Moorhead MN USDA Office Visit: Intro to Federal Ag Programs and Disaster Assistance

Go Farm Connect is partnering with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to host this introductory visit with staff at the Clay County USDA Farm Services Center in Moorhead. The visit will be facilitated by Connectors Noreen Thomas, certified organic specialty grain farmer at Doubting Thomas Farms, and Amy Rice, incubator farm manager at PRAIRIE Institute's New Roots Farm. Agency staff will briefly cover opportunities for growers to take advantage of federal farm loan and grant programs, including the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), which is insurance for fruits, vegetables and some other crops not covered by traditional crop insurance. 

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offer a wide variety of farm loans and programs such as crop insurance, infrastructure cost-share funding, and planning tools that benefit farmers and landowners. Many farmers don’t know that they qualify for USDA services that can positively impact their farm business and offer peace of mind. For example, FSA offers low-interest loans to farmers which can be used for start-up costs, expansion, equipment purchases, building a storage facility, and more. NRCS has programs that help with conservation plans, cover crop plans, grazing plans, and much more, as well as cost-share assistance for infrastructure like high tunnels and livestock watering systems.

Who Should Attend

All interested parties are invited to attend and learn, including beginning and prospective farmers, landowners, family, friends, cultural advocates, and agricultural support professionals. No prior experience with federal farm agencies is required. Land ownership is not a requirement to participate in assistance programs.  Attendees do not have to reside in Clay County - this information will pertain to all federal programs. Language interpretation will be provided in Kirundi. Bhutanese or Spanish will be provided upon request via the registration form. 

Who Will Present

James Kruize, County Executive Director with Farm Services Agency (FSA), and Travis Doeden, Clay County District Conservationist with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), will attend, as well as other agency staff. 

What To Expect

This brief visit will cover the basics of farm programs and introduce participants to the staff at the USDA Farm Services Center. Time will be provided for individual assistance and questions, and Go Farm Connectors will follow up with interested participants after the event. Photos and videos may be taken for future outreach purposes. If you do not want to be in photographs, please let one of the Connectors know at the beginning of the event. 

About Go Farm Connect

Are you lost in an alphabet soup of federal acronyms? Need help finding the right resources? 

Navigating USDA programs can be overwhelming, confusing and intimidating. We get that! We've pulled together an experienced team of farmers to help you connect to the right programs. We offer FREE services that focus on different aspects of building a successful farm business. We can provide a Connector to be your personal guide, coach, and and ally that shares your goal of running a successful farm operation. 

Go Farm Connect is a farmer-led initiative to build relationships between historically underserved specialty crop farmers (beginning, women, veterans, BIPOC and new Americans) and federal farm agencies.  Our Connectors are trained to help farms of all sizes and specialties in Minnesota and Wisconsin access agricultural assistance programs. The three-year project is led by Renewing The Countryside in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, and Natural Resources Conservation Service.