Hello again,
November is election month and in keeping with that theme, FSA mailed out County Committee election ballots Nov. 6.
This is your chance to elect a local farmer from your community to be involved in the decision making process with FSA.
This person should be representative of the voice of the community and someone who you want to speak about the needs that the local farmers have.
If you get a ballot, and don’t see that person on there — write someone in. We get lots of calls (and sometimes complaints) that we’ve mailed out ballots with only one name on them.
We can only include people who were nominated during the nomination period. That does not, however, stop you from writing in a name of someone you wish to cast your vote for.
Get your ballots filled out and returned to the local office before Dec. 4 to make sure your vote gets counted.
Contracts
November also means we can start taking your ARC-PLC contracts for 2018.
This, I think, is a good opportunity to provide a reminder of your requirements as a contract holder. These are just a few of the items that have come up lately in the office, so as in life, if one of you is asking maybe more of you are wondering too.
Here are the most common answers of late:
– You need to be in compliance with Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation. We have you sign a form (AD-1026) that in essence tells us that you are not going to drain any wetlands, install tile, or clear wooded areas without telling us first.
So tell us first.
– You also must keep the noxious weeds under control. We don’t want to find your farm grown up in marestail or knapweed. Your neighbors will be grateful too.
– You must complete a crop report for the farm that has a contract. All crop acres must be accounted for and the crop report needs to be accurate. This is crucial.
If any of these items are not adhered, this could create a problem for you. We don’t want you to have any problems.
These are some of the highlights, so if you have any questions or changes on your farm, give us a call and let us know.
This will help prevent your contract potentially getting canceled, and losing out on any potential payments.
Did I mention we like issuing payments to you? We do! So let us help keep you eligible for them.
Don’t forget to vote.
That’s all for now,
FSA Andy
