Latest news with #FarmServiceAgency
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
One USDA staffer is handling all of western NC's post-Helene farm loans after federal cuts, freeze
Flooding in western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene. (Photo: David Davis, County Extension Director, N.C. Cooperative Extension) The U.S. Department of Agriculture has just one staffer providing guidance for farmers' disaster loans across 23 North Carolina counties, a state official said Monday. USDA's Farm Service Agency is charged with distributing aid after storms like Hurricane Helene wipe out crops. But Emily Gangi, chief deputy for the governor's Helene recovery office, said they now had a threadbare presence in the region after the White House made cuts. 'You heard me right,' Gangi said. 'One loan officer for 23 counties.' The agency has closed two local offices, according to Gangi, and cut five staff. And there's currently a hiring freeze in place. USDA's skeletal staffing could further complicate the flow of federal money to farmers and ranchers in the mountains. The Farm Service Agency oversees an array of disaster loan programs, several of which have deadlines and sign-ups in the coming months. North Carolina has submitted a proposal to receive more than half a billion dollars from USDA through a block grant program. And local governments have until the end of the month to apply for money to clear debris and repair drainage infrastructure. Over the summer and early fall, applications will open for other programs dealing with commodities and livestock loss. Gangi said her team was exploring options for the state to help 'if the federal government is not going to staff these programs.' 'Our farmers need more attention and more support,' she said. Ronald Garrett, who was appointed earlier this month as North Carolina's state director for the Farm Service Agency, did not answer a call Monday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The FSA cuts are another obstacle for state officials looking to send as much federal money westward as quickly as possible. A key office within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that handles disaster recovery has reportedly prepared to cut most of its staff. And new leadership at FEMA, an agency the president has mused about abolishing, has reduced the cost-share between the federal government and state. North Carolina lawmakers have also set out money for a state crop loss program. Applications were set to close May 4 but will remain open for another week. Matt Calabria, who leads the governor's Helene recovery office, said there had been fewer applications from western farmers than anticipated.
Reuters
06-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Rollins says USDA not planning to close any Farm Service Agency offices
WASHINGTON, May 6 (Reuters) - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the agency is not planning to close any of the country's 4,500 Farm Service Agency offices that serve farmers.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Mexico congressman partners with Sen. Cory Booker on legislation to help farmers
Mar. 27—A New Mexico congressman is partnering with New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker on legislation to force the U.S. Department of Agriculture to honor its contracts with farmers and farming organizations. Booker, a Democrat, introduced the Honor Farmer Contracts Act on Thursday in the Senate, and Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., introduced a companion bill in the House to release withheld funding for signed contracts and agreements with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The legislation comes after the USDA paused payments for some programs and canceled others over the last two months. Vasquez's office pointed specifically to a Community Food Project grant frozen for Frontier Food Hub in Silver City and Santa Fe-based Quivira Coalition's Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities funding getting frozen. "When farmers sign contracts, they expect the government to follow through. It's that simple. This bill will immediately unfreeze critical funding, ensure farmers are paid for their work, and reopen essential USDA offices that were shuttered without notice," Vasquez said in a statement. The bill is one of several recently introduced that draw attention to the ways the Trump administration has upset government norms, including a bill Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., introduced Thursday with Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif., to ensure that special government employees like tech billionaire Elon Musk are subject to transparency and accountability requirements. The Honor Farmer Contracts Act would require USDA to pay farmers all past-due payments as quickly as possible and prohibit the agency from canceling contracts with farmers or organizations that assist farmers unless they fail to meet the conditions of the contract. It would also prohibit USDA from closing Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service offices and Rural Development Service Centers without 60 days notice and justification to Congress. Two county Farm Service Agency offices in New Mexico have lease terminations listed on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) website in Clovis and Roswell, but the Curry County Farm Service Agency in Clovis and the Chaves County Farm Service Agency in Roswell are still operating. USDA did not immediately provide an explanation for the offices' inclusion on the DOGE site. The legislation has support from at least 352 farm and food groups, including more than a dozen based in New Mexico, such as Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network, New Mexico Farmers' Marketing Association, Shiprock Traditional Farmers Cooperative and New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council. "As the most productive season of the year approaches, farmers and rural communities cannot afford further delays — without urgent action to reinstate these contracts, farms and organizations risk laying off workers, missing the planting season, or shutting down entirely," a letter from the hundreds of farming organizations reads.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USDA accepting applications for farmers seeking relief in uncertain times
