USDA Farm Service Agency county offices will not be operating after December 28, 2018, due to the lapse in appropriation. More information on USDA-wide resources and services can be found here.

Market Facilitation Program

Market Facilitation Program payments for producers that have already certified production with the Farm Service Agency will continue beyond January 1, 2019. Signup for the Market Facilitation Program ends on January 15, 2019. Secretary Perdue will determine if the deadline should be extended. You do not need to be finished with harvest to sign up. Farmers have until May 1, 2019, to certify production.

FSA Loan Guidance

Due to the lapse in federal government funding for all commodity loan activity has ceased as of January 3, 2019. This includes any loan activity conducted by DMA’s, LSA’s, and CMA’s. Access to the following automated FSA systems will no longer be available: Commodity Loan Processing System (CLPS), Cotton On-Line Processing System (COPS), Automated Cotton Reporting System (ACRS), and Centralized Cotton Redemption (CCR).

Commodities Pledged as Collateral for a Commodity Loan

Farm-stored commodities pledged as Commodity Credit Corporation collateral can be marketed (moved for purchase to a buyer) or fed, however, the following activities will not be processed while the government is shutdown:

• Loan repayments
• Loan disbursements
• Refunds
• Termination of transfers

During the shutdown, movement of collateral will be treated the same as loan collateral moved on a non-workday (same as a weekend or federal holiday). Producers with farm-stored loans may move loan collateral to non-designated structures during this period without prior written approval, provided the producer requests a CCC-681-1 Marketing Authorization on the next business day either by phone or in person.

FSA Farm Loan (Direct and Guaranteed) and FSA Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL)

Producers interested in FSA loan assistance may obtain more information for the following loan activity. The following sites provide the necessary forms to submit to apply along with information regarding the loan programs:

• Farm Operating Loans
• Microloans
• Farm Ownership Loans
• Farm Storage Facility Loans Fact Sheet:

Please note these websites will not be current or maintained until funding issues have been resolved.

Loan applications will not be processed or considered until the lapse in federal funding has been resolved.

Acceptance of FSA Farm Loan and FSA Farm Storage and Facility Loan Payments:

If borrowers wish to remit payments, checks and money orders can be sent by mail to the local FSA office. Payments will be credited after the lapse in federal funding has been resolved. The postmark on the envelope will be used as the received date of the payment. FSFL and Direct Loans will not be deemed delinquent if a borrower is unable to make a payment due to offices being closed because of a lapse in federal funding.

Release of Normal Income Security:

Customers requesting the release of proceeds from the sale of crops, livestock or other security are advised to contact the office after the lapse in federal funding has been resolved. You can find your local office by visiting https://www.farmers.gov/service-locator.