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Certified Organic beef producer says FSA response lacking

A certified organic beef producer in Georgia says FSA loan officers need more training and technical assistance is not what he needs.

“I don’t need you to tell me how to raise a cow. I need you to tell me how to get it to market.”

Ivan Minsk told Farm Service Agency officials during an online meeting earlier this month that he’s trying to update his operating loan for his birth-to-slaughter AND farm-to-table retail business.

 “It really is set up and geared to wholesale. There’s only one section on the FSA 2038 that addresses livestock product sales for livestock producers.”

Minsk says he has expenses that are not unique to wholesale.

“A sale barn for a bull is $1600. I turn that into individual 1.2 ounce beef jerky packages and that animal is worth $7,000 to me. It staggers loan managers.”

Minsk said he had an initial FSA loan but was denied when he submitted his updated application in 2020 and during the whole appeals process no one with FSA talked with him. FSA officials said they would address his concerns.