Farm Service Agency: A USDA Partner Spotlight!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers a variety of resources and programs to operate your farm and help you recover in the event of a natural disaster. FSA is also often the agency to create USDA records…if you are new to working with any USDA agency, you will likely speak to an FSA employee to establish your farm records. Here is a brief overview of some of the many programs that FSA has to offer:

Helping Finance Your Farm:

The FSA Loan Office helps provide access to capital, either directly from FSA or through a third-party, commercial lender. You may be interested in using the Farm Loan Assistance Tool to determine which loan option works best for you.

USDA FSA Staff Assist a Farmer at Field Office, Image Credit: USDA FSA

Manage Risks:

FSA offers many programs to help you recover from and prepare for disasters and market fluctuations, including:

-The Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) offers financial support to producers of non-insurable crops to protect against natural disasters that result in lower yields, destroyed crops, or the inability to plant. This includes crops like veggies, fruits, hay, and even oysters. NAP offers different levels of coverage depending on your needs.

-Price support for drops in prices or revenues, such as the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs and the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program

Disaster Assistance and Recovery:

FSA is mainly a disaster assistance agency. We are here for you during flooding, drought, etc. You can use the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool to learn about available disaster recovery programs. Here is mention of a few programs:

-The Emergency Assistance for Livestock  (ELAP) provides emergency assistance in the form of financial compensation to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish who experience losses due to an eligible adverse weather or other qualifying loss condition.

-Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) provides emergency funding and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland and conservation structures damaged by natural disasters.

USDA FSA Staff Assist a Farmer On-Site, Image Credit: USDA FSA

Reimbursement for Applicable Farm Expenses:

FSA has a few programs created specifically to help compensate for the cost of some farm expenses:

- The Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) provides organic producers and handlers with financial assistance to reduce the cost of organic certification. Once certified, organic producers and handlers are eligible to receive reimbursement for 75 percent of certification costs, up to a maximum of $750 per certification scope—crops, livestock, wild crops, handling, and State Organic Program fees! *Funding for this program is not currently available under this administration, subject to change

- The Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) Program provides assistance to specialty crop operations that incurred eligible on-farm food safety program expenses in 2024 and 2025.

Getting Started

If you are just starting your journey into agriculture FSA has some specific resources that are available to you. Check out How to Start a Farm: Beginning Farmers and Ranchers, particularly the Plan Your Farm Operation section as it has additional resources like mentoring, trainings, and general business plan help. You can also reach out to the State Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinator!

USDA FSA Walpole Field Staff Michael Greene & Kelsi Lord, Image Credit: USDA FSA

The easiest way to hear about USDA programs and apply for them as they come up is to create records with FSA and report your acreage yearly during Acreage Reporting. That way, if a disaster ever does occur, you are already established in the USDA system and FSA has a good idea of what you’ve planted and where.

You can meet FSA staff in person at the Walpole Field Office to discuss if any of our programs would be a good fit for you and your farm. If you’d prefer, you can give us a call at 6037562970 x2.

We encourage you to review USDA's getting started guide to see if any programs immediately pique your interest. You can view the guide online here, or give the office a call to request one be mailed to you. If you aren’t from Cheshire or Sullivan County, you can find your local service center here. If you need information or assistance in a language other than English, USDA offers translated materials and free interpretation services! Please do not hesitate to reach out to us and ask. We are here to help.