USDA to Provide $1 Billion in Loan Guarantees for Rural Businesses and Ag Producers

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Industry, USDA-NASS

Contact: USDA PressEmail: press@oc.usda.gov WASHINGTON, D.C., May 21, 2020 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that the Department is making available up to $1 billion in loan guarantees to help rural businesses meet their working capital needs during the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, agricultural producers that are not eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency loans may receive funding …

Peanut Butter Bids Accepted; Grants Being Offered

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Peanuts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has awarded a request for the procurement of peanut butter products. Tyron Spearman has more details about that, along with information about grant dollars that have been announced for unique agriculture projects. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 8, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Plays Critical Role To Extend ResearchNovember 7, 2025Florida …

Cotton Included in CFAP Assistance

Clint Thompson Alabama, Cotton, Florida, Georgia

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced this week details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) that will provide up to $16 billion in direct payments to deliver relief to America’s farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Starting Tuesday, May 26, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept applications from agricultural producers who have suffered losses. And …

Florida Cabinet Meeting Scheduled

Clint Thompson Florida, Legislative

Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet are scheduled to get together next week for their first meeting since the state started feeling the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the News Service of Florida, DeSantis, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Attorney General Ashley Moody are slated to meet May 28, according to information …

American Farmland Trust Releases Farmland Report

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia

Millions of acres of America’s agricultural land were developed or converted to uses that threaten farming between 2001 and 2016, according to American Farmland Trust. The organization this week released a report on U.S. farmland. The report’s Agricultural Land Protection Scorecard is the first state-by-state analysis of policies that respond to the development threats to farmland, showing that every state …

Readjusting the Food Supply Chain

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Industry, Specialty Crops

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue recently spoke on the efforts to realign our nation’s food supply chain and assure available food supplies to consumers. Rod Bain has the story. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 8, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Plays Critical Role To Extend ResearchNovember 7, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Funded Research Impactful for the Future of the Florida Cattle IndustryOctober …

March Margin Triggers Dairy Margin Coverage Program Payment

Clint Thompson Alabama, Dairy, Florida, Georgia

Income-over-feed margin for March triggers first payment for 2020 WASHINGTON, May 20, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced this week that the March 2020 income over feed cost margin was $9.15 per hundredweight (cwt.), triggering the first payment of 2020 for dairy producers who purchased the appropriate level of coverage under the Dairy Margin …

Peanut Crop Update

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Peanuts

Tyron Spearman has a look at how peanut planting is progressing. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 8, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Plays Critical Role To Extend ResearchNovember 7, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Funded Research Impactful for the Future of the Florida Cattle IndustryOctober 31, 2025

President Trump on New CFAP Program

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Legislative

During a special presentation at the White House Tuesday, President Trump announced details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). According to a story from Gary Crawford, the program is designed to help farmers hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. CFAP will provide vital financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a 5%-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19 …

Senators Seek Meat Worker Protections from USDA

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, General, Livestock

Senate Democrats want Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide more worker safety protection to meat processing employees. A group of 29 Senators, led by Democrat Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, penned a letter to Perdue outlining recommendations for ways the Department of Agriculture should improve worker safety. The Senators wrote, “While we recognize the importance of keeping these plants running, it …