Help for farmers

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices are available by phone to continue helping agricultural producers with loan servicing, program signups, and other important actions. The FSA is also loosening the loan-making process and adding flexibility to servicing loans to provide credit to producers in need.

FSA programs and services include:

• Farm loans;
• Commodity loans;
• Farm Storage Facility Loan program;
• Conservation programs;
• Safety net programs (including 2020 signup for the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs);
• Disaster assistance programs (including signup for the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus);
• Acreage reports.

FSA’s loosening of the loan-making process includes:

• Extending the deadline to complete farm loan applications;
• Preparing Direct Loan documents even when closed government buildings prevent complete lien and record searches. (FSA will close the loans when the searches are complete); and
• Closing loans if the required lien position on the primary security is perfected (even for loans requiring additional security and the lien searches, recordings and filings cannot be obtained because of closed government buildings.

Contact FSA

Customers with an eAuth account can visit the FSA portal (farmers.gov). On this portal, producers can view and track certain USDA loan and program applications and payments, and customers can request conservation assistance, track payments, electronically sign documents, and report completed practices.

Customers without an eAuth account, can create an eAuth account by visiting: farmers.gov/sign-in

Contact County Office

The FSA is encouraging producers to discuss available programs and temporary changes to loan servicing options and deadlines with county offices. For Service Center contact information, visit farmers.gov/coronavirus.

Links for emergency programs from the FSA:

https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?state=pa&agency=fsa

https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-loan-programs/emergency-farm-loans/index

https://www.fsa.usda.gov/news-room/news-releases/2020/fsa-makes-changes-to-farm-loan-disaster-conservation-and-safety-net-programs-to-make-it-easier-for-customers-to-conduct-business

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