Lauderdale County, Alabama, Designated as Primary Natural Disaster Area

This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of …

Peanut Harvest Stalls Due to Dry Conditions

Due to dry conditions, peanut harvest has basically stalled in many areas. Tyron Spearman reports for those who have pivots, irrigation is taking place to wet the fields so digging can resume. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant …

Senators Propose Funding Increase for Marketing Programs

A group of Senators recently introduced legislation to increase annual funding for USDA International Marketing Programs, the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD). U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom says while MAP and FMD have received steady funding from Congress and the programs have strong, bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, MAP funding has remained static since …

USDA Call Center Available to Assist Agricultural Producers with Hurricane Ian Recovery

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established a call center that is available to assist agricultural producers with Hurricane Ian recovery. Florida agricultural operations have been significantly impacted by the hurricane, so for producers located in counties where the USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) local infrastructure has been impacted, the agency has established state-specific toll-free information lines where producers …

Thune Introduces Bill to Improve Livestock Disaster Assistance

Senators John Thune and Ben Ray Luján recently introduced the Livestock Disaster Assistance Improvement Act. The bipartisan legislation by the South Dakota Republican and New Mexico Democrat would improve the effectiveness and timeliness of multiple Department of Agriculture programs that assist farmers and ranchers in the aftermath of adverse weather events. The legislation would also provide USDA with direction to …

RMA Insurance Options for Specialty Crops, Organics

The USDA is targeting specialty crop, organic, and urban ag producers for listening sessions on two insurance options, Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) and the Micro Farm insurance options. WFRP and Micro Farm are two of the most comprehensive risk management options available.  “We want to make sure farmers and ranchers know about these very important insurance options. We invite specialty crop, organic, urban and …

Developing a Device to Check Moisture in the Peanut Shell

As the 2022 peanut crop continues to roll in, Tyron Spearman reports efforts are underway to develop a device that can be used to check the moisture content of peanuts in the shell. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, …

Farmers Try to Sort Out Hurricane Damage

(NSF/TALLAHASSEE, FL/Oct. 06, 2022) — A week after Hurricane Ian stormed across Florida, farmers and ranchers continue waiting for flood waters to recede to get a full picture of the destruction to citrus groves and cattle operations. The storm killed at least 200 cows at a dairy farm in Myakka City, while beef cattle counts remain uncertain until herds can …