Resources

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Record Keeping & Reporting

May 1, 2026
Keeping accurate crop records not only helps you manage your farm business, but also can unlock access to USDA programs, loans, crop insurance, and disaster assistance. Here's some record keeping and reporting best practices for small and beginning farmers.
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USDA paper files on shelf

The Power of a Paper Trail: Print and Save USDA Documents

July 18, 2025
Protect your farm. NPR reports DOGE staff can now view and edit sensitive USDA farmer data. Now's a good time to request hard copies of your FSA and NRCS records. In related news, USDA also ended use of the “socially disadvantaged” designation. Farmers of color and women may want to update their CCC-860 to reflect other statuses.
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Community Land for Community Benefit

September 15, 2024
Using idle city lots, such as church property, can be an affordable way to access land for food production - but working to get multiple community entities to a shared understanding is often difficult. Two local leaders navigate and share their case studies for farming in community partnership in Mississippi.
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How & Why to Get a Farm Number

July 29, 2011
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's farm programs are administered on the local level through county-based Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices. The FSA provides and administers farm loans, crop insurance, and disaster assistance compensation. You must register your farm with the FSA to be eligible for any of these programs.
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