 Meade County USDA Newsletter - December 30, 2025 In This Issue:  Greetings! I hope everyone had a great Christmas! We are getting ready to kick off 2026, so be sure to check out the important dates and deadlines below, as well as the articles in this month's newsletter. Please take a look at the SDRP Stage 2 Program Details and call the office if you have any questions or if you would like to schedule an appointment to discuss any shallow losses, uninsured losses, or quality losses that you may have had due to a qualifying 2023 and 2024 natural disaster event. Thanks, Kyle Andersen County Executive Director Important Dates and Deadlines: December 31, 2025: NAP Deadline for Honey Coverage for 2026 January 1, 2026: Federal Holiday - USDA Service Center Closed January 2, 2026: Deadline to Report Honeybee Colonies for 2026 January 15, 2026: NRCS National Batching Deadline January 19, 2026: Federal Holiday - USDA Service Centers Closed January 23, 2026: NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Deadline January 31, 2026: 2025 LDP Deadline February 16, 2026: Federal Holiday - USDA Service Centers Closed March 2, 2026: 2025 Program Year ELAP & LIP Deadline April 30, 2026: SDRP Stage 1 & Stage 2 Deadline | USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) is delivering more than $16 billion in total Congressionally approved disaster relief. FSA is now accepting applications for assistance through the second stage of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) from agricultural producers who suffered eligible non-indemnified, uncovered or quality crop losses due to qualifying natural disasters in 2023 and 2024. Stage Two covers eligible crop, tree, bush and vine losses that were not covered under Stage One program provisions, including non-indemnified (shallow loss), uncovered and quality losses. Although the majority of payments from the first stage are already in the hands of producers helping them prepare for and invest in the next crop year, Stage One assistance, announced in July, remains available to producers who received an indemnity under crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for eligible crop losses due to qualifying 2023 and 2024 natural disaster events. The deadline to apply for both Stage One and Stage Two assistance is April 30, 2026. Additionally, FSA is taking applications for assistance from producers who had to dump or remove milk from the commercial market and who incurred losses of eligible farm stored commodities due to qualifying disaster events in 2023 and 2024. SDRP Stage Two Program Details SDRP Stage Two provides assistance for eligible crop, tree, bush and vine losses not covered under Stage One, including: - Non-Indemnified Losses (Including Shallow Losses)
- Insured losses through federal crop insurance that did not trigger a crop insurance indemnity.
- Losses with NAP coverage that did not trigger a NAP payment.
- Uncovered Losses (Uninsured Losses)
- Includes losses that were not insured through federal crop insurance or NAP.
- Quality Losses
- Includes quality losses to commodities indicated by:
- A decrease in value based on discounts due to the physical condition of the crop supported by applicable grading factors
- A decline in the nutritional value of forage crops supported by documented forage tests.
- Producers will certify to an SDRP quality loss percentage.
FSA is establishing block grants with Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, and Massachusetts that cover crop losses; therefore, producers with losses on land physically located in these states are not eligible for SDRP program payments. For information on program eligibility and to download an application checklist, visit fsa.usda.gov/sdrp. More information will be provided in early 2026 regarding a separate enrollment period for quality losses covered by SDRP Stage One as well as for insured producers in Puerto Rico who were not included in Stage One because data was not available when pre-filled applications were mailed. Milk and On-Farm Stored Crop Loss Assistance The Milk Loss Program provides up to $1.65 million in payments to eligible dairy operations for milk that was dumped or removed without compensation from the commercial milk market because of a qualifying natural disaster event in 2023 and/or 2024. Producers who suffered losses of eligible harvested commodities while stored in on-farm structures in 2023 and/or 2024 due to a qualifying natural disaster event may be eligible for assistance through the On-Farm Stored Commodity Loss Program, which provides for up to $5 million to impacted producers. The deadline to apply for milk and on-farm stored commodity losses is Jan. 23, 2026. Information and fact sheets for both programs are available online at fsa.usda.gov/mlp for milk loss and fsa.usda.gov/ofsclp for on-farm stored commodity losses. To make an appointment to apply, call the Meade County FSA Office at 605-347-4952. Huron, SD, December 19, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in South Dakota (SD) partnered with Belle Fourche River Watershed Partnership (BFRWP) through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to make financial assistance available for producers with land associated to the Moore, Sipalla, Town Site, Sorenson, Anderson, Gregory, and Meade Laterals within the Belle Fourche Irrigation District. Applications will be accepted for this project until January 23, 2026. The Irrigation Efficiency and Soil Health RCPP Project is a partnership between the SD NRCS, BFWRP, and the SD Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR). The project will work with agricultural producers to invest $1,370,000 in RCPP funds matched with $1,770,000 in partner contributions. The goal of the project is to convert acres from being flood-irrigated to sprinkler systems and earthen ditches to buried pipelines. Beyond efficiency, the overall objectives of the project are improvement of the following: water conservation, degraded plant conditions, field sediment, efficiency, and the retention of nutrients/ pathogens. These improvements will increase the land's plant productivity and overall soil health. "This RCPP project continues the success of our first RCPP project that worked with 10 producers to invest $1,078,276 through RCPP contracts and completed 9,660 feet of irrigation pipelines, 12 sprinkler systems, and 750 acres of cover crops and irrigation water management in Butte and Meade