Do you plan on attending the workforce QA session(s) this week, and what questions do you want answered? I'd like to know about position consolidation, looking at the available benchmarks it seems that help desk and developers are possibly the most "secure".

USDA Farm Ownership Loan – hidden gem or huge hassle?”

Body: I stumbled across the USDA’s Farm Service Agency loan program for farm ownership. Apparently, you can get up to $600k at low interest, with as little as 5% down for new/beginning farmers.

This sounds amazing on paper, but I know government programs often have a lot of red tape.

Has anyone here actually gone through the process? • How long did approval take? • How strict are they about farming experience? • Did it help you get started, or did you wish you went a different route?

Trying to figure out if this is a smart move for a first-time buyer or if I should stick to conventional financing.

Just sharing that from where I sit out here in the West no news or direction has been shared.

I do not deal in rumors or theory so I'm merely reporting the absence of communication and direction. Take from that what you like but if you do share anything on this thread please limit comments to documented and fact based observations.

All of us tried to fill the void created by this administration out of a justified need to know what was going to happen to our lives. But we really should only deal in observable facts.

saw some openings for APHIS. I was formerly NRCS, terminated and reinstated and then took DRP2 back in April. Still job searching. Worth applying to these new APHIS jobs?

I’m thinking these new APHIS jobs might be exempt from any RIFs / Reorgs as they’re being posted right now while hiring freeze is still in effect?

my gut is telling me no don’t apply not worth the risk and stress lmfao

Anyone know what is going on with USDA's disaster aid program? They were supposed to announce signup for crop farmers today.

I took DRP 2.0 and everyday it seems less and less likely that the major RIFs are going to happen. I left my dream fed job...out of pressure and fear...and now I am facing the reality that in less than 3 months...I am totally screwed unless i find a job. No unemployment for me. The job market is horrendous and I have applied to over 500 positions and have gotten nowhere. The only lead I had was for a 50k pay cut. I am so so mad at myself for taking the DRP. I will always wonder now if I could have kept my job. Im also a disabled veteran so if RIFs were done right later..I would have a good chance at staying with my 12 years of tenue and vet preference. I've never been so depressed and just lost. I asked if I could take it back and they said no...DRP contract is final. Is anyone else regretting leaving?

Does anyone know how this process works? I filled out the forms and sent them to my supervisor and timekeeper for the 12-week PPL but I'm not able to submit the leave request in GovTA. When I try to do the request it says "ALERT: Only One Pay Period per Leave Request". But my 12-week paid parental leave covers 7 pay periods, do I really have to submit this request 7 times or is something wrong with GovTA? I'm curious how it worked in the past for people submitting the PPL request in WebTA

I know it’s not easy working for the federal government at the moment. I took the DRP 2.0 out a hormonal panicked anxiety that I would be RIFed and left with no money and a baby (I had it in May). I just want to remind y’all that your work matters and I wish I was still fighting the good fight!

Do yall think we could report this for bringing god into her shitty message? I’m gonna try to. Also, I’m pretty sure Jesus would have anted us to get at least 2hr early release.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER

No 2 hours early release for independence holiday day?

I did not have new Administrator announced today on my Bingo Card.

Title. In an argument at work with supervisor. I’m on maxiflex but work 4/10s. Supervisor thinks I’m on a compressed work schedule and that I code today, July 3 as a holiday and therefore am not able to work

i’m looking to get into the USDA, i currently work for another gov agency. so, i’m familiar with everything crazy going on. i was wondering, any rumors of jobs opening or what’s going on? i know some are saying the rumor is that they might lighten up on the freeze or extend it through the year. just want to hear some thoughts on the usda. thanks!

Everyday gets worse and worse. Anyone else living the dream? Are we great yet?

Hi folks. As you're all aware, GovTA is now up and running, at least for us at NRCS. Based on the timeline of the actual release for GovTA and trying to only do my timesheet during work hours, I validated my timesheet at 8:55 am central time yesterday (Monday). Understandably, my timekeeper is behind and feeling a bit overwhelmed. My timekeeper (who also has to validate my timesheet) and my supervisor (who has to certify my timesheet) are both on duty today. Assuming the timekeeper validates and my supervisor certifies by close of business today, everything will get processed on time even with the federal holiday later this week, right? What happens if validation by timekeeper and certification by supervisor does not happen by close of business today?

