 McCook County, SD USDA Updates - January 2026 In This Issue: CED NOTES: Calendar:
Jan 19, 2026 Service Center Closed for Martin Luther King Jr Day
Jan 23, 2026 Deadline for Milk and On-Farm Stored Crop Loss Assistance
Jan 31, 2026 Deadline to apply for 2025 Wool, Mohair & Pelts LDP
Feb 2, 2026 Deadline to submit ballots for the County Committee Election
Feb 16, 2026 Service Center Closed for President's Day
Feb 26, 2026 Deadline to apply for 2026 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC)
Mar 2, 2026 Deadline to apply for 2025 LIP/ELAP Application for Payment
Mar 15, 2026 Deadline to purchase NAP for 2026 spring crops
Apr 30, 2026 Deadline to apply for 2023 & 2024 SDRP Stage One & Stage Two The Next McCook County Committee Meeting: February 11, 2026, at 9:00 AM in the Conference Room of the McCook FSA Service Center. - Questions? Contact McCook FSA at (605)425-2483.
- If you would need to request an accommodation, please contact the McCook FSA at 605-425-2483 or sdsalem-fsa@usda.gov 10 days prior to the meeting 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.).
Text Alerts: Text sdmccook to FSANOW (372-669) for text message alerts. Voting is now open for the USDA's Farm Service Agency's McCook Name County Committee. It is important that every eligible producer participates in these elections because FSA county committees are a link between the agricultural community and the USDA. County Committee elections in Name County will be conducted for the representative for Local Administrative Area (LAA): LAA 1 (which is comprised of the following Townships: Pearl, Sun Prairie, Brookfield, Benton, Salem, and Richland) is currently represented by Allen Feterl. Allen has served as a County Committee member for a total of 9 years and has met his limit. Taia Johnson has been nominated to take his place for a 3-year term. County committee election ballots were mailed to eligible voters on Jan. 5, 2026. The last day to return completed ballots to McCook County FSA is Feb. 2, 2026. For more information on FSA county committee elections visit fsa.usda.gov/elections. USDA announced the next phase in the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program (FBA), the eligible commodity per-acre payment rates. In 2026, $12 billion will be paid to American farmers. Of that amount, $11 billion consists of one-time FBA program payments. Eligible Row Crop Commodities and Payment Rates:
Below are the payment rates for the FBA eligible commodities that triggered a payment. Commodity, Per Acre Payment Rates - Barley: $20.51 • Canola: $23.57 • Chickpeas (Large): $26.46 • Chickpeas (Small): $33.36 • Corn: $44.36 • Cotton: $117.35 • Flax: $8.05 • Lentils: $23.98 • Mustard: $23.21 • Oats: $81.75 • Peanuts: $55.65 • Peas: $19.60 • Rice: $132.89 • Safflower: $24.86 • Sesame: $13.68 • Sorghum: $48.11 • Soybeans: $30.88 • Sunflower: $17.32 • Wheat: $39.35
Eligibility, Program Applications, and Crop Insurance Linkage
FBA payments are based on 2025 planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production, and the World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimate Report. Double crop acres, including all initial and subsequently planted crops, are eligible. Prevent plant acres are not eligible. All intended row crop uses are eligible for FBA except grazing, volunteer stands, experimental, green manure, crops left standing and abandoned or cover crops. Crop insurance linkage is not required; however, USDA strongly urges producers to take advantage of the new risk management tools provided for in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) to best protect against future price risk and volatility. The OBBBA federal crop insurance improvements include expanding benefits for beginning farmers and ranchers, increasing coverage options, and making crop insurance more affordable. Specialty Crop Assistance
Of the $12 billion being provided by the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act, up to $11 billion is being directed to eligible row crop producers and the remaining $1 billion of the $12 billion in assistance is reserved for specialty crops and sugar. Timelines for payments to producers of these crops are still under development and require additional understanding of market impacts and economic needs. Producers, including specialty crop producers and stakeholder groups, can submit questions to farmerbridge@usda.gov. More information on FBA is available online at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/fba or you can contact your local USDA FSA county office. Livestock inventory records are necessary in the event of a natural disaster, so remember to keep them updated. When disasters strike, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) can help you if you've suffered excessive livestock death losses and grazing or feed losses due to eligible natural disasters. For 2025 losses through the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP), you must file a notice of loss, provide the following supporting documentation, and application for payment to your local FSA office by March 2, 2026. You should record all pertinent information regarding livestock inventory records including: - Documentation of the number, kind, type, and weight range of livestock
- Beginning inventory supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts.
For more information on documentation requirements, contact your McCook County USDA Service Center at 605-425-2483 or visit fsa.usda.gov. 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. 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 your the Minnehaha County Service Center at (605) 330-4515. 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. Top of page McCook County USDA Service Center 340 N Nebraska St
Salem, SD 57058
Phone: 605-425-2483
Fax: 855-262-0852 | | Farm Service Agency County Executive Director
Joann Schock Program Analysts
Kaleen Sandman
Brenda Weber
Kimberly Thrift Farm Loan Manager
Sheila Erwin
605-330-4515 McCook County Committee
Judith Christensen
Ross Tschetter
Allen Feterl | Natural Conservation Service Agency District Conservationist
Lynsee Planting Soil Conservationist
Robert Schaefer Conservation District
Fred Butzke
605-240-0031 Wendy Benson
605-421-1495 | | 
Comments