FSA's are ready to help

By MANDY SPIKES | Central Texas Edition

George Melton, with the Coryell FSA, is on hand to help farmers during bad times. -- Photo by Mandy Spikes

March 20, 2003 -- The Farm Service Administration (FSA), like the one in Coryell County, is dedicated to helping farmers. If a farmer needs help to get back on his feet when he's been affected by drought or flood, the FSA is there with government programs. George Melton, county executive director, is one of the many workers dedicated to helping keep the agricultural heritage of the county going strong.

"I came on board in 1979. At the time I was the office manager and we worked under the name ASCS, which stood for the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service.

"Our offices administer most of the federal programs that are offered. We do this at the county level. We deal with the farms about their crops. They turn in an acreage form to us, which lets us know the number of crops that are reported."

Melton explained that most of the programs offered are voluntary, which means if a farmer doesn't want to deal with the FSA, they don't have to.

"There are a few programs that a farmer must report to us in order to keep their crop going. Up until the new farm bill, peanut, tobacco, and rice growers all had to work with the FSA. With most of the other crops, a farmer can do what he or she wants to, but then they don't get the program benefits that are offered.

"Every farmer on the program will have an acre base and a payment yield. These producers agree not to plant fruits, vegetables, and nut trees on the contracted acreage. In return, the government will make up some of the money when the prices go down."

He stated that these provisions are to protect the fruit and vegetable producer.

"The program for the 2002 crop season has just started, but farmers are signing up for it now. If you are under the old program that ran for six years, you can roll over bases or you can update your bases from 1998-2001 to a new program, but you must do this before April 1.

"A farmer can still plant what they want, but we will only pay for the commodities listed before April 1."

Melton also stated that the FSA has price supports, which is a loan to producers. "This gives crop producers another tool to sell their crop. They can pay off the loan anytime during the nine months of the loan. If the price is lower than the loan rate, then we take the commodity and the farmer keeps the money from the loan."

Two other loan programs that Melton said are helpful are the ownership loan and the operating loan for farming.

"When farmers have financial problems and they can't attain credit, we are there to support them. The farmer must show ability to pay the loan back, though.

"We also have a livestock program, which makes payments on wool, mohair, and lambs. There is also a part of the federal government that provides disaster assistance to farmers."