USDA Prioritizes Investments to Address Opioid Crisis in Rural America

USDA Prioritizes Investments to Address Opioid Crisis in Rural America WASHINGTON, April 4, 2018 – Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is giving funding priority in two key grant programs to address opioid misuse in rural communities. “The opioid epidemic is dramatically impacting prosperity in many small towns and rural places across the country,” Hazlett said. “With this focused investment, we are targeting our resources to be a strong partner to rural communities in building an effective local response to this significant challenge.” USDA is reserving $5 million in the Community Facilities Grant Program and is giving priority to Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant (DLT) Program applications proposing innovative projects to address the opioid epidemic in rural communities. In the Community Facilities grant program, rural communities, non-profit organizations and federally recognized tribes can apply through the usual Community Facilities grant application process for grants up to $150,000 for innovative projects such as mobile treatment clinics. Community Facilities grants may fund up to 75 percent of an eligible project. Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program applicants will receive priority for telemedicine projects with the primary purpose of providing opioid prevention, treatment or recovery services. Eligible proposals can receive 10 priority points on their applications. Funding for both programs was made available through the FY 2018 Omnibus spending bill. The funding comes at a time when the Trump administration is pursuing an ambitious agenda to combat the nation’s opioid crisis. Applications for Community Facilities grants funded with this National Office reserve should be submitted on or before June 4, 2018. Applications will be accepted at the Rural Development office in the state in which the applicant is located. Applications submitted after this date will be considered for regular, state-allocated funding. The application deadline for Distance Learning and Telemedicine grants is June 4, 2018. Applications can be submitted electronically at Grants.gov or in hardcopy to: USDA Rural Development Telecommunications Programs, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Room 2844, STOP 1597, Washington, DC 20250-1597. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that nearly 64,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016. More than half of those deaths involved opioids, including prescription drugs and heroin. USDA is an important partner to rural communities addressing this national emergency. The Department is investing in treatment facilities and services, e-Connectivity and telemedicine, and public education efforts. In addition to program investment, USDA is helping communities share information about best practices to address the crisis. Visit USDA’s Rural Opioid Misuse webpage for more information. In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. In the area of quality of life, the Task Force included a recommendation to modernize health care access through innovative approaches like telemedicine. To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

USDA Designates 12 Counties in New Mexico as Primary Natural Disaster Areas with Assistance to Producers in Surrounding States

USDA Designates 12 Counties in New Mexico as Primary Natural Disaster Areas with Assistance to Producers in Surrounding States WASHINGTON, April 3, 2018 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 12 counties in New Mexico as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by a recent drought. Those counties are: Catron Lea Rio Arriba San Miguel Guadalupe McKinley Sandoval Santa Fe Harding Mora San Juan Taos Farmers and ranchers in the following contiguous counties in New Mexico also qualify for natural disaster assistance. Those counties are: Bernalillo Eddy Roosevelt Chaves Grant Sierra Cibola Lincoln Socorro Colfax Los Alamos Torrance De Baca Quay Union Farmers and ranchers in the contiguous counties in Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Utah also qualify for natural disaster assistance. Those counties are: Arizona Apache and Greenlee Colorado Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, La Plata and Montezuma Texas Andrews, Cochran, Gaines, Loving, Winkler and Yoakum Utah San Juan Qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA’s) emergency (EM) loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration of March 30, 2018, to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from the impacts of this disaster. Other FSA programs that can provide assistance, but do not require a disaster declaration, include: Operating and Farm Ownership Loans; the Emergency Conservation Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Livestock Indemnity Program; Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program; and the Tree Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA service centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov. FSA news releases are available on FSA’s website at www.fsa.usda.gov via the “Newsroom” link.

NMSU forage, cover crop experts plan field day April 11 near Clovis

NMSU forage, cover crop experts plan field day April 11 near Clovis DATE: 04/03/2018 WRITER: Darrell J. Pehr, 575-646-3223, pehr@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Rajan Ghimire, 575-985-2292, rghimire@nmsu.edu CLOVIS, N.M. – Agricultural experts will provide an update on crops and dairy farming at a special field day Wednesday, April 11, at the Heritage Dairy Farm, south of Clovis. “This field day will provide an opportunity for eastern New Mexico and West Texas agricultural stakeholders to discuss and learn about regional challenges related to row crop production, quality management and cover cropping, soil and water conservation and soil health monitoring for sustainable crop and dairy farming,” said Abdel Mesbah, superintendent of New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center at Clovis. Registration for the event starts at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and donuts. Mesbah will welcome attendees and provide introductions at 9 a.m. followed by field presentations and demonstrations: – Sultan Begna, agricultural research scientist at the Science Center, will give a presentation on forage corn production systems modification (cutting height, row spacing, quality and cover cropping considerations) and soil/water conservation. – Robert Hagevoort, NMSU Extension dairy specialist, will speak about nutrition and milk production. – Rajan Ghimire, cropping systems agronomist at the Science Center, will discuss cover crops and stubble management for soil health. – Zachary Cordel and Nick Pipkin, dairy producers, Heritage Dairy Farm in Clovis, will give a producers’ perspective on the topics. – Kevin Branum, state agronomist, and D’Llaynn Bruce, district conservationist, of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, will conduct a soil health score card demonstration. The field day will adjourn at 11:30 a.m. The event is free to attend and the public is invited. To reach the field, from the intersection of U.S. 70 and C.R. 5, drive east .75 miles and the field is on the south side of the road. For more information, contact Sultan Begna or Rajan Ghimire at 575-985-2292.

