Press Release & Advisory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The office of the USDA Farm Service Agency in Pago Pago is closed until further notice due to building damages sustained during the tsunami on September 29, 2009.

Farm Loan Program and Farm Program services will continue to be provided to farmers and ranchers, including information regarding available disaster recovery services, damage assessment, receipt of loan payments and new loan information.

For information or to schedule an appointment or arrange for pick-up of loan payments, call:

Josephine "Josie" Lealasola, Agricultural Specialist at 258-6550

Letisha Vaivao, Program Technician at 258-9117

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

Welcome to the Pacific Basin's State Farm Service Agency (FSA) website. The Pacific Basin represents a geographical area encompassing approximately 6 million square miles. This region known as Oceania includes Micronesia (Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau) and Polynesia which includes American Samoa and Hawaii.

On the other western side of the International Dateline, Micronesia is in a convergence zone which makes it extremely susceptible to seasonal typhoons. Farmers and ranchers in the tropics are faced with a variety of unique challenges, including thin soil conditions, unusual crop diseases/viruses and extreme tropical weather conditions.

The Farm Service Agency has an office in Guam which provides FSA program services to several of the island territories in much of Micronesia. Farm Service Agency also has an office in Pago Pago, American Samoa, located below the Equator which provides FSA services to American Samoa producers.

Covering a geographic area the size of the Continental U.S., our agency supports a wealth of diverse farms and ranches in terms of size of operations, crops, type of production systems, and markets. Perhaps, more importantly, it is the diversity of the people engaged in agricultural systems that makes this region unique. The cultures, customs, languages and even the business systems are distinctive from place to place whether it is each island within the State of Hawaii or in the Eastern Pacific Ocean islands of Guam, the Common Wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

As diverse as our agricultural communities are, we are all firmly linked by our common commitment and passion for agriculture. Be it producing food for consumption, flowers and plants to enhance the quality of our lives, or the production of fiber for the energy sector, we are all working to assure the successful development of the region's agricultural businesses.

Farm Service Agency's staff is deeply committed to support our farm and ranch families and businesses by delivering a host of programs and services including farm loans, disaster relief, conservation and other valuable resources. I urge you to explore this website and the links to other programs and services within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Then take the time to call and schedule an appointment with staff at your local county FSA office and learn more about the programs that are available to maximize your business' success.

Aloha,

Diane Ley

State Executive Director

Hawaii State and Pacific Basin Office

737 Bishop Street, Suite 2340

Honolulu, HI 96813

(808) 441-2704

1-866-794-1079

(Honolulu, Hawaii), Sept. 18, 2009 - Diane Ley, Executive Director of USDA's Farm Service Agency in Hawaii and the Pacific Basin announced that producers may now begin applying for benefits under the provisions of the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish program (ELAP). These permanent disaster programs, authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, replace previous ad-hoc disaster assistance programs and are funded through the Agricultural Disaster Relief Trust Fund.

"USDA is committed to meeting the needs of producers after suffering devastating losses due to a natural disaster," said Ley. "These programs ensure that producers who have suffered agriculture losses receive the critical disaster assistance needed to remain financially solvent and help them continue on in their operations."

LFP provides payments to eligible livestock producers that have suffered livestock grazing losses due to qualifying drought or fire. For drought, the losses must have occurred on land that is native or improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover or a crop planted specifically for grazing. The drought losses must also have occurred during the normal grazing period for the specific type of grazing land in the county. For fire, LFP provides payments to eligible livestock producers that have suffered grazing losses on rangeland managed by a federal agency if the eligible livestock producer is prohibited by the federal agency from grazing the normal permitted livestock on the managed rangeland due to a qualifying fire.

Eligible livestock under LFP include beef cattle, alpacas, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, poultry, reindeer, sheep and swine. For losses due to drought, qualifying drought ratings are determined using the U.S. Drought Monitor located at http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html.

ELAP provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish that have losses due to disease, adverse weather or other conditions, including blizzards and wildfires. Further detail on eligibility criteria is available at your local FSA office.

Assistance for producers through ELAP is for losses not covered under other Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance programs established by the 2008 Farm Bill. These include LFP, the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE). ELAP is being implemented to help fill the gap and provide assistance under other eligibility conditions determined to be appropriate.

For both LFP and ELAP, livestock or forage losses must have occurred on or after January 1, 2008, and before October 1, 2011. Note that there are assistance application deadlines for each crop year during that multi-year period. There is a total $100,000 limitation per crop year that applies to payments received under ELAP, LFP, LIP or SURE. For the 2008 crop year, the $100,000 limitation is per "person" as defined and determined under payment limitation rules in effect for 2008.

For crop years 2009 through 2011, the $100,000 limitation applies to payments received, both directly and indirectly, by a person or legal entity. Furthermore, individuals or entities are ineligible for payment under ELAP or LFP for 2008 if their average Adjusted Gross Income for 2005, 2006 and 2007 exceeds $2.5 million. For 2009 through 2011, an average adjusted gross nonfarm income limitation of $500,000 applies and is determined using the three taxable years that precede the most immediately preceding complete taxable year (for 2009, the applicable years are 2005, 2006 and 2007).

For more information or to apply for ELAP or LFP and other USDA Farm Service Agency disaster assistance programs, please call your local USDA Service Center or FSA County Office to schedule an appointment with a staff expert. General information can also be obtained on the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov.

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2008- The Obama Administration today announced that Diane Ley will serve as Hawaii and Pacific Basin State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency at the USDA.

"Diane Ley has a solid understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our rural communities and will help build on the Obama Administration's efforts to rebuild and revitalize rural America," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Ley is currently the Deputy Director at the County of Hawaii Department of Research and Development, where she oversees programs related to agriculture, tourism, economic development and energy. She implemented state conservation programs while serving as Deputy to the Chairperson at the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Ley has experience with the Hawaii Farm Bureau and helped coordinate education programs for the Agricultural Leadership Foundation Program. She has been involved with the Hawaii agricultural community her entire life, including many years spent working directly on farming operations. Ley has been an active member of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture since 2006. She attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo and has completed various leadership programs.

The Farm Services Agency works to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for rural Americans. Some of the agency's efforts include providing direct operating loans for farm equipment, seed and fertilizer. FSA also procures various commodities to benefit low-income families through domestic food assistance programs. At the same time, the agency creates jobs by funding the growth and creation of rural businesses and cooperatives.

The USDA provides leadership on food, agriculture and natural resources and touches the life of every American. Reflecting President Obama's commitment to expanding economic opportunities in rural America, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and the USDA are working to enhance availability of broadband, promote the development of renewable energy, to conserve, maintain and improve our natural resources and environment, and promote a sustainable, safe, sufficient and nutritious food supply.