Farm Service Agency

2020 ◽  
pp. 599-606
Keyword(s):  
Service Agency ◽  
Farm Service Agency

scholarly journals Developing and Implementing Farm Stress Training to Address Agricultural Producer Mental Health

2020 ◽  
pp. 152483992093184
Author(s):  
Courtney Cuthbertson ◽  
Alison Brennan ◽  
John Shutske ◽  
Lori Zierl ◽  
Andrea Bjornestad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Resources ◽  
Service Agency ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Producers ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Resources Evaluation ◽  
Agricultural Producer ◽  
Farm Service Agency ◽  
Practice Skills

Farmers and ranchers (agricultural producers) have higher psychological distress and suicide rates than the general population. Poorer mental health status and outcomes among producers are often attributed to the continuously challenging economic, social, and climate-related changes to agriculture as an occupation and industry. This article describes the development of a training program for agribusiness professionals from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (N = 500) who work with producers, as they regularly interact with producers and thus are in a position to readily offer helpful mental health resources. The goal of the program was for agribusiness professionals to build skills and confidence to identify and respond to distressed producers. The educational program was offered primarily online and included a 1-day in-person training to practice skills to communicate with distressed producers and refer them to appropriate mental health resources. Evaluation of the program demonstrated participants experienced gains in knowledge and skills related to identifying and helping distressed producers.

Do farm service agency borrowers' double minority labels lead to more unfavorable loan packaging terms?

2020 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 633-646
Author(s):  
Jyotsna Ghimire ◽  
Cesar L. Escalante ◽  
Ramesh Ghimire ◽  
Charles B. Dodson
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rate ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Simulation Optimization ◽  
Service Agency ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Loan Terms ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Farm Service Agency ◽  
Double Minority

PurposeThis study adds a new dimension in the study of racial and gender bias in farm lending. Most previous studies analyzed the separate effects of race and gender attributes on loan approval decisions. The analysis focuses on the stipulation of loan terms (loan amount, interest rate and maturity) among approved farm loan applications. The time period analyzed spans from 2004 until 2014 during which the government has undertaken reforms to improve delivery of loan services to its clientele of minority farmers. Thus, this study's findings could help validate the effectivity of such institutional reforms affecting Farm Service Agency (FSA) lending operations.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilizes a national direct loan origination data from the FSA of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) collected from 2004 to 2014. The analysis begins by identifying significant differences in cross-tabulations of loan terms among different racial and gender classes. Seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) regression techniques are then applied for a system of equations involving the three loan packaging components. The combined effects of the prescribed loan packaging terms are subsequently analyzed under a simulation-optimization framework.FindingsRegression results validate that indeed, relative to White American borrowers, certain minority borrowers are accommodated with lower loan amounts at higher interest rates and with shorter maturities. However, these decisions seem to be prompted by credit risk management considerations. The most compelling findings include the insignificance of all double minority labeling variables, except for the interest rate equation that even produced favorable results for Hispanic American females. Simulation-optimization results further reinforce that even when one or two unfavorable loan terms are included in the packaging, double minority borrowers end up with better profitability and liquidity positions.Practical implicationsThis study provides a different perspective in dealing with the controversial minority bias in lending by presenting evidence gathered from a government farm lending institution. The USDA-FSA has been sued in numerous occasions by minority borrowers. Since then, however, it has deliberately implemented institutional reforms to rectify previous errors. This study provides empirical evidence strengthening FSA's claim of its intention to improve its delivery of loan services, especially for its socially disadvantaged borrowers with double minority classification.Originality/valueThis study pioneers the analysis of the double minority labeling effect on farm lending decisions. Its contributions to literature are further enhanced by its goal to validate the effectiveness of FSA institutional reforms undertaken since the early 2000s in order to improve credit access of and delivery of credit services to minority farm borrowers, especially those that belong to more than one minority classification.

