 Amelia County USDAService Center Bulletin - JANUARY 2026 In This Issue: January 19, 2026 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - The USDA Service Center will be closed. February 2, 2026 Deadline to submit/postmark your ballot for the 2025 COC Elections. February 15, 2026 Deadline to apply - NAP signup for hay & pasture. 4/30/2026 Deadline to apply - Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) 1 & 2 FSA is cleaning up our producer record database and needs your help. Please report any changes of address, zip code, phone number, email address or an incorrect name or business name on file to our office. You should also report changes in your farm operation, like the addition of a farm by lease or purchase. You should also report any changes to your operation in which you reorganize to form a Trust, LLC or other legal entity. FSA and NRCS program participants are required to promptly report changes in their farming operation to the County Committee in writing and to update their Farm Operating Plan on form CCC-902. To update your records, contact your Amelia (serving Amelia/Chesterfield/Powhatan) USDA Service Center at 804-561-2147. The 2025 Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections began on January 5, 2026, when ballots were mailed to eligible voters. The deadline to return ballots to local FSA offices, or to be postmarked, is February 2, 2026. County committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and USDA. Farmers and ranchers elected to county committees help deliver FSA programs at the local level, applying their knowledge and judgment to make decisions on commodity price support programs; conservation programs; incentive indemnity and disaster programs for some commodities; emergency programs and eligibility. FSA committees operate within official regulations designed to carry out federal laws. To be an eligible voter, farmers and ranchers must: -Be of legal voting age or, if not of legal voting age, supervise and conduct the farming operation of an entire farm. - Have an interest in a farm or ranch as either:
-An individual who meets one or more of the following:
-Is eligible and capable to vote in one's own right.
-Is a partner of a general partnership.
-Is a member of a joint venture.
-Is an authorized representative of a legal entity. - Participate or cooperate in any FSA program that is provided by law. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation(s) but may not have applied or received FSA program benefits. Eligible voters in Local Administrative Areas 1 & 4, who do not receive a ballot can obtain one from their local FSA county office. Customers can identify which LAA they or their farming operation is in by using our GIS locator tool available at fsa.usda.gov/elections . Newly elected committee members will take office March. 2, 2026. MEET OUR 2026 COC NOMINEES: For Amelia County - LAA #1 Ralph A. Foster -Ralph Foster is nominated in LAA #1, Amelia County, to serve as COC member for a 3-year term beginning 3/2/2026. Mr. Foster resides in LAA #1, and has farmed here for 59 years raising hay, cattle (cow/calf operation), corn, wheat, and tobacco. He still raises hay and cattle. Mr. Foster is a member of the Chester Grove Baptist Church. Ralph Foster is willing to serve if elected. Jeremy Moyer- Jeremy Moyer is nominated in LAA #1, Amelia County, to serve as COC member for a 3-year term beginning 3/2/2026. Mr. Moyer resides in LAA #1, and has farmed here for 21 years raising corn, alfalfa, soybeans, sudan grass, wheat, triticale, and fescue hay. He also is the manager/owner of Oakmulgee Dairy Farm Inc., which milks 320 Holsteins. Mr. Moyer is an active member of Farm Bureau, Virginia Dairymen's Association, and the Virginia Holstein Association. Jeremy Moyer is willing to serve if elected. For Powhatan County - LAA #4 Beverly "Tim" V. Timberlake, Jr. -Tim Timberlake is nominated in LAA #4, Powhatan County, to serve as COC member for a 3-year term beginning 3/2/2026. Mr. Timberlake resides in LAA #4 and has farmed there for 60 years raising hay, cattle (cow/calf operation), and some row crops. Mr. Timberlake is a member of Farm Bureau and Hobson Church. Tim Timberlake is willing to serve if elected. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers two types of set-aside programs to assist FSA direct loan borrowers. The set-aside programs are intended to help distressed borrowers as well as borrowers impacted by natural disasters. Disaster Set-Aside Program The Disaster Set-Aside Program (DSA) assists existing FSA direct loan borrowers who have been impacted by natural disasters. The DSA program provides short-term financial relief by allowing eligible borrowers to delay FSA direct loan payments that are due this year or next year (but not both). You may delay up to one full annual payment per loan and the delayed payment will be moved to the end of the loan term. You will not be required to pay this set-aside installment until the loan's final due date. The principal portion of the amount set-aside will continue to accrue interest at your loan's existing interest rate. To be eligible, borrowers must have operated a farm in a county declared a disaster area