SEPTEMBER NEWS – NELSON USDA SERVICE CENTER – FSA AND NRCS, NUCKOLLS COUNTY, NEBRASKA

The following information was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

A Message from Farm Service Agency CED Jay VanWesten:

It's the start of Fall, and I know most of you already are busy with the beginning of harvest for our crop producers and the weaning of calves for our cattle producers. Please keep safety in mind as you go about all your activities.

For those of you who plant fall-seeded crops, remember to get in touch with us as soon as you are done with that task. The deadline for fall acreage certification is Nov. 16. While not required, we also encourage certification of any fall-planted cover crops. Please call the office at 402-768-6520 to schedule an appointment.

The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provides financial assistance for losses from natural disasters on crops for which no permanent federal crop insurance is available. The list of commodities covered under this program is large, so if you are raising a crop that you cannot purchase federal crop insurance for, please contact our office for information on NAP and whether it may be applicable to what you are raising. Please note deadlines for coverage for 2027 production for some crops are fast-approaching (for example, application for coverage deadline for alfalfa, mix forages and grass is Nov. 16). Contact us sooner rather than later to learn more about NAP and apply.

USDA just announced the opening of the election and enrollment periods for the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for 2026 and 2027 crop years. This announcement also included final information on base acre allocation. Please read this news release for more details.

Whether it is an appointment for fall acreage certification, NAP application, ARC/PLC election and enrollment or some other need with our office, please note we have a new option for you to schedule your own appointment with us by using our online Bookings calendar. Find our office at the new FSA County Office locator that is searchable by state and by county. You'll note the "Make an Appointment" option on our contact page. From there, you can select the appropriate topic for which you'd like to meet with us and find a time available that works in to your schedule. The Bookings system will automatically send a confirmation email to you once your appointment is made, along with reminder emails leading up to the meeting. It's a quick way to schedule time with our office that is dedicated to you and your FSA needs.

While this online Bookings appointment calendar provides a great new option, please also know you are still welcome to call our office to schedule an appointment for service. We are always happy to help you.

That's all for this month. Best wishes for a successful and safe harvest season.

Jay VanWesten

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Thayer/Nuckolls County FSA Office Is Hiring

The Thayer/Nuckolls County Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in Hebron is hiring a full-time, permanent Program Analyst(PA). The deadline to apply is September 28, 2026.

Duties include general office activities supporting FSA programs administered at the field level. Successful applicants must be reliable, have a professional attitude and enjoy working with the public.

How to Apply

The application process starts by creating your profile at USAJOBS.gov.

Apply for this role today!

Applications must be completed through USAJOBS no later than close of business September 28, 2026.

For more information or questions regarding this role, contact Jay VanWesten at 402-768-6520.

If you know of someone who might be interested in this role, please share this information with them.

About FSA

FSA helps America's farmers and ranchers invest in, improve, and expand their agricultural operations through disaster assistance, farm loans, price support, income support, and conservation programs.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

USDA Announces 2026 and 2027 Enrollment for Key Price and Revenue Safety Net Programs, Completes First Base Acre Increase in Two Decades

Agricultural producers can soon begin enrolling in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated to include more than 30 million new base acres. This expansion, the first in 20 years, was made possible by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and is part of USDA's efforts to put Farmers First.

Now that the base allocation process is complete, producers can make elections and enroll for the 2026 crop year from Sept. 16 through Dec. 11, 2026, and for the 2027 crop year from Nov. 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027. Because eligible acres exceeded the nationwide 30-million-acre cap, USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) is applying an across-the-board, prorated reduction of 3.69% to all newly allocated base acres.

Base Allocation Notifications

The opportunity for landowners to review their base allocation summaries and take necessary action ended Aug. 31, 2026. This included correcting inaccurate information, designating subsequent acres or opting out of adding base acres. Landowners did not lose base acres through the base allocation process.

If landowners did not notify FSA of changes, the base allocation summary is considered accurate and complete; however, an across-the-board factor will apply. FSA determined the base allocation percentage reduction using all acreage reported as eligible, and new base acres will automatically be allocated to farms after applying the 3.69% reduction.

Base allocation notifications will be available beginning Sept. 16, 2026. Landowners can access notifications online at fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc using a Login.gov account. Landowners who do not currently have a Login.gov account can contact their FSA county office to obtain their base allocation notification beginning Sept. 16, 2026.

Enrollment Period

Producers can now change their election and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which both provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2026 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Existing multi-year contracts ended in 2025, but producers have the option to sign a new multi-year contract for 2026 through 2031. Producers who opt out of a multi-year contract can enroll for the 2027 crop year starting Nov. 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027.

If producers do not submit their 2026 election by Dec. 11, 2026, their election remains the same as their 2025 election for crops on the farm, and the farm is ineligible for payments for the 2026 program year. Landowners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the farm.

Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium and short grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.

Some land grant universities offer web-based decision tools to help producers make informed election decisions using crop data specific to their respective farming operations.

