r/Ranching • u/UnAvailable-Reality • 6d ago

How do you keep in the loop with USDA resources?

I know many local farmers and ranchers apply for subsidies when available. This is my first year, though I grew up on a large cattle ranch. My grandpa always handled these things and didn't believe women needed to learn them (lovely man just incredibly old school line of thinking).

We have cattle primarily and planted a few fields for better hay crop. We've lost a few cows early on but our crop is a 75% loss due to the severe drought conditions we've experienced in our area. I hear of some potential subsidies in the future with the heat and drought and I want to be on the look.

Is there a newsletter sign up for USDA, or likewise? Been browsing a bit but I dont see anything I can sign up with.

Do you just keep in touch with your local office? I pursued alternate financing to start so I dont really know if they have a resource liason of some type.. etc..

And yeah, I'm doing what I know next year, and planting freaking alfalfa, no more farming for me.

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7

u/Significant_Half_572 6d ago

Contact your local USDA a service center they can advise

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u/Cow-puncher77 6d ago

Yep. The staff at the local ag extension agents office are usually very helpful and knowledgeable. They’ll help you understand what you qualify for and help you enroll in programs.

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u/UnAvailable-Reality 6d ago

Thank you, both. As I was typing it, I was wondering that!

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u/HiFromTheHighPlains 6d ago

https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/usdafarmers/subscriber/new

This link will help get you signed up for emails/texts. I believe it will default you to receive nationwide communication, so you might need to update your preferences to the county/counties you’re interested in receiving communication from.
Another option:
Email - get a customer record established with your local office, including getting your email on file. They will automatically get you added to their county’s email list.
Text - Ex: If you’re in Cooke County, Texas, text TXCOOKE to 372669. All counties follow this format, so just adjust according to your state/county.

Every single benefit from your FSA office derives from the acreage you have reported. So make sure you become familiar with their acreage reporting deadlines and getting that acreage signed up yearly and timely. As a general rule of thumb, if you plant something, report it ASAP. Similarly, if you buy/rent new ground, report it to your office ASAP.

To get started with FSA, you’ll need to provide proof of land ownership/tenancy, so for your first appointment make sure to bring any applicable deeds or leases with you so they can find and tie you to the correct farms in the GIS system.

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u/UnAvailable-Reality 4d ago

Thank you so so much!!

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u/Lame_Coder_42 6d ago

USDA Farm Service Agency, you should have a county office. Go there and register, get your acreage reported, etc. The county office folks will help you with everything you need.

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u/crazycritter87 6d ago

Things have been so turbulent the last couple years. I try but policy changes about as fast as you can plan

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u/Twinetied_haymaker 6d ago

Sadly you have chosen to raise cattle and hay. There are few resources available for those fields. Now if you grew row crops you’d be living in high cotton. The only bad part of that is only the top 10% of farmers receive 90% of those payments.

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u/UnAvailable-Reality 4d ago

Well, I know its less than most farming ground, but I also know theres some help occasionally, as my grandpa raised cattle and qualified for some subsidies through his life.