Not long after President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act last Aug. 16, USDA announced it was providing $800 million of IRA funding to make about 11,000 direct and guaranteed loan borrowers current in their payments.

Those funds were made available through Section 22006 of the Act, which allocated $3.1 billion for USDA to expeditiously provide relief for “distressed USDA borrowers whose agricultural operations are at risk.”

This report contains the results from the Crop Progress and Condition weekly survey. The survey is completed by parish extension agents’ visual observations and contact with producers in their parish.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the opening of the financial assistance application process for eligible farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021. Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) directs USDA to provide this assistance. Since the law’s passage, USDA has worked diligently to design the program in accordance with significant stakeholder input. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers of the July 14 deadline to apply for both the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase Two and the Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program (PARP). These revenue-based programs help offset revenue losses from 2020 and 2021 natural disasters or the COVID-19 pandemic. 

ERP and PARP offer a holistic approach to disaster assistance and provide economic support for producers who bear the financial brunt of circumstances beyond their control. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for July 2023, which are effective July 3, 2023. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures or meet cash flow needs.

Corn Planted Acreage Up 29 Percent from 2022… Cotton Planted Acreage Down 33 Percent…Rice Planted Acreage Up 8 Percent …Soybean Planted Acreage Down 11 Percent

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced its selection of 50 projects for potential award, totaling approximately $300 million. These innovative projects will help improve access to land, capital, and markets for underserved farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. The Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access (Increasing Land Access) Program, which is funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, works to increase access to farm ownership opportunities, improve results for those with heirs’ property or fractionated land, increase access to markets and capital that affect the ability to access land, and improve land ownership, land succession and agricultural business planning.

Agricultural producers who have not yet completed their crop acreage reports after planting should make an appointment with their local U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) office before the applicable deadline, which for many places and crops is July 17. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) also reminds producers with login access to farmers.gov of several features that can help expedite acreage reporting, such as the ability to view, print and label maps. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now accepting nominations for county committee members for elections that will occur later this year. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is unveiling a new GIS tool to make it easier for producers to participate in the nomination and election processes for county committee members, who make important decisions on how federal farm programs are administered locally.