PLYMOUTH, Ind. — During the late-February Midwest Women in Agriculture Conference, USDA representatives shared information and answered questions about conservation and loan programs available to farmers.

Troy Manges, district conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Marshall County, said three agency offerings – the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) – will continue under the 2018 farm bill signed in late December.

“All three have been written back into the farm bill, but we just don’t know what the final form will be,” he explained. “I don’t expect a lot of changes in the practices, but there will be changes in the rules (for the programs).”

EQIP is a voluntary program that provides funding to farmers who agree to implement certain conservation practices on their land in order to protect natural resources. The program provides technical assistance and pays for a portion of the cost of the practices.

Under CSP, participants are paid to actively manage, maintain and expand conservation practices while continuing agricultural production on their land. The program also encourages the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and new management techniques.

ACEP provides financial and technical assistance to help conserve agricultural lands and wetlands and their related benefits. The program seeks to protect working agricultural lands and limit non-agricultural uses of the land.

Landowners interested in these and other NRCS programs should visit their local NRCS field office, Manges said. “We want to get out on the land and meet with the landowner,” he explained. “We want to talk about your resource concerns and your goals for the land.”

Once concerns have been identified, NRCS will help the landowner fill out an application for financial assistance. The agency will also confirm the owner’s eligibility. Applications are ranked periodically based on local resource concerns, the amount of conservation benefits the work will provide and the needs of the applicant.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) officials hope to learn more about changes in the 2018 farm bill this week, said Gideon Nobbe, county executive director for the agency in Marshall and St. Joseph counties.

“Our programs could be changed, but we don’t know,” he pointed out. “Until the information comes out on a press release, it’s all subject to change.”

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was included in the 2018 farm bill but Nobbe isn’t sure if acreage will be expanded. Under the program, farmers are paid yearly to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and to plant species that will improve environmental health and quality.

Producers interested in CRP or other FSA programs should visit their county office. During their first visit, Nobbe recommended farmers bring proof of identity and land ownership, leases and entity identification status.

In fiscal year 2018, eligible Hoosier farmers received $168 million from FSA through various farm loan programs, said Amanda Borne, the agency’s farm loan manager in Whitley County. The agency offers direct loans – those directly funded through FSA – and guaranteed loans funded through a bank but guaranteed by FSA.

“To be eligible, you have to be unable to get financing somewhere else,” she said. “You have to be the owner/operator. You also have to demonstrate some management ability. You must have some hands-on experience in farming.”

The loan programs require repayment ability and the borrower is expected to return to conventional credit sources, Borne added.

FSA also offers youth loans to people 10-20 years old to establish and operate certain income-producing projects in connection with agriculturally focused organizations such as 4-H and FFA.  “The maximum loan amount is $5,000,” Borne said. “The program gives youth the ability to take responsibility.”