The application period for the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program closed last week. Indiana’s USDA Farm Service Agency Executive Director Steve Brown says a lot of applications were received and a lot of money has already gone out.
“We’ve been very busy administering the program. Nationwide, I think we took close to 540,000 applications. In Indiana, we took close to 29,000 applications for the program and as of last week, we’ve issued nearly $10 billion nationwide and in Indiana, we’ve issued close to $395 million.”
USDA encouraged producers to complete the application via login.gov. Login.gov provides a single, secure sign-in for over 40 federal and state agencies, allowing users to access services like the IRS and Social Security using one account.
“We understand that not every producer is going to be able or have the capability to do applications online, but we’re really trying to push this initiative for the producers that can, to take advantage of it and be able to simplify program delivery for us and eliminate some timeframes for producers.”
Brown says about 10% of applications in the state and nationwide were completed via that site.
FSA offices around the state have been busy. Brown encourages farmers to get in as soon as you’re done planting to certify acres.
“Make an appointment, call our offices, come in and get your crops certified. Certification of crops is one of our major programs. The months of June and July are very busy for us in our offices. Anybody we can get done in May is just an amazing relief on our workload.”
Brown commends FSA employees across the state for their tremendous work during these busy times. He adds it will never be a dull moment in FSA offices as sign-up information for ARC and PLC could be announced soon.
