I last blogged about working with Government agencies, in the middle of July and have not touched on that subject since. This was for the simple reason, there wasn’t anything to report. I had submitted a preliminary AD1026, requested a farm number and a tract number through the local FSA, attempted to fill out a CPA1200, which told me we had to have a DUNS (Dun and Bradstreet Identification number), etc. In the process of attempting to find Jackson organic Farms, LLC D&B identification, I was informed (on-line) we didn’t have one and to proceed to fill out an application on line.
This I did but much to my chagrin, after “processing”, the website told me that I could not be vetted at that address (the farm, the owner’s home, the business, nor my home address could be verified). It suggested printing out the application form and mailing it in. I did this, and a few days later given an electronic link to a D&B on-line account (but no number). I attempted to login and the account gave me challenge questions (that I had not set up, so didn’t know the answers. One was, “What is the first motorcycle you owned?” Duh…I have never owned a cycle. So after two tries it said, “Sorry, Charlie. Only the good-tasting tuna get to be Sunkist”, or words to that effect, and it locked the account.
Since D&B had failed to be helpful up to that point I ignored it until today. I tried to login, was told “No way, Jose’”, and to call the 888 number. I dialed, waited, said “Password” at the appropriate time, and was greeted by a live body, who asked how he could assist. We worked through a series of questions, i.e. “What is your title at Jackson Organic Farms?”, “How long have you worked there?”, what is the business phone number, what is your e-mail, etc. After correctly achieving 4 out of 4, he reset the account and said the answer to each challenge was “welcome”. That would have been really handy information to have at hand the week before.
I hung up after thanking him for his assistance (and asking how the weather in Sri Lanka was) and then logged in to the D&B website. Lo and behold, we had a DUNS number. I copied it, then e-mail my contact at the FSA office of the USDA for the county where we are administered, to provide that information since our AD1026 showed “applied for”.
Last week, the farm ID and tract number had been found registered in another county’s FSA office, and a request had been made to transfer administration from Madison County to Franklin-Pickaway since the farm is located in Franklin County. That turned out to be a failure for calendar year 2014 but it will be administered in 2015 from that office. Nonetheless I am working with staff at Pickaway-Franklin because they’re permitted to assume responsibility since the farm records will be moved to their office next year.
I was pleasantly surprised to receive a phone call from the FSA office, asking I resend the AD1026 and CPA1200 with our DUNS information to our assigned rep, “Eli”. We spoke of various grant matters, and I learned that we also will require a SAM ID. SAM is the old CCR (Central Contractor Registry) and stands for System for Awards Management. I could not have applied for the SAM without the DUNS (can’t put the cart before the horse, or the egg before the chicken). No wait, you have to have an egg to get a chicken right? But what lays the chicken egg…?
Well, as we discussed various grants through the E-QIP program, I was told we may be eligible to be reimbursed for every gallon of water we pump from our well and use for irrigation—as long as we keep records. We can also receive money as first-time farmer/ranchers (0-10 years in business), for soil conservation, for organic ground cover, as well as the desired high-tunnel.
I have a face to face meeting at the farm with Eli on Halloween at 1:30 PM. Progress has been made, however All Hallow’s Eve may be a strange date to walk around the farm with a representative of the government. I will end with dialogue from my favorite show, Green Acres.
Hank Kimball: There's been three saucer sightings in these parts in the last month! Well, actually, there were only two. Eh, one was a flying shoebox sighting.
Oliver Wendell Douglas: Shoebox?
Hank Kimball: Well, it was shaped like a shoebox, only bigger. It was oblong, had a lot of windows, and there were about 50 people inside. Turned out to be a low flying bus.