USDA Update

by Rod Johnson

March 28, 2003

Have your heard about CoCo RaHS? This is the Community Collaborative Rain and Hail Study. The CSU Cooperative Extension, NRCS and FSA are hosting two meetings on Monday, April 14 to explain how you can participate in gathering rainfall and hail data.

Please call the CSU Cooperative Extension Office (438-5321) if you are interested in participating in CoCo RaHS. We need to order supplies. The high quality rain gauges cost $25.00. We are looking for sponsors to help with the purchase cost. The meetings will be held at 10:00 am at the Courthouse in Eads and at 1:30 pm at the KA Hall in Sheridan Lake.

Currently there are only three official National Weather Service Reporting Stations in Kiowa County. This does not always give a true picture of just what is happening with precipitation in the county. CoCo RaHS will supplement the National Weather Service Stations. The Extension, NRCS and FSA needs improved precipitation reporting to get better documentation for several programs such as emergency CRP grazing and other disaster related programs. We encourage you to get involved to help us gather accurate precipitation data. Additional information is available on the internet at www.cocorahs.com.

The final date to update crop bases and yields is here! April 1 is the deadline to complete base elections unless the FSA Office cannot schedule you before the deadline. In Kiowa County we do not feel this will be a problem. An extension of time beyond April 1 to complete sign-up only applies if you have contacted the FSA Office on or before that date and for some reason we cannot complete your application. If you fail to contact the FSA Office by April 1, your farm will "default" to the crop bases and yields on the farm in 2002. We have some farms that need yields established by the County Committee before the sign-up can be completed. The County Committee will be meeting on April 3 to assign yields, which will allow us to complete sign-up on these farms.

It is time to start thinking about planting spring crops. The FSA Office has just received a grain sorghum variety listing for 2003 plantings. There are several classifications of grain sorghum that need to be considered for loan and LDP's (Loan Deficiency Payments), acreage reports and Crop Insurance and NAP (Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program). For FSA purposes, grain sorghums are divided into six different categories. They are: hybrid, dual purpose with 100% of hybrid yield potential, dual purpose with 80 percent of yield potential, sterile varieties, photo-period sensitive varieties and ineligible varieties. You may request a copy of this listing from the FSA Office. Just ask for a copy of Notice LP-1915. FSA notices are available to the public on the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov. Look under resources in the left hand column of the home page.

The Conservation Security Program, which was authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill, is a program to reward stewardship and provide incentive for addressing additional resource concerns on agricultural lands. This is a new concept in conservation programs and the Natural Resources Conservation Service is soliciting public comment on several key issues to help develop proposed rules for this program. NRCS is extending the period for public comment on the advance notice of proposed rulemaking for the Conservation Security Program (CSP) to April 3, 2003. Comments may be submitted in writing or email. Contact the local NRCS office for a list of the key issues to be resolved and addresses for submitting comments.