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Emergency haying has ended for approved MN counties but the grazing has been extended until November 30, 2012. Extensions are not authorized for the following practices: CP8a, Grass Waterway-Non-easement; CP23, Wetland Restoration; CP23A, Wetland Restoration, Non-Floodplain; CP27 & 28, Farmable Wetlands Pilot Wetland and Buffer; CP37, Duck Nesting habitat; and CP41, FWP Flooded Prairie Wetlands. PLEASE check with you local FSA office prior to grazing to verify if your CRP practice is eligible and to sign the necessary application forms. Emergency haying is NOT extended.

MILC July payment rate is $1.638 cents per hundredweight
All individuals, entities and members of entities (including husbands/wives or sons/daughters receiving payments for milk sold) need to complete a 2012 AGI form to be eligible for the MILC payment.

Farm safety
Summer is an exciting and hectic time on farms. FSA employees care about our customers, and want to remind them to practice farm safety.
Remember to: Walk around machinery and check shields and guards; make sure the PTO's master shield is in place; make sure Slow Moving Vehicle signs are on machinery.
If you are taking medicine, take it at the appropriate time and eat on schedule.
If you are working in grain bins know that flowing grain can kill, and it can kill quickly. It takes less than five seconds for a person caught in flowing grain to be trapped. Try not to work alone in bins or confined spaces, and if that's not possible let someone know where you are by checking in regularly by cell phone.
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) offers the following safety tips for farmers:
• Educate yourself on farm equipment. Read and follow instructions according to the equipment's manuals about safety.
• Conduct regular equipment inspections.
• Don't wear loose clothing while entering confined spaces such as grain bins, silos and hoppers as this can prevent entanglements.
• Install Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS) on tractors.
• Use seat belts while operating tractors with a ROPS. Do not allow additional passengers on the tractor with you.
• While operating tractors and other farm equipment, be very cautious on rural roadways.
• Use protective gear when operating machinery: Be familiar with hazardous chemicals. Take extra precaution when handling chemicals such as anhydrous ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane gas and hydrogen sulfide.
• Consistently educate your family and co-workers about safety practices, especially children.

Up-coming deadlines for 2012
• Sept. 30 deadline to timely submit rental agreements to receive 2012 DCP payments in Oct. 2012.
• Nov. 30, 2012 - Emergency Grazing on CRP ENDS.
• More information about CRP, MILC, other FSA programs and where to find your local USDA service Center can be found at www.fsa.usda.gov.
Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.[[In-content Ad]]

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