 Clark County USDA Newsletter - September 23, 2025 In This Issue: | Oct 13: Office closed for Federal Holiday Nov 15 - Deadline for Acreage Reporting Fall-Seeded Small Grains(winter wheat, rye, triticale, ect) | |  | Top of page  Wishing you all a safe and successful harvest season! Lisa Clausen,
Clark County CED | Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs) and Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) provide financing and marketing assistance for wheat, feed grains, soybeans, and other oilseeds, pulse crops, rice, peanuts, cotton, wool and honey. MALs provide you with interim financing after harvest to help you meet cash flow needs without having to sell your commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. A producer who is eligible to obtain a loan, but agrees to forgo the loan, may obtain an LDP if such a payment is available. Marketing loan provisions and LDPs are not available for sugar and extra-long staple cotton. FSA is now accepting requests for 2025 MALs and LDPs for all eligible commodities after harvest. Requests for loans and LDPs shall be made on or before the final availability date for the respective commodities. Commodity certificates are available to loan holders who have outstanding nonrecourse loans for wheat, upland cotton, rice, feed grains, pulse crops (dry peas, lentils, large and small chickpeas), peanuts, wool, soybeans and designated minor oilseeds. These certificates can be purchased at the posted county price (or adjusted world price or national posted price) for the quantity of commodity under loan, and must be immediately exchanged for the collateral, satisfying the loan. MALs redeemed with commodity certificates are not subject to Adjusted Gross Income provisions. To be considered eligible for an LDP, you must have form CCC-633EZ, Page 1 on file at your local FSA Office before losing beneficial interest in the crop. Pages 2, 3 or 4 of the form must be submitted when payment is requested. Marketing loan gains (MLGs) and loan deficiency payments (LDPs) are no longer subject to payment limitations, actively engaged in farming and cash-rent tenant rules. Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) provisions state that if your total applicable three-year average AGI exceeds $900,000, then you're not eligible to receive an MLG or LDP. You must have a valid CCC-941 on file to earn a market gain of LDP. The AGI does not apply to MALs redeemed with commodity certificate exchange. For more information and additional eligibility requirements, contact your local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov. Top of page Are you interested in working with USDA to start or grow your farm, ranch, or private forest operation, but don't know where to start? Whether you're looking to access capital or disaster assistance through USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) or address natural resource concerns on your land with assistance from USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a great place to start is farmers.gov. Farmers.gov is a one-stop shop for information about the assistance available from FSA and NRCS. The site also offers many easy-to-use tools for farmers, ranchers, and private forestland owners, whether you are reaching out for the first time or are a long-term customer with a years-long relationship with USDA. With a farmers.gov account you can: - Complete an AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet, prior to your first meeting with FSA and NRCS.
- View farm loan payments history from FSA.
- View cost share assistance received and anticipated from NRCS conservation programs.
- Request conservation assistance from NRCS as well as view and track your conservation plans, practices, and contracts.
- View, print, and export detailed farm records and farm/tract maps for the current year, which are particularly useful when fulfilling acreage reporting requirements.
- Print FSA-156 EZ, Abbreviated Farm Record and your Producer Farm Data Report for the current year.
- Pay FSA debt using the "Make an FSA Payment" feature
- Apply for a farm loan online, view information on your existing loans, and make USDA direct farm loan payments using the Pay My Loan feature.
Learn how to create a farmers.gov account today! Top of page Huron, SD, August 6, 2025—The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) serving South Dakota (SD) review date for applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) has been set for October 3, 2025. While applications are accepted year-round, October 3, 2025, is the final date by which an operator or landowner must sign an application at their local NRCS office for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) funding consideration. Applications made after that date will be considered in the next application period. Both EQIP and CSP are voluntary programs that offer financial and technical assistance for participants to install or manage conservation practices on eligible agricultural land. Although when differentiating the programs, EQIP helps operations establish initial conservation practices that include targeted funding through the Conservation Implementation Strategies (CIS) across the state. Other areas of focus include wildlife, high tunnels, specialty crops, and the National Water Quality Initiative. Jennifer Wurtz, NRCS EQIP Program Coordinator in the Huron State Office, further elaborated, "Now is the time to start the conservation planning process with the NRCS staff to help create a plan to meet your operation's conservation needs. EQIP allows eligible participants financial assistance to install or implement structural or management practices on their operations." A separate program with a similar mission, CSP provides a five-year annual payment program for producers who would like to strengthen existing conservation efforts and reach management goals. Implemented across a producer's operation, (including cropland, rangeland, associated agricultural land, farmstead, and forestland), CSP is a great opportunity for agricultural producers to generate additional financial return as they implement new practices. "Chances are, if you are already looking for ways to improve or are currently taking steps to improve the condition of the land, CSP can help you find ways to reach those goals," said Danielle Rhine, NRCS CSP Program Manager, Rapid City. The NRCS offers free one-on-one consultation with producers to complete a full resource concern assessment, learn about their current management activities, and understand their operational goals and objectives. Based on this information, NRCS can then develop a tailored conservation plan with the producer, which can potentially be implemented through EQIP or CSP programs. To learn more and apply for EQIP or CSP, please contact the Clark Field Office at (605)532-3686 ext 3. FSA guaranteed loans allow lenders to provide agricultural credit to farmers who do not meet the lender's normal underwriting criteria. Farmers and ranchers apply for a guaranteed loan through a lender, and the lender arranges for the guarantee. FSA can guarantee up to 95 percent of the loss of principal and interest on a loan. Guaranteed loans can be used for both farm ownership and operating purposes. Guaranteed farm ownership loans can be used to purchase farmland, construct or repair buildings, develop farmland to promote soil and water conservation or to refinance debt. Guaranteed operating loans can be used to purchase livestock, farm equipment, feed, seed, fuel, farm chemicals, insurance and other operating expenses. FSA can guarantee farm ownership and operating loans up to $2,251,000. Repayment terms vary depending on the type of loan, collateral and the producer's ability to repay the loan. Operating loans are normally repaid within seven years and farm ownership loans are not to exceed 40 years. For more information on guaranteed loans, contact your Codington County USDA Service Center at 605-886-8202 or visit fsa.usda.gov. Top of page - Clark County Committee Meeting: Tentative October 22, 2025 at 9:00 AM at Clark County FSA Office, 101 Warren Dr, Clark, SD 57225.
- Questions? Contact Lisa Clausen at lisa.m.clausen@usda.gov
- If you would need to request an accommodation, please contact Lisa Clausen at 605-532-3686 or lisa.m.clausen@usda.gov to request accommodations (e.g., an interpreter, translator, seating arrangements, etc.) or materials in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape – captioning, etc.).
Top of page Clark USDA Service Center
101 Warren Rd
Clark, SD 57225
Phone: 605-532-3686
Fax: 855-256-9430 Office Email: sdclark-fsa@usda.gov | | | | County Executive Director LISA CLAUSEN
605-532-3686 Ext 2
lisa.m.clausen@usda.gov Acting Farm Loan Manager MELODY BUDAHL
605-886-8202 Ext 2
melody.budahl@usda.gov | District Conservationist - NRCS RYAN BRANIGAN
605-532-3686 Ext 3
ryan.branigan@usda.gov Clark County Conservation District KYLE REEVES
605-532-3686 Ext 3
kyle.reeves@usda.gov | | Program Analysts County Committee Susan Berg Nicole Nelson-Cotton
Haley Warren Matthew Vandersnick
Kaitlyn Florey Gannon Florey | | | |
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