The Dunn County United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office, in partnership with Go Farm Connect, will be hosting an in-office meet-and-greet event on Tuesday, January 9. At this event they will introduce farmers to financial and technical resources that can help their businesses grow. The event will be held in the USDA Office at 390 Red Cedar St, Menomonie. Refreshments will be provided, and language interpretation services will be available upon request. Residents and staff of Eau Claire, Chippewa, and Barron counties are also encouraged to attend.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offer a wide variety of farm loans and programs. These include crop insurance, infrastructure cost-shares, and planning tools that benefit farmers and landowners. Bonnie Warndahl of Go Farm Connect and staff from both FSA and NRCS welcome farmers—no matter how large or small their operation—to the event. Attendees can pre-register for this event at gofarmconnect.org.
Many farmers don’t know that they qualify for USDA services that can positively impact their farm business. For example, FSA offers low-interest loans to farmers. This can be used for start-up costs, expansion, equipment purchases, building a storage facility, and more. NRCS has programs that help with conservation plans, cover crop plans, grazing plans, and much more, as well as cost-share assistance for infrastructure like high tunnels and livestock watering systems.