counties," said BFRWP Project Coordinator Justin Krajewski. In addition to the RCPP funds, the BFRWP also utilized $1,288,175 of partner contributions from the SD DANR so an additional 19 producers could complete another 20 flood-irrigation to sprinkler conversion projects on 940 acres within the RCPP project area. The following practices are eligible under this project: Sprinkler System (442), Irrigation Pipeline (430), Irrigation Water Management (449), Structure for Water Control (587), Pumping Plant (533), and Cover Crop (340) practices. Additional practices may be included with prior approval. Conservation planning and technical assistance for landowners interested in applying for financial assistance is available at your local USDA service center. Top of page USDA Offers Disaster Assistance for Producers Facing Inclement Weather Severe weather events create significant challenges and often result in catastrophic loss for agricultural producers. Despite every attempt to mitigate risk, your operation may suffer losses. USDA offers several programs to help with recovery. Risk Management For producers with coverage through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), we want to remind you to report crop damage to your local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. You will need to file a Notice of Loss (also called Form CCC-576) within 15 days of loss becoming apparent, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be reported within 72 hours. If you have Federal Crop Insurance, contact your crop insurance agent within 72 hours of discovering damage and be sure to follow up in writing within 15 days. Disaster Assistance USDA also offers disaster assistance programs, which is especially important to livestock, fruit and vegetable, specialty and perennial crop producers who have fewer risk management options. First, the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybee and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) reimburses producers for a portion of the value of livestock, poultry and other animals that died as a result of a qualifying natural disaster event or for loss of grazing acres, feed and forage. And, the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) provides assistance to producers of grazed forage crop acres that have suffered crop loss due to a qualifying drought. Livestock producers suffering the impacts of drought can also request Emergency Haying and Grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres. Next, the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) provides cost share assistance to rehabilitate and replant tree, vines or shrubs loss experienced by orchards and nurseries. This complements NAP or crop insurance coverage, which cover the crop but not the plants or trees in all cases. For LIP and ELAP, you will need to file a Notice of Loss for livestock and grazing or feed losses by the application deadline for each program. For TAP, you will need to file a program application within 90 days. Documentation It's critical to keep accurate records to document all losses following this devastating cold weather event. Livestock producers are advised to document beginning livestock numbers by taking time and date-stamped video or pictures prior to after the loss. Other common documentation options include: - Purchase records
- Production records
- Vaccination records
- Bank or other loan documents
- Third-party certification
Other Programs The Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners and forest stewards with financial and technical assistance to restore damaged farmland or forests. Additionally, FSA offers a variety of loans available including emergency loans that are triggered by disaster declarations and operating loans that can assist producers with credit needs. You can use these loans to replace essential property, purchase inputs like livestock, equipment, feed and seed, or refinance farm-related debts, and other needs. Meanwhile, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides financial resources through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help with immediate needs and long-term support to help recover from natural disasters and conserve water resources. Assistance may also be available for emergency animal mortality disposal from natural disasters and other causes. Additional Resources Additional details – including payment calculations – can be found on our NAP, ELAP, LIP, and TAP fact sheets. On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool can help you determine program or loan options. Top of page The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today announced the establishment of a national January 15, 2026, batching deadline for the first funding round of key conservation programs. This national batching date ensures producers have a clear, consistent timeline for participating in Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA). This includes the new NRCS Regenerative Pilot Program, which provides targeted Farmer First assistance through EQIP and CSP. NRCS programs are continuous sign-up programs, but due to the government shutdown, the agency is implementing an initial national batching period to ensure producers have access to funding and support. Top of page Sturgis USDA Service Center 2202 W Main St Sturgis, SD 57785 Phone: 605-347-4952 Fax: 855-262-0860 sdsturgis-fsa@usda.gov sdsturgis-nrcs@usda.gov sdfaith-nrcs@usda.gov | | | | County Executive Director Kyle Andersen kyle.andersen@usda.gov Program Analysts Mary Kay Lemmel Kim Secrest Cassidy Hacker CharLee Bachman Farm Loan Officers Tacy Snyder Kathryn Donahey Farm Loan Program Analyst Stacie Morell | County Committee Rod Anders John Bruch Grady Matt Ronda Snyder - Minority Advisor Next COC Meeting: 1/14/2026 - If you would need to request an accommodation, please contact Kyle Andersen at (605) 347-4952 or kyle.andersen@usda.gov by January 7, 2026, 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.).
| | Elk Creek District Conservationist Valerie Riter valerie.riter@usda.gov NRCS Staff Jake Disney - Soil Conservationist Dan Udager - Soil Conservationist Tech Zach Grant - Civil Engineering Tech | Tri-County (Faith Office) District Conservationist Hannah Hostutler - Acting hanna.hostutler@usda.gov
NRCS Staff Hannah Hostutler - Soil Conservationist Cody Skogen - Soil Conservationist Tech | |
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