Last week the USDA opened a new Livestock Insect Research Lab in Kerrville, Texas, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is highlighting their long history of research in animal insects at their facilities in Texas. Kim Lohmeier, Director of the Knippling Bushland U.S. Livestock Insect Research Lab, shares details on this effort “ARS has a really long history of working …
USDA Opens State-of-the-Art Livestock Insect Lab
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service has opened the Knippling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville, Texas. In a press release posted by the USDA, the goal of the facility is to “provide the U.S. cattle industry with innovative tools and advanced technologies to manage and eliminate the invasive fly and tick pests that threaten the …
USDA Prevents Solar Panel Projects on Farmland
The U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, recently joined up with the Tennessee Governor, Bill Lee, to try to slow down putting solar panels in the farming land areas across the country. According to the report, they said that USDA now will no longer fund taxpayer dollars to solar panels on productive farmland or allow solar panels manufactured by foreign adversaries to be …
Secretary of Agriculture Announces Removal of USDA Rural Development Lenders
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the removal of lenders from the USDA Rural Development Lending program. The lenders removed from participation in the OneRD Guaranteed Lending program include portfolios with approximately $620 million in delinquent loans. According to the department this accounts for approximately 47% of Rural Development’s delinquent loans. Secretary Rollins said, ““The Trump Administration has absolutely …
USDA Finalizes Rule Regarding SNAP Retailers Stocking Standards
USDA has published the final rule regarding stocking standards for retailers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. According to the Department, the final rule requires that retailers “must now carry seven varieties of items across four categories of staple foods: protein, grains, dairy, and fruits and vegetables. This change more than doubles the requirement of available foods, emphasizes more …
USDA Announces Investment To Address Plant Pests and Diseases
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced an investment of funding to support projects to address plant pests and diseases. The announcement included more than $90 million under Section 7721 of the Plant Protection Act and includes 441 projects that “ will strengthen the nation’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to invasive plant pests and diseases; safeguard the U.S. nursery …
USDA Provides Updated Progress of Corn and Soybean Planting
While drought conditions are keeping some growers out of the fields, growers in other parts of the country have made progress on this year’s planting. USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey provides an update on corn planting so far this season. “Getting into the state numbers, Tennessee is showing some remarkable progress again this week. 64 percent of the corn acreage planted, …
USDA Breaks Ground on Domestic Sterile Fly Production Facility
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers, held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new domestic sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas last week. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Lieutenant General William H. Butch Graham, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commanding General led the ground breaking as part …
USDA Creates Office of Seafood
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the creation of the new USDA Office of Seafood, providing access to USDA programs for American seafood producers, cultivators and processors. Secretary Rollins said, “President Trump is the first President to recognize fisherman for the essential work they do to sustain our food supply. With the launch of the USDA Office of Seafood, …
USDA Announces New USDA National Proving Grounds Network
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the creation of a National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech to help evaluate ag technology under real-world ranching and farming conditions. The initiative was designed to test and validate tools, existing and emerging, to provide farmers and ranchers with insights when choosing technology for their operations. Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics …










