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>
Nominations open for Pesticide Advisory
Committee
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N.C. Pesticide Board announces March case
settlements
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NCDA&CS offers grants for specialty crops
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NCDA&CS to host workshops for farmers market
managers
> Timely, Reliable Information for Southeast
Agriculture
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FSA
Administrator Urges Bladen County Producers
to Enroll in DCP/ACRE
Waiting until “last minute” means long lines
at USDA office Elizabethtown —
USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator
Juan M. Garcia encouraged Bladen County
farmers and producers to enroll for the 2013
Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment Program
(DCP) or the Average Crop Revenue Election
Program (ACRE) before the deadline.
“We understand that Bladen County producers
have gotten busy, but they can’t forget to
visit their county office and sign up for
DCP or ACRE,” said Garcia. “Just as farmers
plan their spring plantings, producers
should plan to schedule an appointment to
visit the Bladen County USDA Service Center
at the earliest possible time. It’s best to
complete the paperwork now rather than to
stand in line the day before the deadline,”
advised Garcia.

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N.C.
Forest Service finds laurel wilt disease in
New Hanover County
RALEIGH -- The N.C. Forest Service has
confirmed that laurel wilt, a devastating
disease of redbay and other plants in the
laurel family, has been identified in New
Hanover County in an area near the western
edge of Wilmington.
The disease has
been identified across the Southeast in
portions of South Carolina, Georgia and
Florida. In North Carolina, it was first
discovered in Bladen, Columbus, Pender and
Sampson counties in 2011, and in Brunswick
County in 2012.
In North Carolina,
sassafras, pondberry, pondspice, swampbay
and spicebush also fall in the laurel family
and could be affected by this disease.

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USDA
Announces Farm Payments Scheduled to Resume
MILC, SURE, and NAP will restart on May 8
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm
Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Juan M.
Garcia announced today that farm payments,
which had been temporarily suspended due to
sequestration, are scheduled to resume
today, May 8. This includes payments for the
2011 Supplemental Revenue Assistance
Payments Program (SURE), the Noninsured Crop
Assistance Program (NAP) and the Milk Income
Loss Contract Program (MILC). On
March 4, 2013, FSA began a temporary
suspension of FSA program payments in order
to assess the impact of sequestration and
determine the least-disruptive process
possible for carrying out required cuts. The
Department will use the Secretary’s limited
authority to transfer funds to avoid
reducing these program payments.
Producers should be advised that program
sign-up periods currently underway have the
following enrollment deadlines: 2013 Average
Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program – June
3rd; 2011 SURE – June 7; and the 2013 Direct
and Counter-Cyclical Program – August 2nd.
Producers should contact their local Farm
Service Agency office as soon as possible
for appointments to enroll in these programs
before the deadlines.
USDA has made a
concerted effort to deliver results for the
American people, even as USDA implements
sequestration – the across-the-board budget
reductions mandated under terms of the
Budget Control Act. USDA has already
undertaken historic efforts since 2009 to
save more than $828 million in taxpayer
funds through targeted, common-sense budget
reductions. These reductions have put USDA
in a better position to carry out its
mission, while implementing sequester budget
reductions in a fair manner that causes as
little disruption as possible.
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USDA:
Final Call for 2012 Census of Agriculture
Bladen County Shouldn’t Miss Chance to
Provide Facts Straight from the Farm
With the window to respond to the
2012 Census of Agriculture officially
closing on May 31, 2013 the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) is urging Bladen
County farmers and producers not to miss
this opportunity to be counted and help
determine the future of farming in America.
USDA has already received more than 2
million completed Census forms.
"Our nation needs your help to ensure
that decisions about U.S. agriculture
accurately represent you, your communities,
and your industry," said Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack. "For every 158 people
in America there is one farm. I urge you to
take action today and respond to the Census
– your country is counting on the
information to help ensure a continued
supply of food, fiber and fuel for
generations to come."

