Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program

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Arkansas Environmental Assessments for Public Review

• No Draft Environmental Assessments at this time.

USDA’s Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) helps to cover certification and education expenses for agricultural producers who are certified organic or transitioning to organic. Certified operations and transitional operations may apply for OTECP for eligible expenses paid during the 2020 and 2021 program years and the program will continue into 2022. Eligible expenses include certification expenses, registration fees for educational events and soil testing as required by the National Organic Program.

USDA Provides $1.8 Billion to Offset Market Fluctuations

Agricultural producers who enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2020 crop year are receiving $1.8 billion, providing critical support to help mitigate fluctuations in either revenue or prices for certain crops.

FSA is also encouraging producers to contact their local USDA Service Centers to make or change elections and to enroll for 2022, providing future protections against market fluctuations. The election and enrollment period opened on .

Lenders Can Now Apply for New Heirs’ Property Relending Program

Intermediary lenders — cooperatives, credit unions, can now apply for loans through the new Heirs’ Property Relending Program (HPRP) through .Through HPRP, FSA loans up to $5 million at a 1% interest rate to eligible lenders. Then, those eligible lenders will reloan funds to heirs to help resolve title issues by financing the purchase or consolidation of property interests and financing costs associated with a succession plan. Intermediary lenders should apply using the HPRP application form (FSA-2637), which can be submitted to a farm loan chief at a local USDA https://rksloans.com/installment-loans-fl/ Service Center.

USDA to Invest $67 Million to Help Heirs Resolve Land Ownership and Succession Issues

USDA is providing $67 million in competitive loans through the new Heirs’ Property Relending Program, which aims to help agricultural producers and landowners resolve heirs’ land ownership and succession issues.

Intermediary lenders — cooperatives, credit unions, and nonprofit organizations – can apply for loans up to $5 million at up to 1% interest once the Farm Service Agency (FSA) opens the two-month signup window in late August. Visit to learn more.

Pandemic Assistance for Producers

USDA is committed to delivering financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers who have been impacted by COVID-19 market disruptions through our new initiative – USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers. Stay updated on announcements under the USDA Pandemic Assistance to Producers initiative at .

Pandemic Response and Safety Grants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural S) published a Request for Applications (RFAs) for the Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grants program. This grant program will provide assistance to small businesses in certain commodity areas, including small scale specialty crop producers, food processors, manufacturers, distributors and farmers markets. Small businesses and nonprofits can apply for a grant to cover COVID-related expenses such as workplace safety measures, retrofitting facilities for worker and consumer safety, shifting to online sales platforms, transportation, worker housing, and medical costs. The minimum funding request is $1,500 and the maximum funding request is $20,000.

Eligible entities should visit the PRS grant portal at usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov for complete information on the program, including how to obtain a free of charge DUNS Number from Dun Bradstreet (DB) before applying for this program. Applications must be submitted electronically through the grant portal by p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, .

Arkansas Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) Normal Grazing Period

The Arkansas State Committee has determined that the grazing periods listed in the chart below are applicable to all Arkansas counties for 2018 and subsequent crop years.