SYRACUSE, NY, Nov. 5, 2018 – New York Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Clark Putman today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin mailing ballots to eligible agricultural producers for the 2018 FSA county committee elections on Monday, Nov. 5, 2018. Producers must return ballots to their local FSA offices by Dec. 3, 2018, to ensure their vote is counted.

(Washington, D.C., September 4, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today launched the trade mitigation package aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations.  Producers of certain commodities can now sign up for the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), while USDA will also begin to purchase identified commodities under a food purchase and distribution program.  Additionally, USDA has begun accepting proposals for the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP), which will help American farmers find and access new markets for their products.  In total, USDA will authorize up to $12 billion in programs, consistent with World Trade Organization obligations. 

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2018 — Agricultural producers in Columbia and Dutchess counties in New York, who suffered losses and damages due to excessive and strong winds, hail, lightning and a tornado, may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans. The loans are made available under the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue.

Syracuse, New York, July 31, 2018 – New York State agricultural producers who lost property due to recent natural disasters may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) physical loss loans. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers these low-interest loans for losses caused by two separate disaster events. Approval is limited to applicants who suffered severe physical losses, including the loss of buildings and livestock.

SYRACUSE, NY; June 13 2018 – Agricultural producers in New York who lost property in recent natural disasters are eligible for physical loss loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers these loans for physical damage and losses caused by excessive snow, excessive rain, flooding and high winds that occurred March 2, 2018, through March 7, 2018.

(Dallas, TX, May 31, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced a partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Texas A&M’s AgriLife Extension Service to help military veterans obtain loans and pursue careers as farmers and ranchers. Secretary Perdue joined local dignitaries, members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and community leaders at the Dallas Farmers Market to unveil the new pilot program.

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2018 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages America’s farmers and ranchers to nominate candidates to lead, serve and represent their community on their local county committee. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept nominations for county committee members beginning Friday, June 15, 2018.

(Washington, D.C., May 11, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today the appointment of Richard Fordyce to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). In his role, Fordyce will provide leadership for FSA and its mission to support agricultural production across America through a network of over 2,100 county and 50 state offices.

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2018 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will issue $34 million to help agricultural producers recover from 2017 natural disasters through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP), which covers losses not covered by certain other USDA disaster assistance programs. These payments are being made available today, and they are part of a broader USDA effort to help producers recover from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, wildfires and drought. A large portion of this assistance will be made available in federally designated disaster areas.

(Washington, D.C., February 27, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today applauded the Senate’s long-awaited confirmation of Bill Northey to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Northey will serve as Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service (FFAS)*.

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Feb. 14, 2018 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Administrator Steve Peterson today announced that physical loss loans are available for Chautauqua, Jefferson and Lewis counties in New York. Farm operators who have suffered major physical losses caused by excessive snow and cold that occurred Dec. 20 to Dec. 22, 2017, may be eligible for emergency loans.

Syracuse, N.Y., Jan. 11, 2018 - U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently announced the individuals who will serve on the New York USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) state committee. The state committee is responsible for the oversight of farm programs and county committee operations, resolving appeals from the agriculture community, and helping to keep producers informed about FSA programs.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2017 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated seven counties in New York as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by excessive rain that occurred from April 1, 2017, and continuing. Those counties are:

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Nov. 16, 2017- The Trump Administration recently appointed Clark Putman as the new State Executive Director (SED) for the USDA New York Farm Service Agency (FSA). Putman will join the New York FSA team on Monday, Nov. 27.

(SYRACUSE, NEW YORK) Oct. 30, 2017 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) New York State Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Executive Director Mark Dennis today announced that the USDA will begin mailing ballots to eligible farmers and ranchers for the 2017 FSA County Committee elections on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. Producers must return ballots to their local FSA offices by Dec. 4, 2017, to ensure that their vote is counted.

