South Carolina State Office

Coronavirus and USDA Service Centers

Some USDA Service Centers in South Carolina will begin allowing in-person office visits by appointment only. Our program delivery staff will be in the office and work with our producers in person, by phone, by email, or by using other online tools. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business should call ahead to confirm the office’s status and make an appointment before visiting. Visitors will be pre-screened based on health concerns or recent travel and must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Visitors may also be required to wear a face covering during their appointment.

Pandemic Assistance for Producers

USDA is committed to delivering financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers who have been impacted by COVID-19 market disruptions through our new initiative – USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers. Stay updated on announcements under the USDA Pandemic Assistance to Producers initiative at farmers.gov.

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

USDA is implementing updates to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) for producers of agricultural commodities marketed in 2020 who faced market disruptions due to COVID-19. Farm Service Agency will reopen sign-up for CFAP 2 for at least 60 days beginning on April 5, 2021. Learn more about applying for CFAP 2 and other recent CFAP updates.

Farm Service Agency Accepting Nominations for County Committees June 15 through Aug. 2

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting nominations for county committees now through Aug. 2, 2021. Elections will take place starting in November.

County committees are unique to FSA and serve as a direct link between agricultural communities across the country and USDA. For more information on FSA county committees, visit fsa.usda.gov/elections.

Ask the Expert: Understanding the U.S. Drought Monitor; a Q&A with Brian Fuchs

In this Ask the Expert, climatologist Brian Fuchs answers questions about the U.S. Drought Monitor and how it relates to USDA and supports agricultural producers. Brian is part of the team at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that manages the drought map. The drought monitor is an online, weekly map showing the extent and severity of drought across the United States.

Learn more about the U.S. Drought Monitor.

USDA Seeks Applications for Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)

For more information, please visit the SC RD website at www.rd.usda.gov/sc.

Farm Bill

The Farm Bill Fact Sheet is now “live” online at What’s New: FSA and the 2018 Farm Bill.

Sign Up For FSA Fence Post for Daily Updates

The Farm Service Agency Fence Post is an online newsletter that is updated on an almost daily basis. It contains articles of interest on the agency's programs and departments, as well as success stories from the field. To access Fence Post, visit http://fsa.blogs.govdelivery.com/. Producers can sign up for weekly Fence Post updates by putting an email address in the box that says "Get Email Updates".