or a contiguous county at the time of the disaster. In addition, the borrower's inability to make their upcoming payment must be due to the disaster. To apply for DSA, borrowers must provide their local USDA Service Center with a letter requesting DSA, which must be signed by all parties liable for the debt. The letter must be provided to your local Service Center within eight months of the disaster declaration date. The application process also includes providing your actual production, income, and expense records for the last three years. FSA may also request additional information as needed to make an eligibility decision. There are no disasters currently declared. Distressed Borrower Set-Aside Program FSA Direct Farm Loan Program borrowers whose loans were closed before Sept. 25, 2024, may be eligible for assistance under the Distressed Borrower Set-Aside Program (DBSA). Similar to DSA, DBSA also provides short-term financial relief by allowing eligible borrowers to delay FSA direct loan payments that are due this year or next year (but not both). You may delay up to one full annual payment per loan and the delayed payment will be moved to the end of the loan term. You will not be required to pay this set-aside installment until the loan's final due date. An increased benefit with DBSA is that the principal portion of the set-aside will accrue interest at a reduced rate of 0.125% rather than your loan's existing interest rate. To be eligible for DBSA, the borrower must demonstrate financial distress, but their inability to make the upcoming payment does not need to be due to a disaster. The DBSA application process is similar to DSA as borrowers must provide their local USDA Service Center with a letter requesting DBSA, which must be signed by all parties liable for the debt. The application process also includes providing your actual production, income, and expense records for the last three years. FSA may also request additional information as needed to make an eligibility decision. Important Factors for Both DSA and DBSA: FSA direct loan borrowers are not able to obtain more than one set-aside per loan. Borrowers also cannot obtain both a DSA and DBSA simultaneously on the same loan. In addition, FSA direct loans with less than two years remaining are not eligible for a DSA or DBSA. Other eligibility requirements apply; we encourage you to contact your local Service Center for more information. Both DSA and DBSA are intended to provide short-term relief for situations where borrowers anticipate the ability to resume paying their full annual installment(s) in the following year. If you require a more long-term form of financial relief, FSA has other potential options available through primary loan servicing (PLS). For more information on DSA, DBSA, or PLS, please contact the Fredericksburg Area FSA Service Center at 540-899-9492, ext 9933. You may also visit fsa.usda.gov. Additional information, eligibility criteria and program limitations may be found within the Disaster Set-Aside and Distressed Borrower Set-Aside Program fact sheets.  USDA recently announced a $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program available in all 50 states to assist American farmers in adopting practices that improve soil health, enhance water quality, and boost long-term productivity, all while strengthening the nation's food and fiber supply. Administered by the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), this new program delivers a streamlined, outcome-based conservation model—empowering producers to plan and implement whole-farm regenerative practices through a single application. During Fiscal Year 2026, the Regenerative Pilot Program will focus on whole-farm planning that addresses every major resource concern—soil, water and natural vitality—under a single conservation framework. USDA is dedicating $400 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to fund this first year of regenerative agriculture projects. Learn more about the Regenerative Pilot Program at: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/regenerative-pilot-program/news/usda-launches-new-regenerative-pilot-program Amelia COC Meeting - The 2/12/25 COC meeting will be at 9:00 a.m. at the Amelia USDA Service Center. Ballot counting for the 2025 County Committee Election will start at 9:00 a.m. Need Accommodations -If you would need to request an accommodation, please contact Bevely Moon at 804-561-2147 or beverly.moon@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.). Amelia USDA Service Center P O Box 137
16351 Church St.
Amelia Court House, VA 23002 Phone: 804-561-2147
Fax: 855-551-5160 | | Farm Service Agency Natural Resources Conservation Service | | County Executive Director
Beverly S. Moon
beverly.moon@usda.gov Program Analyst
Kimberly Poore
Kimberly.Poore@usda.gov
Farm Loan Manager-TBD
| District Conservationist
Tara Ciavarella
tara.ciavarella@usda.gov Soil Conservationist
Elwood Vega-Rivera
elwood.vega-rivera@usda.gov | | Amelia FSA County Committee: Chair-Sandra Cole, Vice-Chair.-Kenney Barnard, Members-Ruth Stinson, Tiim Timberlake, Jr, Minority Advisor-Ralph Foster | | | | | | 
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