SYRACUSE, New York, Oct. 25, 2017 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Administrator Steven J. Peterson today announced that physical loss loans are available for Chautauqua County in New York. Farm operators who have suffered major physical losses caused by excessive/strong winds that occurred on Sept. 4, 2017, may be eligible for emergency loans.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it will process many pending eligible offers for land enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and it will temporarily suspend accepting most new offers until later in the 2018 fiscal year.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2017 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced that starting Sept. 1, 2017, dairy producers can enroll for 2018 coverage in the Margin Protection Program (MPP-Dairy).  Secretary Sonny Perdue has utilized additional flexibility this year by providing dairy producers the option of opting out of the program for 2018.    

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, July 20, 2017 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Executive Director for New York, Mark Dennis, today reminded farmers and ranchers that they have until Aug. 1, 2017, to nominate eligible candidates to serve on local FSA county committees.

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that the nomination period for local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees begins on Thursday, June 15, 2017.

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2017 – America’s farmers and ranchers will soon have the opportunity to strongly represent agriculture in their communities and industry by taking part in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the census, to be mailed at the end of this year, is a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches, and those who operate them.

BROOKLYN, NY, Dec. 20, 2016 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini and New York State Executive Director, James Barber, traveled to Brooklyn Monday to tour urban agriculture operations that were funded by USDA microloans. As more urban farms start in New York City, consumers can find a wider variety of fresh, locally grown vegetables, year round.

DES MOINES, Iowa, Dec. 7, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will offer farmers and ranchers more opportunities to participate in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The announcement includes new CRP practices to protect water quality and adds an additional 1.1 million acres targeted to benefit wildlife, pollinators and wetlands.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2016 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Pike County in Pennsylvania as a primary natural disaster area due to losses caused by a recent drought.

(SYRACUSE, NY) Nov. 30, 2016 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) New York State Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director, James Barber, today announced that the deadline to submit ballots for the 2016 County Committee Elections has been extended to ensure farmers and ranchers have sufficient time to vote. Eligible voters now have until Dec. 13, 2016 to return ballots to their local FSA offices. Producers who have not received their ballot should pick one up at their local FSA office.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2016 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini today announced that $1.5 million will be available in fiscal year 2017 for farmers and foresters who harvest and deliver biomass for renewable energy. The funds are from the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), which was reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.  

HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 4, 2016 – Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Deputy Under Secretary Alexis Taylor today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will offer a new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands practice specifically tailored for small-scale livestock grazing operations. Small livestock operations with 100 or fewer head of grazing dairy cows (or the equivalent) can submit applications to enroll up to 200 acres of grasslands per farm. USDA’s goal is to enroll up to 200,000 acres.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the availability of a streamlined version of USDA guaranteed loans, which are tailored for smaller scale farms and urban producers. The program, called EZ Guarantee Loans, uses a simplified application process to help beginning, small, underserved and family farmers and ranchers apply for loans of up to $100,000 from USDA-approved lenders to purchase farmland or finance agricultural operations.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2016 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that beginning today, many of the 1.7 million farms that enrolled in either the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs will receive safety-net payments due to market downturns during the 2015 crop year.

WASHINGTON, Sep. 30, 2016 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated counties in New York as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by the combined effects of a hard freeze and unseasonably warm temperatures that occurred from Feb. 10, 2016, through April 27, 2016.

WASHINGTON, Sep. 27, 2016 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland and Windham counties in Connecticut as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by frost and freeze that occurred from Feb. 12, 2016, through Feb. 15, 2016.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 11 counties in Massachusetts as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by frost and freeze that occurred from February 14 through May 4, 2016. Additionally, three New York counties qualify for disaster assistance because they are contiguous, Columbia, Dutchess and Rensselaer.

WASHINGTON, Sep. 9, 2016—The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cortland, Onondaga and Orleans counties in New York as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by a recent drought.

SYRACUSE, Sept. 1, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in New York State reminds farmers of federal farm program benefits that may be available to help eligible producers recover from recent drought.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced plans to purchase approximately 11 million pounds of cheese from private inventories to assist food banks and pantries across the nation, while reducing a cheese surplus that is at its highest level in 30 years. The purchase, valued at $20 million, will be provided to families in need across the country through USDA nutrition assistance programs, while assisting the stalled marketplace for dairy producers whose revenues have dropped 35 percent over the past two years.

WASHINGTON, July 15, 2016 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack signed a proclamation declaring Aug. 7-13, 2016, as "National Farmers Market Week." This year marks the 17th annual National Farmers Market Week to honor and celebrate the important role that farmers markets play in local economies.

