usda

USDA Accepting Applications to Help Cover Costs for Organic Certification

Dan Organic

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that organic producers and handlers can now apply for funds to assist with the cost of receiving or maintaining organic certification. Applications for the? Organic Certification Cost Share Program?(OCCSP) will be accepted until Nov. 1, 2021. OCCSP provides cost-share assistance to producers and handlers of agricultural products for the costs of obtaining or …

Almanac

2022 Farmers’ Almanac Released This Week

Dan Aquaculture, Beef, Cattle, Citrus, Crop Forecasts, Dairy, Drought, Environment, Field Crops, Irrigation, Livestock, Nursery Crops, Organic, Pollinators, Specialty Crops, Technology, Water, Weather

The 2022 Farmers’ Almanac hits store shelves this week and contains 184 pages of helpful tips, calendars, and guides to help you plan your year ahead. It also features weather forecasts for the next 16 months, plus useful advice on ways to take cues from nature to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Editor Pete Geiger states, “we encourage readers to …

National Farmers Market Week

National Farmers Market Week Underway

Dan Beef, Cattle, Citrus, Dairy, Field Crops, Fruits, Herbs, Livestock, Marketing, Nursery Crops, Organic, Pecans, Pollinators, Pork, Poultry, Rabbits, Sheep-Goats, Specialty Crops, Sugar, Tree Nuts, Vegetables

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture proclaimed this first week of August as National Farmers Market Week. It is a way to champion the direct-to-consumer producers, market managers, and customers that make their communities come alive during market days. According to a story from Rod Bain, highlights of the week are not only the markets themselves, but the innovations that allow these institutions to …

pretty plants

Pretty Plants that Repel Biting Bugs

Dan Herbs, Nursery Crops, Organic, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

Some pretty plants that repel biting bugs. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Strongly scented plants have the ability to send pesky biting bugs like mosquitoes and flies packing. Grow Basil on your patio table, or plant a drift of basil in the garden bed. It’s both insect-repelling and a culinary herb, so choose the variety that best suits …

heat-related

Avoiding Heat-Related Deaths

Dan Aquaculture, Beef, Cattle, Citrus, Dairy, Field Crops, Fruits, General, Hemp, Herbs, Labor and Immigration, Livestock, Nursery Crops, Organic, Pecans, Research, Specialty Crops, Sugar, Tree Nuts, Vegetables, Weather

A new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) report showed 215 people in Florida died from heat-related causes in the last 10 years. The fact that heat-related deaths happen throughout the year surprised the researchers who wrote the report. Serap Gorucu, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, helped write the report. She and …

label

Clarifying the Product of the USA Label

Dan Aquaculture, Beef, Cattle, Livestock, Marketing, Organic, Pork, Poultry, Rabbits, Regulation, Sheep-Goats, USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced a top-to-bottom review of the “Product of the USA” label, which will inform a forthcoming rulemaking on this topic. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said “American consumers depend upon accurate, transparent labels to obtain important information about the food they consume. American farmers and ranchers depend upon those same labels to convey information about …

alabama

Deadline Nearing to Apply for ADAI Relief Program

Dan ADAI, Alabama, Beef, Cattle, Dairy, Economy, Equine, Field Crops, Fruits, Hemp, Herbs, Livestock, Nursery Crops, Organic, Pork, Poultry, Rabbits, Sheep-Goats, Specialty Crops, Tree Nuts

Back in April, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) announced they were administering the Alabama Agriculture Relief Program (AARP) to provide USDA relief funds to farmers who suffered losses due to Hurricane Michael in 2018. While the original deadline to apply was June 25th, they want to remind those who experienced necessary expenses related to losses of beef …

common

Common Plant Pests and Diseases for a Favorite Culinary Herb

Dan Herbs, Organic, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

Some common plants pests and diseases for a favorite culinary herb. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Basil is one of the most popular culinary herbs to grow, thanks to its fragrance and delicious flavor. It’s also one of the easiest herbs to grow, so when your basil plants start to die, you wonder what’s happening. There are quite …

high tunnel

High Tunnel System Grants Available in Florida

Dan Florida, Hemp, Herbs, Nursery Crops, Organic, USDA-NRCS

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida is investing $300,000 in Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG). These are for high tunnel systems that improve weather resiliency and improve degraded plant conditions. Florida State Conservationist, Juan Hernandez, explains why CIG is a competitive grant. Grants will be awarded to applicants matching funds on a dollar-for-dollar basis from non-federal sources that can include cash or in-kind contributions. …

NRCS

NRCS Providing Support for Urban Farming

Dan Economy, Field Crops, Hemp, Herbs, Nursery Crops, Organic, Soil, Specialty Crops, USDA-NRCS, Vegetables

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has been assisting urban farmers for over 10 years. Since 2010, NRCS state offices have provided more than $18 million to 130 entities in the form of grants and agreements to support urban agriculture and conservation projects. From 2014 to 2019, NRCS completed more than 18,000 conservation practices totaling $41 million on urban farms …