Understanding the Big Picture:

The latest State & Private Forestry Annual Report from the National Association of State Foresters is now available for PDF download.

Click Here.

FSA Releases Proposed Rules for BIOMASS CROP ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (BCAP)

You can review the Administration's interpretation of this popular 2008 Farm Bill program by clicking here, or pointing your browser to www.fsa.usda.gov. Look for NWOA's comments on this proposal online and in National Woodlands magazine.

Two great online resources for timber taxes

As you get ready to close out 2009, some excellent internet repositories exist that can help you get a handle on the nuances of your ownership structure, the federal tax code as it relates to family woodland ownership, and critical updates about changes in tax law.

THE NATIONAL TIMBER TAX WEBSITE: www.timbertax.org

THE SIEGEL TIMBER TAX CHRONICLES: www.timbertax.net

WWW.WOODLANDOWNERS.ORG is now even easier to use!

We've updated our homepage with a new clickable map. NWOA's regions are easily identifiable- and you can easily click on your state of interest to visit our state affiliate websites and a wealth of online resources.

Have feedback for us about the site? Please contact us at 703.255.2700 or by clicking here.

Happy Veterans Day!

NWOA is proud of the men and women who have served our nation by donning the uniform of Sailor, Soldier, Airman, or Marine.

Thanks for your service!

Cooperative Extension Reorganized and Rebadged as The National Institute of Food & Agriculture

The USDA's newest agency is an old one with a new name -- Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) is now the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

You can browse the new organization's website here.

While the implications for extension forestry and research are unclear at this early date, more details about programs, staffing, funding and mission should emerge over the winter and in early 2010. Stay tuned.

Family Forest Legacies: Securing the Future of Your Woods

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF GUIDE, a project of the US Forest Service Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry.

Tax Tips for Forest Landowners for the 2009 Tax Year

Brought to you by the Cooperative Forestry unit of the US Forest Service, click the link below to download the PDF:

http://www.timbertax.org/developments/TaxTip09-Final.pdf

It's getting close to tax time - establish your BASIS

Download a preview of this excellent resource here:

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8941.pdf

Order a copy here (Enter 'EM 8941' in the pub search box):

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/

AGRICULTURE SECRETARY VILSACK ANNOUNCES $71.7 MILLION IN LOAN ASSISTANCE TO HELP RURAL BUSINESSES

Guaranteed Loans Provided Through Recovery Act Funds Will Help Strengthen Rural Communities Throughout America

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2009 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced $71.7 million in loan guarantees to assist 20 rural businesses in funding made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding announced today is being made available through USDA Rural Development's Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program. Altogether, $1.7 billion is available to businesses across the country through Recovery Act Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program funding. "The Recovery Act funds announced today will help businesses get access to the capital they need to launch and expand their businesses and help bring additional jobs to America's small cities and towns," Vilsack said. "President Obama and I are committed to building strong rural communities by helping businesses grow so we can put people back to work." For example, in Georgetown, S.C., USDA Rural Development is guaranteeing a $3 million loan to enable a local gate and mounting-system company to restructure debt and purchase new machinery and equipment. In Franklin County, Ohio, a farmer owned cooperative with local headquarters was selected to receive a $7.5 million loan guarantee. The loan will help provide business services to more than 50,000 livestock farmers in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. The Business and Industry loan will help the cooperative continue to maintain health insurance to its nearly 500 employees, many of whom live in counties with unemployment rates 125 percent greater than the national average and counties that have been affected recently by natural disasters. Eligible Business and Industry Loan Program applicants include private businesses, cooperative organizations, corporations, partnerships, non-profit groups, federally recognized Indian tribes, public bodies and individuals. The funds will be targeted to creating and retaining quality jobs and serving difficult-to-reach populations and areas hardest hit by the current economic downturn. Learn more about the program by visiting www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/b&i_gar.htm. Many businesses and rural residents have benefited from loans guaranteed by USDA Rural Development. For example, in 2004 a $7.3 million USDA loan guarantee to expand Poplar Bluff Industries' Nordyne plant in Poplar Bluff, Mo., created 400 jobs and saved another 400. The plant makes HVAC equipment. More information about USDA's Recovery Act efforts is available at www.usda.gov/recovery. More information about the Federal government's efforts on the Recovery Act is available atwww.recovery.gov. Below is a list of lenders that will be assisting rural businesses. Funding is contingent upon borrowers meeting conditions in the loan agreement. Connecticut: Rockville Bank, South Windsor, $650,600 loan Illinois: People's Bank & Trust, Pana, $1,590,000 loan Centrue Bank, Streator, $1,600,000 loan Iowa: Bank Iowa, Clarinda, $2,000,000 loan Bank Iowa, Clarinda, $2,400,000 loan Kansas: Fall River State Bank, Fall River, $700,000 loan Kentucky: Citizens Commerce National Bank, Nicholasville, $5,000,000 loan Louisiana: MC Bank and Trust, Morgan City, $2,200,000 loan Maine: Northeast Bank, Lewiston, $1,750,000 loan Bangor Savings Bank, Portland, $1,452,000 loan Minnesota: RidgeStone Bank, Brookfield, WI, $5,000,000 Nebraska: Union Bank and Trust, Lincoln, $7,000,000 loan Cornerstone Bank, Stromsburg, $290,000 loan Ohio: National City Bank/PNC, Columbus, $7,500,000 loan The Park National Bank, Columbus, $6,129,700 loan South Carolina: Carolina First, Greenville, $3,000,000 loan Wisconsin: Heartland Business Bank, De Pere, $7,500,000 loan RidgeStone Bank, Brookfield, $2,960,000 loan RidgeStone Bank, Brookfield, $6,612,000 loan RidgeStone Bank, Brookfield, $6,320,000 loan USDA Rural Development's mission is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for rural residents. Rural Development fosters growth in homeownership, finances business development, and supports the creation of critical community and technology infrastructure. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA Rural Development's web site at www.rurdev.usda.gov.