The Washington State Farm Service Agency serves the agricultural community through 25 county level USDA service centers and one state office, located in Spokane.

FSA helps to ensure a stable food supply for the nation by supporting American farmers. This is accomplished through the implementation of farm programs authorized by Congress.

The programs currently carried out in Washington State are categorized under the following headings.

To find out more about the rules and regulations related to FSA programs click here.

FSA will allow agricultural producers who had 2008 crop losses and would otherwise be ineligible for the new disaster assistance programs to become eligible by paying a fee as authorized by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill). Press release

June 30, 2008 - The State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) initiative aims to provide wildlife habitat for high value species on private land. The initiative is a state and federal partnership designed to meet state wildlife priorities. It is part of the Farm Service Agency's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and is implemented in cooperation with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Read more

June 25, 2008 - Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said USDA's announcement for signup beginning today in the 2008 Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program (DCP) helps deliver certainty for the crop year and the option of a timely advance payment. Read more

June 19, 2008 - USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Teresa Lasseter announced that eligible farmers who suffered quality losses to their crops in recent years can enroll in the Crop Disaster Program 2005-2007 (CDP) at local FSA service centers starting June 23, 2008. Read more

FSA is accepting nominations for county committee members. Committees provide local guidance for federal farm programs. Nominations are due Aug. 1, 2008.

May 27, 2008 - In order to relieve livestock feed costs, USDA has authorized certain CRP acreage for haying and grazing after the primary nesting season, April 1 to August 1. Additional details including fact sheets, maps and statistics are available at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation.

*More information may also be found in Notices CRP-604 and CRP-606

6/2 - Requests to modify CRP contracts for critical feed use begins

6/5 - Requests begin for 2008 Crop, Marketing Assistance Loans (MAL)

6/5 - Requests begin for 2008 Crop, Loan Deficiency Payments (LDP)

6/23 - Sign up begins for Quality Loss Crop Disaster Program (CDP)

6/25 -9/30 - 2008 Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment (DCP) Program Sign up

7/4 - Offices closed for Independence Day

7/18 - Sign up ends for Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and Livestock Compensation Program (LCP)

8/1 - County Committee Nominations Due

8/15 - *EXTENDED* Deadline to report crop acreage

9/1 - Offices closed for Labor Day

9/16 - Deadline to purchase buy-in NAP and CAT coverage for 2008 crops

8/31/08 (Extended to 12/1) - Canola & rapeseed; onions, radish, carrots and cabbage (for seed or fresh); all value loss crops (aquaculture, Christmas trees, ornamental nursery, turf grass sod, floriculture, mushrooms); artichokes and any fall planted crops not mentioned in any other closing date

9/30/08 (Extended to 12/1) - Perennial grazing crops; perennial forage crops; forage seed crops; mint and wheat

11/20/08 (Extended to 12/1) - All Perennial crops not listed under the 9/30 category (berries, fruit trees, grapes, asparagus); honey

3/15/09 - Spring planted crops, small grain forages (including wheat, barley, and oats including annual pea forage), mustard and summer planted buckwheat