farm subsidy

New to farming in the past 5 years. I see many area farmers receiving subsidies, I viewed online all the subsidies for the past years. Peanuts to what we actually spend in farming, I know. How do I apply for a subsidy? Is it difficult to get? I would like to get some back, I am producing oats, hay corn, and a few cattle. Does my usda office handle this?

You will need to go through your local USDA Farm Service Agency. FSA-They will have the answers you are looking for. My advice is to avoid that hassel if you are small scale producer, none of us are getting rich from program payments.

check out USDA.GOV

How complicated do you want me to get?

You get to sign up your farm land every 5 years or so for The Program. Then each year you get to sign up for The Program, to account for any changes you or they make.

Then you get to certify your crop acres each year.

Then they dole out a Program Payment. That could be $20-40 an acre, depending what crop you grew in the 1980's on that land. Of course, that money is now 'built in' to the land rent or land cost, which raises the property taxes on it - so you don't really get the money, you get to pass it along to others in the community....

You can elect to take a LDP if grain prices are low enough. Haven't been low enough in 3-4 years now,w hich is good - if you collect LDP, it means you are losing money big time,grain prices have to be _bad_ to get any pennies out of this.

You can collect a 'counter cyclical' payment if the grain prices are real low for the whole year. This money will come about a year later. Frankly, _this_ is the only part of the program that makes any sense - it is a safety net for terrible low grain prices, and if it were run a tad better, get rid of the rest of the program & just keep this one..... Again, haven't collected in years, it doesn't kick in very often.

Of course, you land needed to be in the program, and you needed to certify your acres for 5 years back in the 1980's, to get yourself into the program. You did that, right? Dad didn't bother certifying 2 out of the 5 years, and so I'm losing 2/5 of the payment in 2010 yet. It's a govt program, you know.....

You can't do drainage unless you ask & get permits, and you need to follow rules for highly errodable lands, and many other details.

Other parts of The Program are:

Grain loans. You get a lower interest loan on your stored grain, but you need to pay it back. (So it looks like you make big bucks on thatr web site you went to; but no, much of that needed to be paid back - which that web site you went to doesn't bother to tell you....)

CRP - the govt will rent some of your land for a 10 year period, if your land is a little poorer on hills or wet or whatever, and they rent it kinda cheap for wildlife use. You need to control the weeds, and you need to plant apporved, very spendy grasses & native things on the land. So again, on that web site you went to, it shows the money you collect, but it doesn't acknowledge the big expenses you have to spend.

The office you want is FSA (Farm Services Agency). It typically is close to or shared with the USDA office. One will know the other, anyhow.

They can fill in the blanks for you, and see if your property can possibly qualify.

--->Paul

Not to be mean, but if you have to ask where to go, then you are not going to want to jump through all the hoops. Unless you farm quite a few acres, dont even bother.

I share crop mine out and get 1/3 share on about 80 acres of row crop. Then I have several CRP contracts that bring in about $1500 a year. These are for tree plantings in environmentally sensitive areas.

As for the regular farm subsidies they have mentioned, the ACRES and the SURE program. I am thinking about going in and asking to be "Un-signed-up". This year I had to sign a bunch of forms giving the IRS the authority to share my information with the USDA. For no more than I get ($300-$400) I have about had it with the whole mess.

If it will not affect my tennant farmers payments, and will not mess up my CRP (Conservation reserve program) I am outa the deal !

Just my 2 pennies worth.

Gene

Farm subsidies has all ways been a pain the B---,
I feel the more a person gets involved with the gov,and there farm subsidies the least you will get back in return for all of your hard work and swit.
A FARMER WILL GET OUT OF FARMING WHAT THEY PUT IN TO.
JR.FRYE

I call that feeding the fish. Give you just enough so you will give the goverment the info they need to know your business. Always remember we are here to help you.

Start at your local FSA office.

A few words of advise, take every form home and read it twice before turning it in, before sign'n up for anything ask your self if you really need it, and just always keep in the back of your mind "be careful what you ask for".

(The folks who are going to tell you what you have to do work for the government, if a person knows what they are doing they could make much more off a small farm than govenrnment workers make. Kinda goes back to the whole those that can do deal.)

Dave

For those who get p-nuts, there are some that I would say do a tad bit better.

Google EWG farm subcities, and decide for yourself if it should be called p-nuts. The site isn't real user friendly, but search down the page after getting to your county, it is broken down by names (correct spelling is important) also from top to bottom in payments.

In our area, the big guys on this list are the first ones to cry about a little old lady getting a check. That is called welfare, the big guys getting the farm subcities buy up farms so the little guy gets no land to operate unless he inherits it or is married to it.

In our area, many form corperations to hide the totals from the public, and because there was talk about a $250,000.00 cap at one time. It costs alot to put these crops in, but our area is flooded with the guys with two combines, large tractors, and a couple semis to add to these costs.

We have a couple large grain termanals that fill barges on the Mississippi river, and it was pointed out to me that you don't see to many semis that are owned by coops etc. they for the most part are owned by a farmer.

I certianly don't blame any farmer from gathering these funds, (survuval) but many are not actual farmers that get the big big checks.

I kinda think this is a way for our government to get total control of all informaton, and control the crops in the future, tiny steps at a time.

Starting at FSA is a good idea. But, I am afraid
the years of good subsidies are over. Back in
the 1980's when we had the PIK program, some
years I made up to $150 per acre for planting
only half as many acres. Those days are gone
and not coming back. The only thing that seems
worh doing today is putting lower producing land
in CRP.
Large farmers get large subsidies, but on an acre
basis it is not very good. Will not even buy
the pesticides needed for the year.
external_link is going to cut what subsidies are left
even more.
I am quite familiar with the programs as they are. If you want to email me, I will give you
my phone number and explain them in more detail.
i
th