The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $5 million of investments in customer service projects to improve and modernize application processing in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The USDA Process and Technology Improvement Grants (PTIG) awarded to the District of Columbia and state and county agencies in Alabama, Kansas, North Carolina, New Mexico, and New York aim to: Make the …
Signup Batching Deadline Announced for Alabama’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Landscape Initiatives
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist for Alabama Ben Malone announced that October 19, 2018 is the signup batching date for producers for 2019 program funding for the following national landscape initiatives: Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) which includes only 3 national landscape initiatives identified below. These include: Gopher Tortoise Habitat Improvement: includes forestry practices and prescribed burning for pre-commercial thinning. …
Scott Seeks Red Tide Research, Draws Criticism
Gov. Rick Scott wants state wildlife commissioners to seek funding for a red-tide research center and to restart a long-dormant task force, as waters along Florida’s Gulf Coast continue to face an expanding red-tide outbreak that began last year. Environmentalists said Scott’s latest proposals won’t cure the ongoing problems and criticized the funding proposal as a campaign stunt. In a …
USDA Secretary Working to Empower Local School Leaders and Improve the School Meal Programs
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue hosted a roundtable with local school officials to learn more about how USDA can best assist and enable their efforts to serve nutritious meals to our nation’s children. The meeting was part of the Secretary’s ongoing efforts to explore reforms that will make school meals more appealing by giving control back to local school food professionals …
Canada Farmers Say Dairy Not a Bargaining Chip in Negotiations
Talks between Canada and the U.S. regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement are intensifying in Washington, D.C. Bloomberg says Canadian dairy farmers recently told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not to use access to the protected Canadian dairy market as a bargaining chip. The Dairy Farmers of Canada says it’s already lost $193 million because of past trade agreements and …
Livestock Losses Mounting after Florence
Recovery is underway in North Carolina after Hurricane Florence. The number of livestock lost to flooding is climbing in the aftermath. The North Carolina Ag Department says 5,500 hogs and 3.4 million poultry were lost due to the hurricane. In addition to damage on farms around the area, other reports included wind damage to hog farms, as well as substantial …
U.S. – India Closing In On Trade Agreement
India and the United States are currently in negotiations on a trade package. Reuters says Washington and New Delhi are looking to remove some long-standing disagreements between the two countries that would strengthen ties. Initial reports say it looks like Indian farmers and U.S. medical device manufacturers could be some of the early winners in the deal. The two countries …
Bayer Says Dicamba Decision Likely Coming Soon
The world’s largest agribusiness is predicting the Environmental Protection Agency will decide soon on the future of dicamba. Bayer expects the EPA to issue a renewal and an updated license for the product in the weeks ahead. Liam Condon, President of the Crop Science Division at Bayer, says, “The EPA wants to make a decision before the next growing season …
Growth Energy Welcomes Congressional Support for Year-Round E15
Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor thanks the 24 members of the House Biofuels Caucus for sending a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency asking them to approve year-round E15 and support the Renewable Fuels Standard. The letter also calls for the agency to “put an end” to the secretive refinery waivers that have “hurt farmers and the growth of ethanol.” …
NIFA Invests in Research to Solve Critical Water Problems
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced seven grants for research that will provide solutions to critical water problems across the United States. These awards were made through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Water for Food Production Systems Challenge Area. AFRI is authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and administered by …