FSA farm loan repayment under economic recession and drought conditions

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 445-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cesar Escalante ◽  
Minrong Song ◽  
Charles Dodson
Keyword(s):  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Duration Model ◽  
Service Agency ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
Business Structures ◽  
Farm Service Agency

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the repayment records of Farm Service Agency (FSA) borrowers in two distinct US farming regions that have been experienced serious drought conditions even as the US economy was going through a recession. The analysis will identify factors that significantly influence both the probability of FSA borrowers’ survival (capability to remain in good credit standing) and temporal endurance (or length of period of good standing with creditor). Design/methodology/approach This analysis utilizes a data set of farm borrowers of the Farm Service Agency that regular farm lenders have classified as “marginal” relative to other borrowers. The research goal is addressed by confining this study’s regional focus to the Southeast and Midwest that have both dealt with financial stress arising from abnormal natural and economic conditions prevailing during the same time period. A split population duration model is employed to separately identify determinants of the probability and duration of survival (condition of good credit standing). Findings This study’s results indicate that larger loan balances, declining commodity prices, and the severity of drought conditions have adversely affected both the borrowing farms’ probability of survival and temporal endurance in terms of maintaining non-delinquent borrower standing. Notably, Midwestern farms have been relatively less affected by drought conditions compared to Southeastern farms. This study’s results validate the contention that the farms’ capability to survive and the duration of their survival can be attributed to differences in regional resource endowments, farming activities, and business structures. Originality/value This study’s analytical framework departs from the basic duration model approach by considering temporal endurance, in addition to survival probability analysis. This study’s original contributions are enhanced by its specific focus on the contrasting farm business structures and operating environments in the Midwest and Southeast regions.

scholarly journals Stored Grain Pack Factor Measurements for Soybeans, Grain Sorghum, Oats, Barley, and Wheat

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 747-757
Author(s):  
Rumela Bhadra ◽  
Mark E. Casada ◽  
Aaron P. Turner ◽  
Michael D. Montross ◽  
Sidney A. Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Initial Density ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Grain Sorghum ◽  
Barley Grain ◽  
Average Error ◽  
Prediction Errors ◽  
Service Agency ◽  
Stored Grain ◽  
Volume Measurements ◽  
Farm Service Agency

Abstract. Grain and oilseed crops stored in bins undergo compaction due to overbearing pressure of the grain inside the structure. Thus, volume measurements of grain in bins need to be combined with the amount of packing (usually called pack factor) in addition to the initial density so that the mass in the structure can be calculated. Multiple pack factor prediction methods are in use in the grain industry, but they have only been validated in the literature and compared with field data for corn and hard red winter wheat. Predictions from WPACKING, the program in ASABE Standard EP413.2, and two standard USDA methods, the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) and USDA Farm Service Agency-Warehouse Licensing and Examination Division (FSA-W) methods, were compared to field measurements of 92 bins containing soybeans, grain sorghum, oats, barley, or soft white or durum wheat. The WPACKING predictions had the lowest absolute average error of predicted mass for soybeans, grain sorghum, barley, and wheat, while the FSA-W method had the lowest error for oats. The RMA method gave the largest prediction errors for all five crops and struggled especially with the low-density, high-compaction crops oats and barley, giving average percent absolute errors near or above 10% in both cases. Overall, WPACKING, the RMA method, and the FSA-W method had average percent absolute errors of 2.09%, 5.65%, and 3.62%, respectively, for the 92 bins. These results can be used to improve pack factor predictions for the grain industry. Keywords: Barley, Grain, Grain sorghum, Oats, Pack factor, Sorghum, Soybeans, Steel and concrete bins, Stored grain inventory, Test weight, Wheat.

scholarly journals Farm service agency employee intentions to use weather and climate data in professional services

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel E. Schattman ◽  
Gabrielle Roesch-McNally ◽  
Sarah Wiener ◽  
Meredith T. Niles ◽  
David Y. Hollinger
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Service Agency ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Weather And Climate ◽  
The Future ◽  
Farm Service Agency

AbstractAgricultural service providers often work closely with producers, and are well positioned to include weather and climate change information in the services they provide. By doing so, they can help producers reduce risks due to climate variability and change. A national survey of United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) field staff (n = 4621) was conducted in 2016. The survey was designed to assess FSA employees’ use of climate and weather-related data and explore their perspectives on climate change, attitudes toward adaptation and concerns regarding climate- and weather-driven risks. Two structural equation models were developed to explore relationships between these factors, and to predict respondents’ willingness to integrate climate and weather data into their professional services in the future. The two models were compared with assess the relative influence of respondents’ current use of weather and climate information. Findings suggest that respondents’ perceptions of weather-related risk in combination with their personal observations of weather variability help predict whether an individual intends to use weather and climate information in the future. Importantly, climate change belief is not a significant predictor of this intention; however, the belief that producers will have to adapt to climate change in order to remain viable is. Surprisingly, whether or not an individual currently uses weather and climate information is not a good predictor of whether they intend to in the future. This suggests that there are opportunities to increase employee exposure and proficiency with weather and climate information to meet the needs of American farmers by helping them to reduce risk.

