Square O Consulting LLC

04/03/2026

Great Opportunity

🚨 Graduate Research Assistantship Alert! 🚨 We are currently recruiting a Graduate Research Assistant to join a USDA-funded Risk Management Education project at Oklahoma State University. This project focuses on strengthening risk management capacity among small-scale and beginning agricultural...

09/23/2021

If you have Netflex, do yourself a favor and watch "Kiss The Ground"

10/31/2020

Please register for this conference.

You don't want to miss the Small Farmers Train-the-Trainer annual conference. Mark your calendar for Thursday, November 19! Register for this virtual event at bit.ly/fvsu-small-farmers-conf-2020

This event is hosted by Fort Valley State University College of Agriculture.

08/22/2020

Want to share the progress of one of my partners.

Industrial H**p Crop Maintenance

H.K. Farm had the opportunity to provide a hands-on laboratory experience for potential industrial h**p growers.

Photo Credit: Gerald Carter

05/19/2020

The link below will direct you to incentive programs associated with the Georgia Forestry Commission. If you have forestry on your farm, you may want to take advantage of some of theses programs. Please share as appropriate.

With two out of every three raindrops falling in Georgia landing on forest lands, our forests are one of the most significant factors affecting our water quality and quantity.

02/27/2020

Georgia Department of Agriculture will begin accepting online applications for $347 million block grant related to Hurricane Michael. http://agr.georgia.gov/farm-recovery.aspx

01/14/2020

USDA Reminds Historically Underserved Producers of Advance Payment Option

WASHINGTON, January 14, 2019 – USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) reminds historically underserved producers, who are participating in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), of the advance payment option. This option allows them to get conservation practice payments in advance of practice implementation.

“The advance payment option makes NRCS conservation assistance more accessible to underserved producers,” said NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr. “It enables them to participate without having to worry about covering up-front costs themselves or looking for a loan to cover the costs. Some farmers don’t have the financial ability to wait for the NRCS reimbursement to arrive.”

EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to address natural resource concerns and to deliver environmental benefits, such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, and improved or created wildlife habitat. In fiscal 2019, NRCS invested $1.3 billion through EQIP to implement conservation practices on more than 13 million acres.

A historically underserved producer is described as one of the below:

Beginning Farmer or Rancher – is new to farming or ranching, or, has operated a farm or ranch for less than 10-consecutive years.
Socially Disadvantaged Farmer or Rancher – is a member of a group whose members have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice because of their identity as members of that group without regard to their individual qualities.
Veteran Farmer or Rancher – has served in the armed forces and has not operated a farm or ranch, has operated a farm or ranch for less than 10-consecutive years, or first obtained veteran status during the last 10 years.
Limited Resource Farmer or Rancher – has a household income at or below the national poverty level. Eligibility can be determined by using this online tool.
Under the advance payment option, such producers may request payments when they have final designs and job sheets and are ready to begin their EQIP practices. Advance payments provide at least 50 percent of the payment rate for each practice. The funds must be spent within 90 days of receipt and practices must be completed as agreed to in an EQIP plan of operations. Producers also may opt to have NRCS pay the contractors or vendors directly.

EQIP practices include vegetative practices, structural practices, management practices, and other improvements that further program goals such as conservation activity plans.

More Information
For more information, visit the advance payments webpage where you can download the EQIP Advance Payment Fact Sheet and read the blog # offsite link image FridaysOnTheFarm offsite link image : Advance Payment Helps Extend the Season blog offsite link image . For more information on NRCS Farm Bill programs, visit nrcs.usda.gov/farmbill or contact your local NRCS field office offsite link image .

The 2018 Farm Bill was enacted on December 20, 2018. The Farm Bill continues its strong support for conservation efforts of America’s farmers and ranchers through reauthorization and expanded flexibility of NRCS conservation programs. 

11/07/2019

Attended a Six States Farm to Table Conference at Virginia State University. WHAT'S ON YOUR TABLE?

10/30/2019

I have been around farming all my life. In fact, my family has been in farming for five generations. But, my experience in agriculture only begins there. I built a decades long career working with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) throughout the southeast. My leadership spanned across Georgia, Tennessee and several other Black Belt states. Even when I retired, my work didn’t stop.

For the last 12 years, I’ve continued to work with landowners in the south as a private consultant. Like me, these landowners have seen it all, done it all and weathered all sorts of farming fads. However, the prospect of growing h**p in Georgia has created the most enthusiasm I have ever seen.

With new legislation, comes uncharted territory in the Peach State. This new area is, in my opinion, causing more questions than answers. I've been working with Georgia farmers to find the answers on what could be a booming business in h**p production.

10/12/2019

The 2018 Farm Bill allow for farm operators on heirs property to obtain a farm number.

Recognizing that farm operators on land that has been passed down through multiple generations without formal probate proceeding may not have clear title of the land. The provision of the bill ensures that operators of such land, commonly referred to as heirs' property, who provide certain documentation to USDA are eligible to receive farm numbers for the purposes of accessing programs offered by the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Risk Management Agency.
Currently states that have adopted the Uniform Partition Property Act. Those states are: AL, AR, CT, GA, HI, IA, MT, NV, SC, and TX.