recently elected county committee members will take office in January 2023 and will be joining the existing committee. Every FSA office is required to have a county committee, and they are made up of local farmers, ranchers and foresters who are elected by local producers.

Nearly 7,800 FSA county committee members serve FSA offices nationwide. Each committee has three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms of office. One-third of county committee seats are up for election each year. County committee members impact the administration of FSA within a community by applying their knowledge and judgment to help FSA make important decisions on its commodity support programs, conservation programs, indemnity and disaster programs, emergency programs and eligibility.

County committee members impact producers through their decision making and help shape the culture of a local FSA office. They also ensure the fair and equitable administration of FSA farm programs in their counties and are accountable to the Secretary of Agriculture. Members conduct hearings and reviews as requested by the state committee, ensure underserved farmers, ranchers and foresters are fairly represented, make recommendations to the state committee on existing programs, monitor changes in farm programs and inform farmers of the purpose and provisions of FSA programs. They also assist with outreach and inform underserved producers such as beginning farmers, ranchers and foresters, about FSA opportunities.

For more information, visit the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections or contact the Gibson County FSA office at 731-855-0023.

USDA Launches Online Debt Consolidation Tool to Increase Farmer And Rancher Financial Viability

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the launch of the Debt Consolidation Tool, an innovative online tool available through farmers.gov that allows agricultural producers to enter their farm operating debt and evaluate the potential savings that might be provided by obtaining a debt consolidation loan with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) or a local lender. 

A debt consolidation loan is a new loan used to pay off other existing operating loans or lines of credit that might have unreasonable rates and terms. By combining multiple eligible debts into a single, larger loan, borrowers may obtain more favorable payment terms such as a lower interest rate or lower payments. Consolidating debt may also provide farmers and ranchers additional cash flow flexibilities.   

The Debt Consolidation Tool is a significant addition to FSA’s suite of improvements designed to modernize its Farm Loan Programs. The tool enhances customer service and increases opportunities for farmers and ranchers to achieve financial viability by helping them identify potential savings that could be reinvested in their farming and ranching operation, retirement accounts, or college savings accounts.   

Producers can access the Debt Consolidation Tool by visiting farmers.gov/debt-consolidation-tool. The tool is built to run on modern browsers including Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or the Safari browser. Producers do not need to create a farmers.gov account or access the authenticated customer portal to use the tool.  

Additional Farm Loan Programs Improvements   

FSA recently announced significant changes to Farm Loan Programs through the Enhancing Program Access and Delivery for Farm Loans rule. These policy changes, to take effect September 25, 2024, are designed to better assist borrowers to make strategic investments in the enhancement or expansion of their agricultural operations.   

FSA also has a significant initiative underway to streamline and automate the Farm Loan Program customer-facing business process. For the over 26,000 producers who submit a direct loan application annually, FSA has made several impactful improvements including: 

• The Loan Assistance Tool that provides customers with an interactive online, step-by-step guide to identifying the direct loan products that may be a fit for their business needs and to understanding the application process. 
• The Online Loan Application, an interactive, guided application that is paperless and provides helpful features including an electronic signature option, the ability to attach supporting documents such as tax returns, complete a balance sheet, and build a farm operating plan.  
• An online direct loan repayment feature that relieves borrowers from the necessity of calling, mailing, or visiting a local USDA Service Center to pay a loan installment.  
• A simplified direct loan paper application, reduced from 29 pages to 13 pages.  
• A new educational hub with farm loan resources and videos.  

USDA encourages producers to reach out to their local FSA farm loan staff to ensure they fully understand the wide range of loan and servicing options available to assist with starting, expanding, or maintaining their agricultural operation. To conduct business with FSA, please contact your local USDA Service Center.  

NRCS delivers resources to inform science-based, data-driven conservation

As the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s primary private lands conservation agency, NRCS delivers the data, technology, and standards that enable landowners and our many conservation partners to make decisions informed by objective, reliable science. 

The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) is an effort led by NRCS to evaluate and inform voluntary conservation across the nation’s working lands. From a decadal report on the outcomes of voluntary conservation in the sagebrush biome to new data-driven tools for individual landowners, CEAP helps provide the science backing we need to: 

• Identify how and where to invest conservation resources most strategically. 
• Evaluate the outcomes of on-the-ground conservation actions. 
• Leverage lessons learned from these findings to strengthen future conservation delivery. 

Recent CEAP deliverables that support voluntary wildlife conservation include: 

• Conservation Outcomes Webinarson targeting conservation in sagebrush country, rare turtle conservation in the Northeast, reducing woody encroachment to conserve rangeland production, and managing working lands for lesser prairie-chickens. 
• New researchquantifying the important role wetland easements play in wintering waterfowl conservation. 
• TheRangeland Brush Estimation Tool, which ranchers and other land managers may use to quickly estimate woody plant canopy cover and assess woody encroachment on western rangelands. 

Visit the CEAP Wildlife Assessments webpage to access more than 130 publications and other reports, webinar recordings, and interactive, data-based tools to support voluntary wildlife conservation. 

Update Your Records

Gibson County USDA Service Center