USDA Update

By Rod Johnson

March 19, 2004

March has been proclaimed as Women’s History Month by President George W. Bush. Women are leaders in business, government, law, science, medicine, the arts, education, and many other fields. As mothers, sisters, and daughters, they bring compassion and integrity to our communities and help teach our children the values that make our country great. Women also join a long tradition of defending our Nation. Today, more than 200,000 women are serving in our Nation’s Armed Forces and working to defend America and advance peace and freedom. Ann M. Veneman, current Secretary of Agriculture, is the first woman to hold that position. This month, we celebrate the many ways women strengthen and enrich America, now and throughout history!

As part of USDA’s electronic government (eGov) initiative, an electronic Customer Statement will be available to ag producers. The statement will show participation and application status of conservation programs, payments from various programs, information on farms loans, and conservation plan and land unit information. The statement contains private information about your business with USDA. To protect you, your identity must be verified at a local USDA office before an account can be activated. In the future farmers and ranchers will be able to access interactive maps of their operations using GIS, with overlays for roads, soil types, water and other geographic features. For instructions or to view an example, visit www.usda.gov and click on the Customer Statement button.

March 31^st is the last date to apply for a commodity loan on 2003 crop wheat, barley or oats. It is also the deadline to apply for an LDP on those crops. Loans are for a 9 month period. The interest rate for loans disbursed in March is 2.250%. The loan rates for 2003 are shown at the end of this article.

On April 7^th, an all-day Value-Added Workshop will be held at the Community Building in Eads. This workshop will offer support and resources for planning a value-added venture. For more information, contact Janet Fredrick at 719-438-2200.

March 20 marks the first day of spring and National Ag Day, a time for Americans to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture. Ag Day provides an opportunity to understand how food and fiber products are produced, and to value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy. Join in the effort to promote American agriculture to everyone on National Ag Day. Today one farmer feeds more than 130 people in the United States and abroad!

Loans are available to producers to build or upgrade farm storage and handling facilities. Applicants must have a satisfactory credit history, no delinquent Federal debt, and demonstrate an ability to repay debt. They must also demonstrate a need for increased storage capacity and be a producer of an eligible commodity, and meet additional criteria. The term of the loan is 7 years with interest charged at the rate in effect during the month the loan is approved. The interest rate for loans approved in March 2004 would be 3.625. Several types of structures are eligible including permanently affixed handling and drying equipment. Construction or upgrading of facilities may not begin before loan is approved. Check with the FSA office for additional details.