WASHINGTON, June 23, 2016 – Today, during National Pollinator Week and in advance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) seventh annual Pollinator Week Festival, the USDA is announcing two initiatives in support of the President’s National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honeybees and Other Pollinators, announced just over one year ago. A review of USDA’s most popular conservation program found that farmers and ranchers across the country are creating at least 15 million acres of healthy forage and habitat for pollinators, and the department has also entered into a new partnership with leading honey bee organizations that will help to ensure future conservation projects continue to provide benefits to these important species.

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2016 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that farmers and ranchers filing crop acreage reports with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and participating insurance providers approved by the Risk Management Agency (RMA) now can provide the common information from their acreage reports at one office and the information will be electronically shared with the other location.

(Syracuse, NY) – May 25, 2016-- USDA New York State Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director, James Barber, reminds producers that FSA offers targeted farm ownership and farm operating loans to assist underserved applicants as well as beginning farmers and ranchers.

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the enrollment of more than 800,000 acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Through CRP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) helps farmers offset the costs of restoring, enhancing and protecting certain grasses, shrubs and trees that improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and strengthen wildlife habitat. Farmers’ and ranchers’ participation in CRP continues to provide numerous benefits to our nation, including helping reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gases and providing resiliency to future weather changes.

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2016 – The U.S. Department Agriculture (USDA) today announced cooperative agreements with 55 partners to educate farmers and other producers that have been underserved by USDA programs historically about Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs that provide financial, disaster or technical support. Nearly $2.5 million will go to nonprofits, associations, universities, and foundations that will provide training and information on agricultural best practices, local networking opportunities, and more.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its intent to assist organic farmers with the cost of establishing up to 20,000 acres of new conservation buffers and other practices on and near farms that produce organic crops. USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs, Brad Pfaff, issued the announcement at the Midwest Organics and Sustainable Education Service conference in La Crosse, Wis.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that producers who have crops pledged as collateral for a marketing assistance loan can now purchase a commodity certificate that may be exchanged for the outstanding loan collateral. The authority is provided by the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act, legislation enacted by Congress in December. Commodity certificates are available beginning with the 2015 crop in situations where the applicable marketing assistance loan rate exceeds the exchange rate. Currently, the only eligible commodity is cotton.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2015 – This year, millions of rural businesses and families were positively impacted by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) investments in their communities. Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released a list of USDA's top achievements in 2015, demonstrating USDA's efforts to help farmers and ranchers bring their products to tables domestically and abroad, build critical infrastructure in America's rural areas, conserve our nation's natural resources through long-lasting partnerships, and continuously work toward improving the lives of all Americans.

LOUISVILLE, October 29, 2015—Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden today announced a commitment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prioritize $5.6 billion over the next two years within USDA programs and services that serve new and beginning farmers and ranchers. Deputy Secretary Harden also announced a new, tailored web tool designed to connect burgeoning farm entrepreneurs with programs and resources available to help them get started.

WASHINGTON, December 1, 2015 — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today reminded farmers and ranchers that the next general enrollment period for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) begins today, Dec. 1, 2015, and ends on Feb. 26, 2016. December 2015 also marks the 30th anniversary of CRP, a federally funded program that assists agricultural producers with the cost of restoring, enhancing and protecting certain grasses, shrubs and trees to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and reduce loss of wildlife habitat.

(Syracuse, NY), November 16, 2015 - USDA New York Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director, James Barber announced that approximately 11,500 New York State farms who enrolled in the new safety net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill will soon begin receiving financial assistance for the 2014 crop year. The programs, known as Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), are designed to protect against unexpected drops in crop prices or revenues due to market downturns.

(Syracuse, NY), NOV 4, 2015 – USDA NY Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director, James Barber announced that the deadline for producers to obtain or modify higher levels of coverage through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) to protect against poor forage crop quality because of drought or other natural disasters where the forage is intended for mechanical harvest has been extended to Nov. 13, 2015.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2015 — The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that beginning today, nearly one half of the 1.7 million farms that signed up for either the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs will receive safety-net payments for the 2014 crop year.