I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday season and as we pushed 2018 out the door it looks like we did so with a record rainfall.

Officially in Pittsburgh we broke the previous record from 2004 by a half inch or so, but I’m sure locally that number was exceeded by several inches. It seems like everyone received plenty of rain and some a lot more than others.

If you need conservation assistance to repair erosion issues from this record rainfall, please contact our office.

As we move into 2019 we usher in a lot of changes. Currently a portion of the federal government is dealing with a lapse in funding and locally that is affecting the Farm Service Agency.

However; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has received funding and is open for business. Our office is open from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through the week and can handle Farm Service Agency and NRCS business.

With a new year came a new Farm Bill and while we don’t have all the details pertaining to conservation programs we do know the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) have been combined.

We anticipated this change and it appears we will have a new ranking tool to process applications, but this could change our funding timelines, currently planned for later in February.

This won’t affect existing contracts, but new applications could see a harder time receiving funds.

There were also changes to CRP increasing the national enrollment acreage. This change doesn’t affect CREP, but does authorize funding to pay for cost share work completed after Oct. 1.

There were several changes to FSA programs and I’m sure more information will be coming from their office once they are permitted to return to work.

Finally, you may want to apply for the Market Production Program. FSA has previously notified many about this program that provides financial relief for farm products impacted by the tariffs currently imposed.

Corn, soybeans, wheat and dairy are the most applicable for our area. Producers can sign up by Jan. 15 and we’ll hold your application until FSA returns. You have until May 1 to certify your production based on your application.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.