Fewer Loans Issued to Farmers Limits Overall Lending Activity

The Kansas City Federal Reserve says a slower pace of farm financing activity continued in the third quarter of 2020. The total volume of non-real estate farm loans remained subdued amid ongoing weakness in the ag sector, thanks in part to developments regarding COVID-19. The National Survey of Terms of Lending to Farmers, confirmed by statistical research from same day …

New Rule Makes Enhancements to Environmental Quality Incentives Program

(USDA/NRCS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the final rule for its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The rule updates USDA’s flagship program as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill and integrates feedback from agricultural producers and others.  “This final rule enables us to continue helping producers manage their land in the most beneficial ways possible,” said Kevin Norton, acting Chief of USDA’s …

Report Released on Agricultural Trade between the U. S. and China

(USDA) — The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today issued a report highlighting the progress made to date in implementing the agricultural provisions in the U.S.-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement, which is delivering historic results for American agriculture. Since the Agreement entered into force, the United States and China have …

Trump Administration Invests in High-Speed Broadband in Rural Alabama

ReConnect Funding to Connect 11,163 Rural Households to High-Speed Internet e-Connectivity (USDA/RD) — The Trump Administration announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $37 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Alabama. This investment is part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program. “Access to …

Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Returns to Broadcast Television

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is getting Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. back on broadcast television during The Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas (NCBA) — With the holidays looking a little different this year, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is ensuring one thing remains the same – …

Tighter Stocks Mean Higher Expected Prices for Major Crops

The latest reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicate that tighter than expected stocks of most major crops are leading to higher expected prices. Stephanie Ho has the story. Sponsored ContentCattle Producers Proud of Efforts Funded Through the Florida Cattle Enhancement BoardMay 29, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Funding Crucial For Forage DevelopmentMay 22, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides …

OJ Proves Beneficial for Youth

A new, four-year study published in Public Health Nutrition found that drinking 100 percent orange juice (OJ) is not associated with negative effects on body weight, body mass index (BMI) or BMI percentile among 9- to 16-year-olds. It also found that higher OJ consumption is associated with increased height for girls and increased trends for physical activity levels in both …

Insurance, Water Issues on the Table for Legislative Session

(NSF) — Florida senators will be asked to eliminate the state’s no-fault auto insurance option and increase spending to repair the state’s natural springs, the incoming Senate president said Thursday. Senate President-designate Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, told business leaders that lawmakers meeting for the 2021 legislative session also will need to consider efforts to keep polluted Central Florida waters from flowing …

North American Ag Officials Affirm Role of States and Provinces in Implementation of USMCA

(NASDA) — Members of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and their state and provincial counterparts from Mexico and Canada today issued a joint communiqué underscoring the role of states and provinces in successful implementation of the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) Trade Agreement. North American state and provincial agriculture officials gathered virtually this week for the 29th annual Tri-National Agricultural …

Six Members and Seven Alternates Named to the National Peanut Board

(NPB) — Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently appointed six members and seven alternates to serve on the National Peanut Board. The appointees will serve three-year terms, from Jan. 1, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2023, with the exceptions of the Missouri appointees and At-Large alternate appointee whose terms will begin immediately and will end Dec. 31, 2022. The members and …