Pennsylvania Farm Bureau - Ag Issues

     USDA has issued the final rule for two of the supplemental disaster assistance programs included in the 2008 farm bill: the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) and the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP).
     Producers must apply at their local FSA office for ELAP and LFP assistance within 30 days of a loss or within 90 days of issuance of this rule for losses prior to issuance of the rule.
     The detail sheet provides detailed information on eligibility for both ELAP and LFP. Farmers and ranchers should contact their local FSA offices for additional details.

Harvest Grant Information
This grant has potential for farmers wanting to install wind, bio-mas, and other systems into service. Deadline for submission June 15, 2007. Grant Information (word doc)

PENNSYLVANIA FARMERS ELIGIBLE FOR CROP INSURANCE DISCOUNTS
Fruit and Forage Insurance Enrollment Deadlines Are Fast Approaching
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania farmers should act now to receive an additional 15 percent reduction in their 2007 crop insurance premiums. Deadlines are approaching as early as Nov. 20, Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff said today.
“This year, Governor Rendell and the General Assembly tripled the state’s investment in crop insurance, now at $3 million,” said Wolff. “Thanks to this foresight, producers can receive significant discounts on their crop insurance premiums by enrolling before the November deadlines.”
The 15 percent discount applies to all policies, after the federal discount, for any 2007 insurable crops grown in Pennsylvania. Deadlines for fruit crops and group risk forage programs are Nov. 20 and 30, respectively. Producers should contact their local crop insurance agent for specific policy deadlines.
“Pennsylvania is recognized as a leader in crop insurance, and participation continues to grow across the state, allowing our farmers to protect their investments and livelihoods should disaster occur,” said Wolff. “With the development of new programs like AGR-Lite, producers have more options to find a policy that suits their individual operation.”
The commonwealth has the only state-owned crop insurance product, AGR-Lite, in the nation. The program was created by the Department in response to many producers who did not have traditional products available to protect their farms. AGR-Lite is a whole-farm umbrella policy designed for specialty crop and diversified farm operations. By 2007, 28 other states will offer AGR-Lite under the ownership and oversight of Pennsylvania.
Producers are encouraged to contact a local crop insurance agent before the November deadlines. For more information on Pennsylvania’s crop insurance initiative and other risk management opportunities, call (717) 787-6041 or visit www.agriculture.state.pa.us and click on ‘Producers.’

Grants and Funding

*Many of the grants listed on this page are awarded on an annual basis. This listing is meant to be an information source for the availability of such programs, and is therefore the reason that some of them may have deadlines that have already passed.

PAgrows Program Offers Grant and Loan Assistance for Farmers, Agribusinesses

http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/pagrows/site/default.asp

Many state and federal grant applications are due between now and August.

Grant opportunities are usually for very specific tasks, and PAgrows can help insure your business meets a grant's minimum requirements before you start the application.

PAgrows pairs financial assistance from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) with technical assistance from the PA Department of Agriculture (PDA). It is designed to help farmers, food processors, farmers market operators and other agricultural businesses navigate through the grant and loan application process.

Call 1-888-PAgrows or visit the following web site for additional information: http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/pagrows/site/default.asp

Chesapeake Bay Targeted Watershed Grants Announced

In early May, ten watershed-based partnerships were awarded grants ranging from of $500,000 to $1 million to help improve the quality of local waters and the Chesapeake Bay, with four grants going to help restoration efforts in Pennsylvania.

The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Chesapeake Bay Trust provided $7.7 million to help reduce pollution reaching the Bay from agricultural and suburban lands.

Selected projects include managing nutrient runoff from manure through precision feeding; identifying markets for manure as fertilizer; and integrating farm stewardship with ecosystem restoration activities.

It is estimated that the ten projects chosen will reduce more than nine million pounds of nitrogen and nearly seven million pounds of phosphorous annually to the Bay.

Below are the grant awards that will benefit Pennsylvania:

Crop Management

· Environmental Defense - Regional Nutrient Use Efficiency in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin. Environmental Defense will work directly with 350 farmers in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin to improve on-farm nutrient use efficiency, including Plain Sect farmers who may be reluctant to participate in government-sponsored programs.

· DEP - Park the Plow for Profit: A Continuous No-Till Transition Program. The Department of Environmental Protection -- in partnership with Penn State Cooperative Extension, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Capital Area RC&D Council, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council -- will facilitate the conversion of 12,750 acres of cropland to continuous no-till agriculture.

Manure and Poultry Litter Management

· Upper Susquehanna Coalition - Cost Effective Nutrient Reduction in the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed. The Upper Susquehanna Coalition will integrate innovative prescribed grazing with riparian preservation and restoration approaches on agricultural land in the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed.

Urban/Suburban Stormwater Management

· Susquehanna River Basin Commission - Paxton Creek Watershed: Stormwater Management for Pennsylvania Communities. Using the Paxton Creek Watershed as a model, this project will develop a multi-jurisdictional stormwater management structure spanning several municipalities in the greater Harrisburg area. To test the management structure and address water quality impacts, the initiative also will implement five stormwater demonstration projects that are supported by and funded through public-private partnerships.

Grant announcement details are available at the Chesapeake Bay Program web site: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/newstargetedgrants050206.htm

DEP Clean Energy Project Grants Announced
The week of February 17, the Department of Environmental Protection announced the award of over $3.7 million in Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants to support alternative and clean fuel projects.
The grants went to 22 projects and will leverage more than $16 million in private funds.
For more information-- and to determine whether an Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant might be a possibility for you-- visit the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants Program webpage:http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/pollprev/AFIG/afvafig1.htm

Conservation Innovation Grants and Conservation Partnership Initiative Grants
FYI, notice has been put on the national NRCS web site for this year's EQIP Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) program with an application due date of March 20. They also plan to offer a state option CIG.
Notice is also posted for the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) , with an application due date of March 7.
These new programs are great ways that our conservation parnters can get additional funding to plan and test innovative new conservation strategies and practices. Please share this information as widely as possible. For more information, contact Barry Frantz, or Noel Soto at (717) 237-2173.

Economic Resources for Farmers

'Helping Farmers to Weather the Economic Crisis'

Grants & Funding

Grants and Funding