Farmers.gov is one-stop shop for information

Spring is just around the corner. As livestock producers, I am hopeful that you were all able to take advantage of the warmer late February weather to clean some pens. It truly was a reprieve from the cold winter blues.

The Farm Service Agency offices are extremely busy with several signups happening. Take a bit of time and visit your local FSA staff to see if you have everything covered. Dairy Margin Coverage, DMC Dairy and Supplemental Disaster Relieve Program Phases 1 and 2, along with Farmer Bridge Assistance, are all topics to discuss. If you have new cropland rental leases, now is the time to bring those to FSA. Updating records now provides valuable information for your operation and saves you tractor time later as planting season approaches.

Receive assistance easily with a farmers.gov account

Are you interested in working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to start or grow your farm, ranch or private forest operation but don’t know where to start? Whether you want to access capital or disaster assistance through UFSA or address natural resource concerns on your land with assistance from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, a great place to start is farmers.gov.

Farmers.gov is a 1-stop shop for information about assistance available from FSA and NRCS. The site also offers many easy-to-use tools for farmers, ranchers and private forestland owners, whether you are reaching out for the first time or are a long-term customer with a years-long relationship with USDA.

With a farmers.gov account, you can:

— Complete an AD-2047 (Customer Data Worksheet) prior to your first meeting with FSA and NRCS;

— View farm loan payment history from FSA;

— View cost share assistance received and anticipated from NRCS conservation pro-grams;

— Request conservation assistance from NRCS as well as view and track your conserva-tion plans, practices and contracts;

— View, print and export detailed farm records and farm/tract maps for the current year, which are particularly useful when fulfilling acreage reporting requirements;

— Print FSA-156 EZ (Abbreviated 156 Farm Record) and your Producer Farm Data Re-port for the current year;

— Pay FSA debt using the “make an FSA payment” feature;

— Apply for a farm loan online, view information on your existing loans and make USDA direct farm loan payments using the pay-my-loan feature.

Learn how to create a farmers.gov account today.

A message from Jerry Hurrle, farm loan manager:

It is time again for the annual tax season and farm record reviews. Hopefully, your farm records and tax preparation will go well for you with no major surprises. Tax preparation is much easier if you have been keeping your records up to date throughout the year. It is also time to look ahead and develop a proposed cash flow and plan for 2026. With the current low commodity prices, it may be difficult to project a profitable margin and plan. What changes need to be made to improve your profitability? Do you know your cost of production? Do you have a marketing plan?

With good records, cash flow planning is easier to develop. Be prepared with up-to-date and accurate records and information when you meet with your lender. FSA continues to have numerous loan options available. The options include operating loans, real estate loans and microloans, to name a few. If you need financial assistance, please contact our office to review our programs and your options.

Be proud of what you have accomplished this year. We certainly are proud of you.

Farm Service Agency is an equal opportunity lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 20250. Visit www.fsa.usda.gov for application forms and updates on USDA programs.