The Trump Administration is planning to put together a government reorganizing report that would include shifting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program away from the USDA and into the Department of Health and Human Services. Several of the proposals in the upcoming report are said to be highly controversial. The SNAP proposal would shrink USDA because the SNAP program is the …
Senate Agriculture Committee Leaders Find Common Ground in Bipartisan Farm Bill
U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., released the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. The Committee will meet to consider the legislation at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time on June 13. You will be able to click here to watch live. “When Ranking Member Stabenow and I started this journey in Manhattan, Kansas, last year, we made …
ARS Scientists Are Working to Ensure Safe Waterways in Georgia
Scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are developing ways to identify the sources of any potentially harmful bacteria found in the surface waters around Athens, Georgia. The effort is part of an ongoing project to ensure the quality of the area’s waterways, according to Jonathan Frye, an ARS microbiologist in Athens. Volunteers have been collecting water in the Upper Oconee …
APHIS Wildlife Services Conducts First Field Trial of Feral Swine Toxic Bait
Plans Modifications to Mitigate Hazards to Non-Target Species USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently conducted the first of two field trials of a sodium nitrite toxic bait on free-roaming feral swine. Feral swine are an invasive species causing extensive and costly damage and disease threats to crops, property, native ecosystems, livestock health, and human health. Feral swine …
Under Secretary McKinney to Lead Japan Trade Mission
U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney will lead a trade mission to Japan June 11-15, joined by numerous U.S. business and state government leaders seeking to expand export opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products. “Japan is already a top market for U.S. farm and food products, but there are many new …
Farm Bureau Applauds Senate Release of Farm Bill and Scheduled Markup
The following statement regarding release of the Senate Farm Bill may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. The Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to hold a markup of the bill next week. “America’s farmers and ranchers are facing an economic storm across the countryside, so the release today of the Senate Farm Bill is a crucial step to …
FMD Language In Senate Agriculture Panel’s Farm Bill
The National Pork Producers Council was encouraged that the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry included in its 2018 Farm Bill — the text was released today (June 8, 2018) — language establishing a vaccine bank to deal with an outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). FMD is an infectious viral disease that affects cloven-hooved animals, including cattle, pigs and …
Farm Bureau Files Brief Supporting Water Rule Opponents
The American Farm Bureau Federation, together with a broad coalition of other farm and business groups, filed a brief in support of 13 states challenging the EPA’s 2015 “Waters of the United States” rule before a federal district court in North Dakota. The brief explains how EPA repeatedly broke the law in writing a rule that would vastly expand its …
ADAI Accepting Applications for USDA Organic Cost-Share Reimbursement Program
Alabama growers and handlers of organic agricultural products can recover part of the cost associated with their USDA certification. The reimbursement covers 75% of certification costs, up to a maximum of $750. The cost-share program makes it easier for certified organic businesses throughout the supply chain by recouping the costs associated with USDA organic certification. The Alabama Department of Agriculture …
Florida Organic Certification Cost Share Program
Florida Organic Growers (FOG), in cooperation with Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, is pleased to announce the 2017-2018 Organic Certification Cost Share Program. Certified organic operators in Florida can now apply for reimbursement of up to 75 percent of certification costs from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018, for a maximum of $750 per scope of certification. …