The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) has $500 million in funding available to advance partner-driven solutions to conservation on agricultural land. RCPP leverages a voluntary approach to conservation that expands the reach of conservation efforts and climate-smart agriculture through public-private partnerships. Increased funding for fiscal year 2023 is made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, and …
Atypical BSE Case Detected in South Carolina
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) last week announced the finding of an atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). The approximately five-year-old or older beef cow tested positive following routine surveillance protocols at a slaughterhouse in South Carolina. The animal possessed a radio frequency identification tag associated with a herd in Tennessee. USDA APHIS and state animal …
Around the State with Commissioner Pate
In our “Around the State with Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture Rick Pate”, the Department of Agriculture and Industries touches the lives of each Alabamian every day. Commissioner, would you like to share about one of the services the department provides to farmers and home gardeners? That’s our weekly Around the State with Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) Commissioner, Rick Pate. …
NCBA Endorses Legislation Protecting Animal Health
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced its support of the Foreign Animal Disease Prevention, Surveillance, and Rapid Response Act of 2023. The bipartisan legislation would continue making critical investments in foreign animal disease response programs currently overseen by USDA. “The threat of a foreign animal disease outbreak in the U.S. represents an existential threat to every cattle producer,” says …
Food Spending Decreased Unevenly Across States in 2020
Trends in food spending across the U.S. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States disrupted the food industry in 2020, according to fresh data from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). Inflation-adjusted total U.S. food expenditures were 6.6 percent lower in 2020 than in 2019. However, individual states experienced varying degrees of food …
Livestock Producers Give Opinions on EPA Regulations
Representatives from livestock industries gave passionate responses when asked about Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations during a House Agriculture subcommittee hearing, Wednesday. “Can you speak to the detrimental effects these types of onerous rules have on livestock producers and how uncertainty in compliance costs trickle down to the American consumer,” asked Congressman Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04). The first response was from …
Peanut Planting Precautions for Georgia Growers
By Clint Thompson The Georgia Peanut Commission and University of Georgia Extension Peanut Team advise growers to take proper precautions when planting their crop this spring. Scott Monfort, UGA Extension peanut agronomist, discusses the current planting season which is taking place in some abnormally dry fields across Southwest Georgia. “We’ve had spotty rain showers but yeah, it’s getting dry in …
Socially Disadvantaged Farms Concentrated in South and West
Some areas of the nation are more likely than others to have socially disadvantaged farms. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Data from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) shows socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers tend to be more concentrated in southern and western regions of the country. USDA defines socially disadvantaged farmers as those belonging to groups subject …
Peanut Supply Projected to Rise This Year
Each year the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) gives farmers an update on the peanut global situation,and forecast. Tyron Spearman gives the details. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsMarch 1, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Offers Targeted Research for Florida Cattle IndustryFebruary 20, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Allows Viable Research in the Cattle IndustryFebruary 6, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Track Record Well …
Rodale Institute Applauds USDA Investments in Organic Farmers
The USDA gets a pat on the back for its investments in organic farming. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding opportunities for organic farmers, a welcome investment, according to the Rodale Institute. USDA announced the expanded opportunities last week. Through the newly-established Organic Market Development Grant Program (OMDGP), USDA’s Agricultural Marketing …