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USDA FSA

USDA Meeting to Assist Growers with ELAP Applications

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) will host a group meeting to assist growers with the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). FSA staff will be on site to assist with filling out ELAP applications and to answer any questions. Date & Time: December 1st, 12:00pm – 3:00pm EST Location: Estero Community Park, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd, Estero, FL 33928 Contact: USDA Farm Service Agency, Florida State Office, Savanna.Turner@usda.gov

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Regional Shellfish Seed Biosecurity Program Webinar

To both improve biosecurity of shellfish seed transfers and reduce unnecessary hurdles to the shellfish aquaculture industry, the Regional Shellfish Seed Biosecurity Program (RSSBP, https://rssbp.org/) was created as a collaboration among members of the shellfish aquaculture industry, shellfish scientists and pathologists, state regulators, and extension professionals. What: Regional Shellfish Seed Biosecurity Program Webinar When: Friday, November 11, 2022, 1PM CDT (Noon ET) Shellfish growers and hatchery managers know the challenges of getting seed, and how complicated and costly this can get with state regulations, which usually require individual batch testing to provide assurance of biosecurity, freedom from pathogens or diseases,

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Growers impacted by H. Ian may apply for NRCS EQIP-Deadline November 15

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offers voluntary Farm Bill programs that benefit both agricultural producers and the environment. In recent years, shellfish growers in other states have benefited by participating in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides technical and financial assistance to producers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits, see fact sheet. Discussion is ongoing with NRCS staff on how this program could assist shellfish growers in designated counties impacted by Hurricane Ian remove debris and damaged farm gear from their submerged land leases and restore to pre-hurricane conditions. Shellfish growers are encouraged

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Online Workshop: Co-culture of Shellfish and Seaweed in Florida

This  workshop, hosted by Two Docks Shellfish and the Marine Biological Laboratory, will provide an overview of a recently funded Saltonstall-Kennedy award that is exploring methods for sustainable commercial co-cultivation of shellfish and seaweed in Florida. In addition to invited talks from experts in the field, the project team will update audience on current project objectives and engage participants in discussions about industry potential, regulatory hurdles and market challenges. See agenda. When: Thursday, November 17, 2022, 1:00 – 4:00 PM Eastern Time Where: This online workshop will be held on Zoom. Please register here for details. Or copy and paste

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NRCS Hosting Aquaculture Focused Webinar

The US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), offers a variety of cost-share programs to improve on-farm conservation practices. To answer questions as to how these programs can benefit the aquaculture farming community, NRCS staff is hosting an informational webinar on November 16th (Wednesday) from 3:00pm – 4:00pm eastern time. NRCS staff will also address the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which has benefited shellfish growers in other states. Join the webinar here: Teams virtual meeting, no registration is needed. If the webinar link above doesn’t work, copy and paste into a browser this link on November 16th

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USDA FSA

Hurricane Ian Updates from USDA Farm Service Agency

Loss Adjustments Waived The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced that loss adjustments for the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) have been waived for growers impacted by Hurricane Ian. The waiver is not county specific, but grower specific. It is for growers in counties that have Presidential or Secretarial designations with crops where the entire unit acreage is destroyed or damaged to the extent the acreage will never be harvested. The counties where shellfish aquaculture occurs that have disaster designations are Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, Indian River, Lee, Manatee, St. Johns, and Volusia. Growers must notify USDA of their

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Online Seaweed workshop

Enhancing Marine Aquaculture in the Tropical U.S.: Methods for sustainable commercial co-cultivation of shellfish and seaweed in Florida Mark your calendars for an upcoming online workshop focused on the potential of seaweed production in Florida, to be held online via Zoom on Thursday, November 17, 2022. Are you interested in the potential for a seaweed market in Florida? Are you a regulator, buyer, grower, or researcher with an interest in this product for the southern US? Register today! What: A workshop to provide an overview of a recently funded Saltonstall-Kennedy award that is exploring methods for sustainable commercial co-cultivation of

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Filing Hurricane Losses with USDA Farm Service Agency

For growers located in counties where the USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) local infrastructure has been impacted by Hurricane Ian, the agency has established state-specific toll-free information lines where growers in need can receive immediate information regarding available FSA assistance. If your local FSA office is closed, you can contact the FSA Call Center at 1-877-508-8364. The line is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET or email:  SM.FPAC.FSA.FLFSA.Disaster@USDA.GOV.  If possible, FSA is requesting growers include their county in the subject line of the email, this will expedite the response time of our team. Reporting Losses/Submitting

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Clams

Monthly Inventory/Acreage Reports for USDA Farm Service Agency’s NAP and ELAP Programs

The USDA Farm Service Agency’s Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program, or NAP,  and Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm raised Fish Program, or ELAP, require clam growers to provide an inventory report at the beginning of the crop year, which is from October 1 through September 30 of the next year. For NAP, clam growers are required to maintain a monthly inventory. Monthly inventory records are to be kept up to date and submitted to the FSA county office by the 15th of each month for the prior month. Records are to be used for spot checks and in the

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USDA FSA

Video and Presentation from What You Need to Know about ELAP Workshop

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is responsible for the delivery of federal farm programs to help producers manage risks and recover from disasters. USDA FSA representative, Heather Boyd, provided information to shellfish growers on the availability and requirements of the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm raised Fish Program or ELAP. Information included eligible losses, required documentation and important deadlines to meet in accordance with program regulations. This workshop was co-hosted by the  University of Florida Shellfish Extension Program and Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture, and was held virtually using Zoom on September

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