USDA Reopens Enrollment for Improved Dairy Safety Net Tool

USDA Reopens Enrollment for Improved Dairy Safety Net Tool Bipartisan Budget Act Makes Substantial Program Changes Washington, D.C., April 3, 2018 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is encouraging dairy producers to consider enrolling in the new and improved Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy), which will provide better protections for dairy producers from shifting milk and feed prices. With changes authorized under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has set the enrollment period to run from April 9, 2018 to June 1, 2018. "We recognize the financial hardships many of our nation’s dairy producers are experiencing right now. Folks are losing their contracts and they are getting anxious about getting their bills paid while they watch their milk check come in lower and lower each month. The Bipartisan Budget Act provided some much-needed incentives for dairy producers to make cost-effective decisions to strengthen their farms, mitigate risk, and conserve their natural resources,” said Secretary Perdue. “This includes our support of America’s dairy farms. We encourage dairy producers to review the provisions of the updated program, which Congress shaped with their feedback. Those changes are now in effect, and I’d ask any producers who are interested to contact their local USDA service centers.” About the Program: The program protects dairy producers by paying them when the difference between the national all-milk price and the national average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount elected by the producer. Changes include: • Calculations of the margin period is monthly rather than bi-monthly. • Covered production is increased to 5 million pounds on the Tier 1 premium schedule, and premium rates for Tier 1 are substantially lowered. • An exemption from paying an administrative fee for limited resource, beginning, veteran, and disadvantaged producers. Dairy operators enrolled in the previous 2018 enrollment period that qualify for this exemption under the new provisions may request a refund. Dairy operations must make a new coverage election for 2018, even if you enrolled during the previous 2018 signup period. Coverage elections made for 2018 will be retroactive to January 1, 2018. All dairy operations desiring coverage must sign up during the enrollment period and submit an appropriate form (CCC-782) and dairy operations may still “opt out” by not submitting a form. All outstanding balances for 2017 and prior years must be paid in full before 2018 coverage is approved. Dairy producers can participate in FSA’s MPP-Dairy or the Risk Management Agency’s Livestock Gross Margin Insurance Plan for Dairy Cattle (LGM-Dairy), but not both. During the 2018 enrollment period, only producers with an active LGM-Dairy policy who have targeted marketings insured in 2018 months will be allowed to enroll in MPP-Dairy by June 1, 2018; however, their coverage will start only after active target marketings conclude under LGM-Dairy. USDA has a web tool to help producers determine the level of coverage under the MPP-Dairy that will provide them with the strongest safety net under a variety of conditions. The online resource, available at www.fsa.usda.gov/mpptool, allows dairy farmers to quickly and easily combine unique operation data and other key variables to calculate their coverage needs based on price projections. Producers can also review historical data or estimate future coverage based on data projections. The secure site can be accessed via computer, smartphone, tablet or any other platform. USDA is mailing postcards advising dairy producers of the changes. For more information, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/dairy or contact your local USDA service center

USDA Reopens Enrollment for Improved Dairy Safety Net Tool

USDA Reopens Enrollment for Improved Dairy Safety Net Tool 04/03/2018 11:41 AM EDT WASHINGTON, April 3, 2018— U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is encouraging dairy producers to consider enrolling in the new and improved Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy), which will provide better protections for dairy producers from shifting milk and feed prices. With changes authorized under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has set the enrollment period to run from April 9, 2018 to June 1, 2018.

USDA Announces Commodity Credit Corporation Lending Rates for April 2018

USDA Announces Commodity Credit Corporation Lending Rates for April 2018 04/02/2018 09:04 AM EDT WASHINGTON, April 2, 2018 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation today announced interest rates for April 2018. The Commodity Credit Corporation borrowing rate-based charge for April is 2.000 percent, up from 1.875 percent in March. Eddy County Extension Service and New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity employer and educator. Eddy County Government, New Mexico State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating, Extending Knowledge Changing Lives.

Pecos River Statkeholders meeting April 9.

AGENDA Pecos River Stakeholders’ Meeting April 9, 2018, 10:00 am Bureau of Land Management – Roswell Field Office 2909 West Second Street Roswell, NM 88201 Introductions 2018 River Operations (USACE, Reclamation) Overview of 2017 Biological Opinion (George Dennis, Mark Horner, USFWS) Basin Outlook (Royce Fontenot, NWS) New Mexico Office of the State Engineer Activities (Tim Williams, NMOSE District 2) NMACD Activities in SE New Mexico (Jesse Juen, NM Association of Conservation Districts) Avalon Dam Update (Michael Vollmer, Reclamation) CCAAs on the Black River (Emily Wirth, CEHMM) Shiner Research (Howard Brandenburg, ASIR) Shiner update (Steve Davenport, USFWS) Eddy County Extension Service and New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity employer and educator. Eddy County Government, New Mexico State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating, Extending Knowledge Changing Lives.