Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack weighed in this week on a bill to create a Packers and Stockyards Act (PSA) investigator at USDA to boost price discovery and transparency in the highly concentrated livestock sector. He says a Packers and Stockyards Act investigator could be part of broader USDA action to deal with unfair market practices harming small independent producers. “I …
Florida State Conservationist Speaks to Cattlemen
A great crowd is on hand for the 2021 Florida Cattlemen’s Association Convention and Trade Show in Marco Island. Various speakers have already passed along information to ranchers from across the state. One of those was Florida State Conservationist Juan Hernandez. He told Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants each producer to check with their local field office …
Agriculture Ready to Defend WOTUS
Many in agriculture are ready to defend the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced their intent to repeal and rewrite it. This includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). During a call with farm broadcasters last week, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Jewel Bronaugh said there is a lot to discuss with the Water of the U.S. …
USDA Announces Additional Aid to Ag Producers and Businesses in Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative
Since January, USDA has allocated $11B to producers and food and ag business (WASHINGTON, June 15, 2021) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced additional aid to agricultural producers and businesses as part of the USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Earlier this year, Secretary Vilsack announced plans to use available pandemic assistance funds to address a number of gaps and disparities …
USDA’s Build Back Better Initiative to Help Food Supply Chains
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced plans to invest more than $4 billion through the Build Back Better initiative. According to a story from Tyron Spearman, this effort will strengthen the food system by helping critical supply chains. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov. Sponsored ContentFlorida Senator Shares Origins of Florida Cattle Enhancement BoardNovember 14, 2025CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 8, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board …
Georgia Cotton Commission Seeking Nominees for Cotton Board
By Clint Thompson The Georgia Cotton Commission is seeking nominees for vacant positions on the Cotton Board. Those interested should email the Commission’s office at info@georgiacotton.org. “Each state that produces cotton has a certain number of representatives to the Cotton Board, which administers the National Cotton Research & Promotion Program. We have one spot and one alternate position whose terms …
High Tunnel System Grants Available in Florida
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 Providing Support for Urban Farming
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 …
USDA to Begin Payments for Producers Impacted by 2018 – 19 Natural Disasters
Producers to Receive Assistance through the Quality Loss Adjustment Program and Additional Assistance through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus More than $1 billion in payments will be released over the next several weeks starting June 15 for agricultural producers with approved applications for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program and for producers who have already received payments through …
USDA to Begin Work to Strengthen Enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced they will begin working on three proposed rules to support enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act, the 100-year old law that was originally designed to protect poultry and hog farmers and cattle ranchers from unfair, deceptive, and anti-competitive practices in the meat markets. USDA’s pending action was noted in the …