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New NCDA&CS
Market News report will help farmers track
fertilizer and diesel fuel costs
RALEIGH -- A new report from the N.C.
Department of Agriculture and Consumers
Services State and Federal Market News
Service will help farmers track fertilizer
and diesel fuel costs -- two significant
production expenses. The production cost
report will be released each Friday. “The
data is collected from various dealers to
compile a price range and average in order
to protect the anonymity of individual
dealers,” said Agriculture Commissioner
Steve Troxler. “With the planting season
under way, this information will be
especially timely for growers.” Growers
will find prices for six different types of
fertilizer or soil amendments, along with
information on diesel fuel. The report can
be found on the Market News website at
http://www.ncagr.gov/markets/mktnews/RA_GR210.TXT.
The goal of the Market News Service is to
provide members of the agriculture industry
with information to assist them with making
business decisions. Information provided
can assist producers with financial
planning, assist insurance companies with
insurance claim settlements and benefit
other members of the industry.
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Secretary Vilsack Launches USDA
"StrikeForce" Initiative in North Carolina
RALEIGH - Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department
of Agriculture will launch its "StrikeForce"
initiative in 10 additional states,
including North Carolina. The primary goal
of the StrikeForce initiative is to increase
partnership with rural communities and
leverage community resources in targeted,
persistent poverty areas. Vilsack noted that
through the StrikeForce initiative, USDA
will do more to partner with local and state
governments and community organizations on
projects that promote economic development
and job creation. "During my
travels across the country, I've heard
mayors and other community leaders say they
have a hard time competing for USDA loan and
grant programs. They have a plan to develop
a new business or create jobs in their
regions, but they lack development capital
and they view our application and review
processes as a barrier," said Vilsack.
"StrikeForce changes that. By increasing
outreach and technical assistance to
communities, we can serve as better partners
and help better leverage resources."

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TURN DEER
PROBLEMS INTO PROFIT
North Carolina
row crop farmers lose more than $30 million
each year because of crop damage caused by
deer. Farmers Manage Deer, a two-year
program developed by the North Carolina
Wildlife Federation and sponsored by the
North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund
Commission, aims to help farmers both reduce
row crop damage and offset this loss.
Do you:
Suffer lost crop
yield and/or have to replant your row crops
because of deer damage?
Have to pay
others to shoot deer in the spring;
Use your valuable
time and resource to handle deer depredation
yourself?
Did you know
that:
One doe
harvested in the fall can mean three less
deer in your fields in the spring - when
your crops are most vulnerable?

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FSA State
Office Announces 45th General Sign-Up for
the Conservation Reserve Program
April 18, 2013 —
Bladen County Farm Service Agency (FSA)
announced today that the Bladen County FSA
will conduct a four-week Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up
beginning May 20 and ending on June 14.
It continues to
be the goal of FSA to ensure that CRP is
used to address the most critical resource
issues. In 2012, many states
experienced the worst drought in 60 years.
CRP protected environmentally sensitive
lands from washing or blowing away. It
gave ranchers extra grazing land when they
needed it. There will be strong
competition to enroll or re-enroll acres
into CRP, so Bladen County producers are
encouraged to maximize their environmental
benefits and make sure their offers are
cost-effective.
In addition to
erosion control, CRP provides significant
water quality benefits including reduced
nutrients and sediment loadings and adverse
consequences associated with floods as well
as expanded and enhanced wildlife habitat.
Currently, about
27 million acres are enrolled in CRP
nationwide. There are 2,269 acres
enrolled in Bladen County. CRP is a
voluntary program available to agricultural
producers to help them safeguard
environmentally sensitive land. Producers
enrolled in CRP plant long-term,
resource-conserving covers to improve the
quality of water, control soil erosion and
enhance wildlife habitat. Contracts on
an estimated 3.3 million acres of CRP are
set to expire on Sept. 30, 2013. 121
of those acres are in Bladen County.
Producers with expiring contracts or
producers with environmentally sensitive
land are encouraged to evaluate their
options under CRP.
Producers that
are accepted in the sign-up can receive
cost-share assistance for planting covers
and receive an annual rental payment for the
length of the contract (10-15 years).
Producers also are encouraged to look into
CRP’s other enrollment opportunities offered
on a continuous, non-competitive, sign-up
basis. Continuous sign-ups often
provide additional financial assistance.
Those sign-up dates will be announced later.
For more
information on CRP and other FSA programs,
visit your local FSA county office or
www.fsa.usda.gov.
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Noninsured
Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP)
Coverage for
Bladen County Farmers and Producers
The Farm Service
Agency's (FSA) Noninsured Crop Disaster
Assistance Program (NAP) provides financial
assistance to Bladen County producers of
non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of
inventory or prevented planting occur due to
a natural disaster.
Eligible
producers must apply for coverage of
non-insurable crops using Form CCC-471, and
pay the applicable service fee at the FSA
office where their farm records are
maintained. The application and service
fee must be filed by the sales closing date.
Since sales closing dates vary by crop,
contact the Bladen County FSA office for the
applicable date for your crops.

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