The sign-up period for the Department of Agriculture's Emergency Commodity Assistance Program opened on Wednesday. The program made up to $10 billion available to agricultural producers nationwide through the Farm Service Agency, based on the 2024 crop year. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a press release that the payments help to ensure 'farmers have the resources necessary to manage rising expenses and secure financing for next season.' 'Producers are facing higher costs and market uncertainty, and the Trump Administration is ensuring they get the support they need without delay,' Rollins said. The press release said the program seeks to aid farmers facing increasing input costs and falling commodity prices. Farmers will be paid per-acreage rates for crop acres from the 2024 growing year. Additionally, farmers must have several forms on file with FSA, including Customer Data Worksheet, Farm Operating Plan, Direct Deposit and possibly others. For eligibility or other questions, the press release recommended contacting the local FSA office. Rollins made the announcement on Tuesday, National Agriculture Day, which celebrates farmers. Gov. Wes Moore declared March 19, Wednesday, as Maryland Agriculture Trade Day. Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks said in a statement that farmers in the state benefit 'significantly' from exports. 'The Port of Baltimore is a leader in ag equipment imports and exports and also serves to connect our producers with sales around the world,' Atticks said in the statement.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USDA Promised Loan Relief, Then Repealed It. Black Farmers Are Fighting Back
Lester Bonner purchased a tractor, hay baler, and two hay combines for his 113-acre wheat farm when he learned he'd have $50,000 of his loans wiped clean as a result of a debt relief program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Many more farmers invested in their farms in anticipation of the forgiveness of loans administered by the USDA's Farm Service Agency. However, they never received it. Bonner and three Virginia-based farmers of color are suing the U.S. government, which they say broke a contract in 2022 by repealing a $4 billion debt relief program, putting them at risk of losing their farms and livelihoods. The government is arguing that there was no contract. In February, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard oral arguments in the case. The farmers — John Boyd Jr., president of the National Black Farmers Association; Kara Boyd, founder of the Association of American Indian Farmers; Bonner; and Princess Williams — appealed their class-action lawsuit after a previous judge dismissed their claims two years ago. They are hoping the federal appeals court reverses course, deciding that the U.S. Court of Federal Claims erred in its decision. In the lower court ruling, Senior Judge Edward J. Damich for the Court of Federal Claims said there wasn't an expressed or implied-in-fact contractual agreement between the farmers and the federal agency. 'Instead, the program reflects Congress' intent only to 'declare a policy to be pursued until the legislature shall ordain otherwise,' not an intent 'to create private contractual or vested rights,'' Damich wrote. The original loan forgiveness program at the center of the complaint was part of the American Rescue Plan Act, offering up to 120% of the outstanding indebtedness to address historical inequities and funding disparities by the USDA. The program targeted socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, which included Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian groups. More than 14,000 farmers received letters from the USDA between May and September 2021, Reuters reported. Williams, one of the plaintiffs in the case, rented tree-planting machinery, bought and planted apple trees, and fixed the heating system in her farmhouse, according to the lawsuit. She took out new loans because she expected her debt would be forgiven. 'We did not receive that money and now, it's putting us in a total financial bind,' she said at a news conference in Washington. Capital B has reached out to both parties, but has not heard back. The Boyds, who are married, have litigated discrimination claims for years. They lobbied the U.S. government to provide relief for the discrimination they, along with other farmers of color, faced. According to court filings, they say they made offers to government officials — such as the U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and then-President Joe Biden — that they would stop their discrimination lawsuits if they provided relief in the American Rescue Plan to socially disadvantaged farmers who suffered injustice at the hands of the USDA. However, multiple nationwide injunctions — as a result of white farmers suing for reverse discrimination — hindered the disbursement of funds. Congress repealed the program and replaced it with a $2.2 billion Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, which provided assistance to 43,000 farmers — of all racial backgrounds — who experienced discrimination prior to 2021. Boyd Jr. described the victory as 'historic' for all Black farmers. However, he told Capital B in May 2023 that '[The Biden administration] just abandoned us, left us out there high and dry,' in reference to the elimination of the original debt relief. Read More: The USDA Is Finally Paying Back Black Farmers. Some Say It's Not Enough. The decision caused Bonner, who lives paycheck to paycheck, to struggle to pay for basic necessities for running his farm. Williams also cannot pay her bills and fears that she and her children will lose their 73-acre farm. These farmers represent 'thousands of hardworking farmers who have been devastated by the government reneging on its obligation to pay off their [Farm Service Agency] loans,' Nada Djordjevic, counsel for the farmers, told the panel of judges on Feb. 5. She argued that the federal government was legally obligated to pay off the loans. Prior to the elimination of the program, they entered into binding agreements by selecting option one FSA-2601 form, which states the farmer accepts the terms and conditions of the loan repayment offer and to apply it to their direct loan or debt. 'Congress cannot eliminate liabilities that have already been incurred,' she testified. 'The language in the Inflation Reduction Act that repealed section 1005 simply said the section is repealed. It didn't say anything about extinguishing any existing rights.' Douglass Edelschick argued on behalf of the federal government that the 2601 form was only an 'informational notice, not a contract' to process the request for payment. He claimed that there's nothing in the ARPA legislation that 'gives any indication, much less a clear indication, that the government intended to contract in exchange for payments' in the program. 'The plaintiffs are the customers who returned that informational notice, the 2601 form, with their request for pay under this program that, unfortunately, could not be fulfilled,' he said. The post USDA Promised Loan Relief, Then Repealed It. Black Farmers Are Fighting Back appeared first on Capital B News.
