F3
FARM & RANCH
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
SEPTEMBER 2020
Farmers.gov feature allows for online business with USDA
Telegraph staff reports WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expanding online access for farmers. After updating self-ser- vice options at farmers.gov in June, the USDA has add- ed online access for farmers and ranchers who are mem- bers of an entity, as well as individuals and entities with powers of attorney, to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Additionally, online servic- es once available through NRCS’s Conservation Client Gateway will be moved to farmers.gov in the coming weeks. “Here at NRCS, we are committed to providing ex- cellent customer service, whether it’s through our network of USDA Service Centers across the coun- try or online at farmers.gov where we have new self-ser- vice features related to our conservation programs,” said Kevin Norton, NRCS acting chief. “We’re proud to announce that both farmers and ranchers acting as enti-
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge are the recommended brows- ers to access the feature. CCG’s functionalities are being moved to farmers.gov to give producers one place to do business with NRCS, FSA, and other USDA agen- cies. Current CCG users can use their existing login and password to access the conservation features on farmers.gov. CCG will be actively maintained and supported until all core components are moved to farmers.gov later this year. USDA is building farmers. gov for farmers, by farmers. Future self-service fea- tures available through the farmers.gov portal include the ability to report prac- tice completion and request practice certification, re- quest financial assistance, including submitting a pro- gram application, view and request application details, and upload and access their important conservation practice and contract docu- ments.
ties as well as those acting on a farmer’s behalf have ac- cess to self-service options online.” Now on farmers.gov, pro- ducers, entities and those acting on their behalf can securely interact with NRCS, sign and download documents, and view conser- vation contract information. Once entity or power of at- torney information is filed with FSA, farmers.gov au- tomatically gives customers access to their profile and any other profiles they have the authority to represent in the customer’s farmers.gov account. This is an upgrade from the legacy system, CCG, that required produc- ers to request access as an entity or power of attorney and provide documentation. Producers can access these conservation features by desktop computer, tablet, or phone. The features being an- nounced today add to existing features on site, in- cluding: » View, download, and e- sign documents;
Farmers.gov Farmers.gov now offers online business options for farmers and ranchers who are members of an entity.
while providing enhanced functionality and an im- proved user experience. To access their informa- tion, producers will need a USDA eAuth account to log- in into farmers.gov. After obtaining an eAuth account, producers should visit farm- ers.gov offsite link image and sign into the site’s au- thenticated portal via the “Sign In / Sign Up offsite link image ” link at the top right of the website.
» Request conservation as- sistance; » Reference technical terms and submit questions; » Access information on current and past conserva- tion practices; and » View detailed informa- tion on all previous and ongoing contracts, includ- ing the amount of planned and received cost-share as- sistance. The features include the most popular aspects of CCG
PSC reminding producers about state grain laws
with, and approved by the PSC. The Emergency Storage Application can be found at the PSC web- site.
the Emergency Storage Policy. In order to store grain on the ground, an Emergency Storage ap- plication must be filed
Telegraph staff reports LINCOLN—With the start of harvest, the Nebraska Public Service Commission is remind- ing producers about state grain laws. “Understanding the law is key when it comes to protecting one’s as- sets,” said Mike Bartels, PSC Grain Department director. “Producers could be left holding the bag should a deal- er go out of business and certain requirements haven’t been met.” Under the Grain Dealer Act, if a pro- ducer/seller wants to ensure transactions with a grain dealer are
covered by the grain dealer’s security posted with the PSC, they must demand payment with- in 15 days of completion of their contract. Sellers who choose not to de- mand payment within 15 days after completion of their contract will be unsecured creditors of that dealer and forfeit any protection. “The law is clear. It is the responsibility of the producers to de- mand payment within the set timeframe to en- sure they are covered,” Bartels said. Grain Warehouse operators are also re- minded by the PSC of
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