The Congressional Budget Office released an official cost estimate of the House Ag Committee’s farm bill and said it’s $33 billion over budget and fails to pay for a large increase in crop subsidies. House Ag Chair GT Thompson says if the CBO doesn’t change its mind, he’ll rely instead on the House Budget Committee to overrule the CBO. The …
USDA-NRCS Offering Funding Opportunities through CSP
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants to remind producers and private landowners about assistance opportunities through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The program can help strengthening your operation by building on existing conservation efforts. Whether you are looking to increase crop resiliency, improve grazing conditions or develop wildlife habitat, NRCS can custom design a CSP plan to help meet your goals. It starts …
Consequences of No New Farm Bill
The farm bill is already a year late, the stakes are high, and time is running out. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) released its Market Intel Analysis of the consequences of not finishing the legislation and adding another extension of the 2018 bill. While crop insurance is a permanent program, it does need improvements to make it more affordable …
USDA Offering Payment Programs to Help Private Forest Landowners Address Climate Change
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is making $190 million available to help private forest landowners adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change and retain working forestlands. Of the total, $140 million is available to support state-endorsed cost-share programs for landowners. Cost-share payments lower the financial barriers for landowners to adapt to climate change by making forests more resilient …
USDA Expands Funding Opportunities for Specialty Crop Growers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced it is expanding funding opportunities for specialty crop growers. The Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) Program will now include both medium-size and small businesses. Eligible specialty crop growers can apply for assistance for expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification. The program has also been expanded to include …
Funding Available for Composting Projects
Funds available for composting projects. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Those wishing funding for a pilot project focused on localized composting and food waste reduction have until early September to apply. Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Director Brian Guse explains the collaboration and purpose behind cooperative agreements in compositing and food waste reduction. Sponsored ContentCIR …
RAPP Funding Awards Announced
Over sixty organizations and one hundred projects are recipients of the first round of USDA Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) announced Tuesday. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack provides a timeline for the first round of Regional Agricultural Promotion Program funding awards. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 1, 2024Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024
Funding Available for Conservation and Climate-Smart Agriculture
Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that $1.5 billion was being made available in fiscal year 2024 to invest in partner-driven conservation and climate solutions. Through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), project proposals will be accepted until July 2, 2024. Projects funded through the RCPP will help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners adopt and …
Texas Wildfire Loss is Worth $123 Million
A look at the cost of the Texas Panhandle wildfires. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economists project the Panhandle wildfires caused $123 million in preliminary agricultural losses, making it the costliest on record. The wildfires began on February 26 and burned 1.2 million acres, making it the largest wildfire in Texas …
Vilsack on Budget Priorities
The Senate Ag Appropriations Committee held a hearing Tuesday to examine the President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack detailed several priorities for agriculture in the President’s budget request. “Clearly, we need to continue to look at ways in which we can focus on things like PFAS, HPAI and some of …