Competing risks models of Farm Service Agency seven‐year direct operating loans

2011 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce L. Dixon ◽  
Bruce L. Ahrendsen ◽  
Brandon R. McFadden ◽  
Diana M. Danforth ◽  
Monica Foianini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Competing Risks ◽  
Service Agency ◽  
Farm Service Agency

scholarly journals Mapping the Location and Extent of 2019 Prevent Planting Acres in South Dakota Using Remote Sensing Techniques

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 2430
Author(s):  
Afolarin Lawal ◽  
Hannah Kerner ◽  
Inbal Becker-Reshef ◽  
Seth Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Change Detection ◽  
South Dakota ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Service Agency ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Entire Study ◽  
Farm Service Agency ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Flood Maps

The inability of a farmer to plant an insured crop by the policy’s final planting date can pose financial challenges for the grower and cause reduced production for a widely impacted region. Prevented planting is primarily caused by excess moisture or rainfall such as the catastrophic flooding and widespread conditions that prevented active field work in the midwestern region of United States in 2019. While the Farm Service Agency reports the number of such “prevent plant” acres each year at the county scale, field-scale maps of prevent plant fields—which would enable analyses related to assessing and mitigating the impact of climate on agriculture—are not currently available. The aim of this study is to demonstrate a method for mapping likely prevent plant fields based on flood mapping and historical cropland maps. We focused on a study region in eastern South Dakota and created flood maps using Landsat 8 and Sentinel 1 images from 2018 and 2019. We used automatic threshold-based change detection using NDVI and NDWI to accentuate changes likely caused by flooding. The NDVI change detection map showed vegetation loss in the eastern parts of the study area while NDWI values showed increased water content, both indicating possible flooding events. The VH polarization of Sentinel 1 was also particularly useful in identifying potential flooded areas as the VH values for 2019 were substantially lower than those of 2018, especially in the northern part of the study area, likely indicating standing water or reduced biomass. We combined the flood maps from Landsat 8 and Sentinel 1 to form a complete flood likelihood map over the entire study area. We intersected this flood map with a map of fallow pixels extracted from the Cropland Data Layer to produce a map of predicted prevent plant acres across several counties in South Dakota. The predicted figures were within 10% error of Farm Service Agency reports, with low errors in the most affected counties in the state such as Beadle, Hanson, and Hand.

Implementing Biointensive IPM Systems in Cling Peaches

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 502b-502
Author(s):  
Janine K. Hasey ◽  
Carolyn Pickel ◽  
William H. Olson
Keyword(s):  
Mating Disruption ◽  
Agency Cost ◽  
Oriental Fruit Moth ◽  
Service Agency ◽  
California Department ◽  
Cost Share ◽  
Program Cost ◽  
Economic Program ◽  
Program Costs ◽  
Farm Service Agency

A complete mating disruption program that uses pheromone confusion technology successfully controlled oriental fruit moth and peach twig borer while eliminating most in season insecticides in cling peaches from 1995–1997 in a three-county area. During this 3-year period, 46 cooperators used this program on 580 acres. Growers applied both Oriental fruit moth and peach twig borer pheromone dispensers twice. Orchards were monitored for moths and for shoot strikes during the season. Harvest samples were taken to determine worm damage. A few orchards were sprayed once when shoot strike counts exceeded threshold levels of three to five strikes per tree. Along with mating disruption in 1997, 209 acres were sprayed with Bacillus thuringiensis during bloom to replace the dormant insecticide spray and improve efficacy of pheromone confusion. Throughout implementation, mating disruption program costs were compared with conventional spray programs. Between 1995 and 1997, the complete mating disruption program cost decreased from $243 per acre to $216 per acre respectively. Even with the decrease in cost, this is much higher than $104 per acre for the standard spray program. Some growers decreased pheromone dispenser applications in 1997 for a more economic program. This program still reduced pesticide use by 33% to 67%. While most growers using this partial program had success, some orchards had high shoot strikes indicating a potential problem. Grants from USDA-ES-Smith-Lever IPM project, EPA Environmental Stewardship Partnership, California Department of Pesticide Regulation and Farm Service Agency cost share programs aided in our ability to implement these biointensive programs; they provided the money necessary for monitoring and reducing direct costs to the grower. The main obstacle to cling peach growers adopting the complete biointensive program is the economics. Most growers will continue to spray or use a partial mating disruption program until less expensive commercial products become available.

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