IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

• SDRP - Supplemental Disaster Relief Program – Stage 1 and Stage 2 - application deadline is April 30, 2026
• CRP CONTRACT MANAGEMENT - Perfect year to complete contract management. Contact FSA or NRCS for more information.
• ACREAGE CERTIFICATION – planted wheat or triticale for 2026 harvest. No late file fees incurred through February 2, 2026
• COUNTY COMMITTEE ELECTION - Ballots must be postmarked by February 2, 2026 to be counted

CHECK YOUR EMAIL INBOX REGULARLY

County Offices are going to be very busy in the coming months with different programs. It’s IMPERATIVE that producers check their email inbox on a regular basis. There are going to be forms sent for digital signature or other information that will require the producer’s attention, and the faster producers can complete the action, it will save all involved valuable time. 

NOTE: When an employee states that documents have been sent over for digital signature that email will come from Box One/Span, the email WILL NOT come from the office or an employee.

COUNTY COMMITTEE ELECTION

Eligible voters in LAA 3 which is the western portion of Kiowa County will be receiving the County Committee Election ballot in the mail. The ballot must be returned or postmarked no later than February 2, 2026. In Kiowa County, Ryan Britten is the candidate on the ballot. He will be replacing Michael Zimmerman, who has been termed out. County Committee term limitations are 3 consecutive 3 year terms.

To be eligible to vote in the county committee elections, producers must participate or cooperate in a USDA program and be assigned to the LAA that is up for election. Each year, at least one LAA in each COC jurisdiction is up for election on a three-year rotation, and each producer is assigned to vote in a single LAA. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation to FSA, even if they have not applied or received program benefits.  

FALL SEEDED ACREAGE REPORTING

Producers who have not signed the FSA-578 for farms that have crops that were planted this fall, which is mostly wheat or triticale in this area, have until February 2, 2026 to complete the acreage reports. If the acreage report is received after February 2^nd late file fees will be assessed.

SDRP Stage 1

There are several producers who have not returned the SDRP Stage 1 application to the FSA office. In Kiowa County, in the next few weeks the office will be contacting producers who have not returned the applications that were mailed in June, 2025 from the National Office.

SDRP Stage 1 signup ends on April 30, 2026. 

SDRP Stage 2

Producers need to contact their recording county to determine if applications are available for SDRP Stage 2 for crop years 2023, 2024 and 2025. In Kiowa County, producers can call the office and if applications are available, they can be emailed or mailed.  It’s important that producers confirm the RMA production on the application for the unit is correct. Not all producers will have SDRP 2 applications due to the fact the crop insurance units were paid on SDRP stage 1.

Stage Two provides assistance for eligible crop including:

• Non-Indemnified (Including Shallow Losses)

Insured losses through federal crop insurance that did not trigger a crop insurance   indemnity.

Losses with NAP coverage that did not trigger a NAP payment.

• Uncovered (Uninsured) Losses

Includes losses that were not insured through federal crop insurance or NAP.

• Quality Losses

Includes quality losses to commodities indicated by:

A decrease in value based on discounts due to the physical condition of the crop supported by applicable grading factors

A decline in the nutritional value of forage crops supported by documented forage tests.

Producers will certify to an SDRP quality loss percentage.

Signup for SDRP 1 and 2 deadline is April 30, 2026.

CRP Contract Maintenance

FSA received new guidance regarding grazing for contract management before the shutdown. The only restriction is primary nesting season March 15^th – July 15^th.  Producers wishing to graze CRP for contract management need to start the process with FSA, NRCS will make a field visit to determine if the land is suitable to be grazed. Producer grazing without proper authorization from FSA will be deemed out of compliance and the contract could be terminated with refund of payments required.

Haying of CRP for contract management is not allowed. Approved contract management practices are the following:

• Strip tillage of 51 percent of the contract acres
• Light disking of 100 percent of the acres, completed in 2 separate fiscal years.
• Grazing
• Inter-seeding

We ask if producers are unsure of the requirements for contract management to please contact the FSA office. Contract management is required to be completed before the end of year 6 of the 10-year CRP contract.  CRP Grasslands contracts are exempt from contract management requirements.

Producers who do not complete contract management before 9-30 of the sixth year of the contract are deemed out of compliance. If you are unsure of when the contract management is due, contact the office.