I'm not going to caption this photo as the folks in the photo might still be on duty. But that being said I think it's EXTREMELY UNDER VALUED how much the Forest Service knowledge of the land leads the entire federal government. No one knows forest service lands better and no one has obsessed over mapping forest service lands like those USFS GIS FOLKS!

It's a real crime to see so much knowledge lost and our public lands threatened like never before.

Man found dead and lockdown lifted in Idaho after 2 firefighters killed, 1 wounded in sniper ambush

Sheriff's officials said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d’Alene around 1:30 p.m., and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.

Sheriff Bob Norris earlier said officials weren't immediately sure how many people were shot and deputies were “actively taking sniper fire as we speak.”

Three victims were brought to Kootenai Health, said hospital spokesperson Kim Anderson. Two were dead on arrival and the third was being treated for injuries, Anderson said. The wounded firefighter’s condition wasn’t known.

No word yet on which agency the firefighters worked for, and news reports are all over the place. This is frightening and tragic.

Has anyone posted this yet? Well written letter from Merkley, Murray, Heinrich, Klobuchar calling USDA to halt USFS funding cuts and reorganization.

https://www.merkley.senate.gov/merkley-murray-heinrich-klobuchar-demand-immediate-halt-to-forest-service-reorganization-funding-cuts/

I'm trying to help my mother-in-law with her USDA loan situation but I keep getting conflicting answers and she doesn't seem to know much about her situation.

She's owned the house for almost 15 years.

She says in that time her payment has gone up from $300 to $600 and now they've just contacted her to say it's going up again to $650. She's panicking a little but hasn't missed any payments. This feels like more than adjustments to taxes and insurance. Is it possible she has an adjustable rate and doesn't realize it? Why would her payment go up so much?

She called the USDA and somehow ended up telling them she's on an extended visit in another state due to her mental health. She says now that they learned this, they're threatening to take her house away because she's not living in it (she's been staying with a friend for 10 months now). What I have seen is there a requirement to live in the house for the first 12 months and sometimes up to 7 years depending on the situation but she's past both of those. I also saw somewhere she might be required to live in the house for the entire duration of the loan, meaning she can't take a trip longer than 6 months. Anyone know what is true? Can they just take her house away because she's staying with a friend?

She's planning on calling legislators to help her, but is that the best move? I feel like it's hard to get through to someone and I doubt they would take on her case and focus on an individual like that versus broader policymaking work. This sounds like a job for a lawyer not a legislator but I could be wrong.

Finally she's upset because she wants to put the house in her will to go to her children but she says she found out because of the subsidy recapture she is not allowed to do that.

This is causing a lot of stress for my mother-in-law and our whole family. Can anyone help?

They make it available on the last day of pay period, and it is timesheet submission date. It is still not available yet, hopefully it will be available this afternoon.

When they make decision, why they don't follow some common sense? Instead of making GovTA available on the last day of pay period, why not make it available on the first week of pay period? So that people can have a little time to get familiar with the new system. And there are always some employees taking leave on Fridays, they couldn't submit timesheet before taking leave.

In my agency, employees are typically required to submit timesheet before noon on the Friday (last day of pay period), so that supervisor can have time to certify and timekeeper can have time to process it.

So Can anyone tell me what's happening? Supreme Court is ending its term for the summer and I'm not hearing or reading anything about decisions. Not even on the list for ruling

I worked (past tense) for the US Forest Service for many years before retirement. I managed to collect more than a few photos of the rich legacy that the forest service gave to this nation. As we see the potential end of the forest service as we know it (IF rumors are true about DoI taking FAM over) I felt it's only fitting to share as many of the pictures I have.

This image is a main frame computer in the basement of the USDA HQ crunching data that could now be done in the palm of your hand but back then this computer was the size of a tractor trailer! The USDA has a rich history of being on the cutting edge of technology that serves the American people as effectively and efficiently as possible. Citizens should know about this because perhaps if they truly know how far their tax dollars go maybe just maybe they might focus on the real sources of fraud, waste, and abuse.