Producers can make program elections and enroll either online at fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc using a Login.gov account or by making an appointment at their local FSA office.

Crop Insurance Considerations

Producers are reminded that ARC and PLC election and enrollment can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products.

Producers can now add SCO coverage or the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) regardless of their ARC or PLC election. Previously, producers who elected ARC-CO or ARC-IC were ineligible to purchase the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) through their Approved Insurance Provider for the same acres, but The Working Families Tax Cuts Act removed this restriction.

Upland cotton farmers who choose to enroll seed cotton base acres in ARC or PLC are ineligible for the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) on their planted cotton acres for that farm.

Crop insurance information is available through USDA's Risk Management Agency.

More Information

For more information on ARC and PLC, visit the ARC and PLC webpage or contact your the Thayer/Nuckolls County office.

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Conduct Business with USDA Online

Do you want the convenience of conducting business with USDA online? Create your Login.gov account today! With a Login.gov account, you can view, complete, certify, submit and track applications online for applicable programs.

Login.gov uses one account and password for secure, private access to participating government agencies, including the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. If you already have a Login.gov account, there is no need to create a new account to work with USDA, just link your Login.gov account with your USDA customer record.

To create your Login.gov account, you'll need:

S. state or government issued photo ID (driver's license or U.S. passport)

Email address

Secure password (at least 12 characters)

Desktop or mobile device

Create Your Account

Follow the steps below to create your Login.gov account and tie it to your USDA customer record:

Create your Login.gov Account

Complete Identity Verification

Link your USDA Customer Record

Login.gov can verify your identity online using personal information you submit with an approved U.S. state or government issued photo ID. If you cannot verify your identity through the online process, visit an FSA Office to complete the verification process in person.

Linking your USDA Customer Record

If you have worked with FSA or NRCS in the past and have a USDA customer record, the system will attempt to automatically link your Login.gov account to your existing USDA Customer Record.

If you are new to working with USDA, you will need to have a USDA Customer Record created. This record is sometimes called a Business Partner ID, BPID, or Business Partner Customer Record. After you verify your identity online, you will be taken to a page to fill out and submit a form to begin that process.

If you run into issues linking your customer record, we may need to update existing forms or your contact information on file. Please reach out to your Thayer/Nuckolls County office for assistance.

For assistance in creating your Login.gov account, refer to the Login.gov Quick Reference Guide. For troubleshooting, visit login.gov/help/ or contact your Thayer/Nuckolls County office.

Book Appointments Online with the Thayer/Nuckolls County FSA Office

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is putting farmers first by offering a new option to schedule appointments online with the Thayer/Nuckolls County Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. Following a successful pilot program, FSA is using a digital appointment platform across the agency to allow producers to conveniently make farm program or farm loan program appointments online.

Appointments can be scheduled through FSA's digital platform, Microsoft Bookings, using a mobile device, tablet, laptop or desktop computer. To assist producers in finding their local FSA office to make an appointment, FSA has also launched a new FSA County Office locator that is searchable by state and by county. Each county office contact page has a unique link for producers to make an appointment online and shows contact information for the local FSA office and the farm loan team. Scheduled appointments may be in-person or virtual with the local FSA office depending on producer preference.

Producers can conveniently schedule appointments for a variety of services with both farm program and farm loan staff. The Microsoft Bookings-based system will automatically send a confirmation email to the producer along with reminder emails for upcoming appointments.

Producers still have the option to call the Thayer/Nuckolls County FSA Office at (402) 768-6520 or visit in person to make an appointment.

Environmental Review Required Before Project Implementation

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires Federal agencies to consider all potential environmental impacts for federally funded projects before the project is approved.

For all Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs, an environmental review must be completed before actions are approved, such as site preparation or ground disturbance. These programs include, but are not limited to, the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP), Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program and farm loans. If project implementation begins before FSA has completed an environmental review, the request will be denied. Although there are exceptions regarding the Stafford Act and emergencies, it's important to wait until you receive written approval of your project proposal before starting any actions.

Applications cannot be approved until FSA has copies of all permits and plans. Contact your local FSA office early in your planning process to determine what level of environmental review is required for your program application so that it can be completed timely.

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USDA Service Center

Nuckolls County, Nebraska

1220 South Avenue

Hebron, NE 68370

Phone: 402-768-6520

Fax: 855-783-1590

Farm Service Agency

Jay A. VanWesten

County Executive Director

402-768-6520, ext. 2

[email protected]

Farm Loan Contact

Kayla Hintze

Farm Loan Officer

402-463-6771, ext. 2 [email protected]

Natural Resource Conservation Services

Janet Valasek

District Conservationist

402-762-3569, ext. 3 [email protected]

Nuckolls County Office Committee

Nick Wehrman - Chairman

Brock Melton - Vice-Chairman

Matt Sullivan - Member

Debbie Eickmann - Advisor

Next COC Meeting: TBD