IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

• NOVEMBER 10, 2023 – SERVICE CENTER CLOSED – VETERAN’S DAY
• NOVEMBER 17, 2023 – APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR CSP & EQIP at NRCS
• NOVEMBER 15, 2023 - FALL ACREAGE REPORTING DEADLINE
• NOVEMBER 23, 2023 – SERVICE CENTER CLOSED – THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
• DECEMBER 1, 2023 - NAP APPLICATON FOR COVERAGE DEADLINE - Alfalfa and Grass 
• DECEMBER 4, 2023 – DEADLINE TO MAIL OR RETURN COC BALLOT TO FSA
• JANUARY 30, 2024- LIVESTOCK FORAGE PROGRAM or LFP – Kiowa County eligible. 

Disclaimer:  Information in this UPDATE is pertinent to Kiowa County FSA only. Producers reading this and that do not have FSA interest in Kiowa County are advised to contact their local FSA Office. 

THE USDA SERVICE CENTER HAS A DROP BOX AVAILABLE ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE BUILDING. 

FSA Encourages Farmers and Ranchers to Vote in County Committee Elections

The 2023 Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections will begin on Nov. 6, 2023, when ballots are mailed to eligible voters. Deadline to return ballots to the Kiowa County FSA office, or postmarked is December 4, 2023.  The ballots will be counted at the USDA Service Center in Eads by the County Committee on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at 9:00 a.m.  

County committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and USDA. Farmers and ranchers elected to county committees help deliver FSA programs at the local level, applying their knowledge and judgment to make decisions on commodity price support programs; conservation programs; incentive, indemnity, and disaster programs for some commodities; emergency programs and eligibility. FSA committees operate within official regulations designed to carry out federal laws.

To be an eligible voter, farmers and ranchers must:

• Be of legal voting age or, if not of legal voting age, supervise and conduct the farming operation of an entire farm.
• Have an interest in a farm or ranch as either:
  • An individual who meets one or more of the following:
  • Is eligible and capable to vote in one’s own right.
  • Is a partner of a general partnership.
  • Is a member of a joint venture.
• Participates or cooperates in any FSA program that is provided by law. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information to FSA about their farming or ranching operation(s) but may not have applied or received program benefits.

Eligible voters in Local Administrative Area 1, who do not receive a ballot can obtain one from their local FSA county office. Customers can identify which LAA they or their farming operation is in by using our new GIS locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections.

Newly elected committee members will take office January. 1, 2024.

More information on county committees can be found at fsa.usda.gov/elections or by contacting the Kiowa County FSA office.

Meet the candidate in this year’s election for LAA 1:  Jay Specht

Jay is nominated in LAA 1, Kiowa County, to serve as a committee member for a 3-year term. Jay was born and raised in Kiowa County has been producing, Wheat, Millet, Grain Sorghum and Sunflowers.  Jay is interested in keeping agriculture viable and profitable in Kiowa County for current and future generations.  He is willing to serve Kiowa County if elected.

USDA's Insurance Option Offers First of Its Kind Risk Management Tool for Cow-Calf Producers

USDA recently announced Weaned Calf Risk Protection, a new insurance option for livestock producers in several states. This policy, offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), offers Actual Production History (APH) coverage for beef cow-calf producers to insure revenue from their spring calving operations. Weaned Calf Risk Protection will be available for the 2024 crop year.

APH policies insure producers against yield losses due to natural causes such as drought, excessive moisture, hail, wind, frost, insects, and disease. In the case of the new Weaned Calf Risk Protection, coverage is provided for a decline in price and loss of yield due to a decrease of overall weaning weight like revenue coverage offered for other crops.

The program will be available in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Texas, beginning with the Jan. 31, 2024, sales closing date for the 2024 crop year. Coverage levels between 50 and 85% will be available along with catastrophic coverage.

This new insurance program adds to the suite of livestock insurance available to livestock producers such as Livestock Gross Margin (LGM), Livestock Risk Protection (LRP), Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF), Annual Forage (AF), and Dairy Revenue Protection (DRP).

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents, who interested producers should contact. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting your RMA Regional Office.