Hi again,
The weather has started to moderate a little and by the time you are reading this much of the snow and ice of January may be gone. Of course, our friend has seen his shadow so there’s more winter yet to come.
Seems to me that we have had more snow and ice this year than we have had for a while. Sure beats mud in my opinion.
January also brought the retirement of two colleagues. John Gibbs, County Executive Director for the Medina-Cuyahoga-Lorain County FSA office, and former state office price support specialist, has signed off his computer for last time.
Rita Tucker, county executive director from Guernsey-Noble County FSA office, joins John smiling as they closed those handbooks for the last time.
Both John and Rita have been my mentors and friends and their 51 years of combined FSA knowledge, experience and service will be missed greatly. We wish them both many years of health and happiness.
Valentine’s Day is just a couple of days away so don’t forget all those special people in your life.
Of course, if you’re like me and you don’t get to read your Farm and Dairy until the weekend, you may be in trouble.
If sweets are on your list for Valentine’s Day consider that one of the main ingredients, sugar, was once considered a luxury to us common folk.
In 1843, Norbert Rillieux, a black man from New Orleans, invented a vacuum pan that heated the sugar cane liquid very quickly. Because of this invention, sugar became cheap to refine, the retail price fell, and everyone could afford it.
Rillieux’s “multiple effect vacuum pan evaporator,” essentially a device that heated the sugar cane juice in a partial vacuum and reduced its boiling point to allow for much greater fuel efficiency, would later be used to manufacture soap and evaporated milk, glue and gelatin.
The effects of this one invention had far-reaching effects both here and abroad. So thank you, Norbert Rillieux for your contributions to agriculture and the sweet success of today’s sugar industry.
Many producers are anxiously awaiting payments for the Crop Disaster Program for 2005, 2006 and 2007 crop years and we hope to be able to make those payments in the very near future.
If you have not signed up for the disaster program and think you may be eligible, the final date of Feb. 27, 2009 has been set as the deadline. All applications and supporting documentation must be filed by this date. There are no late filing provisions and no applications will be approved if filed after the deadline.
All application determinations will be made by March 27.
Producers that received payments from FSA should have received a CCC-1099-G from the Kansas City office. A CCC-1099-G is a report to the Internal Revenue Service about FSA payments made to you during the previous calendar year.
The CCC-1099-G is a service to help participating producers report taxable income. It is not intended to replace the producer’s responsibility to report income to the IRS.
You should carefully check the amounts shown on the 1099-G against your own records to see if they are correct. If you have questions concerning the CCC-1099-G, you can call or visit your local FSA office for assistance.
That’s all for Now
FSA Andy
