Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that over $9.6 billion in payments will be made, beginning this week, to producers through the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Conservation Reserve (CRP) programs. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing approximately $8 billion in payments under the ARC and PLC programs for the 2016 crop year, and …
Secretary Perdue Statement on Confirmation of Censky & McKinney
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue praised the Senate’s confirmation of two key nominees for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Senate confirmed Steve Censky, nominated by President Donald J. Trump as Deputy Secretary, and Ted McKinney, selected by the president to be Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. Perdue issued the following statement: “I commend the …
USDA-NIFA to Invest in Specialty Crop Research
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the Fiscal Year 2018 funding for research and extension activities to enhance productivity, safety, and innovation in the specialty crop industry. Funding is made through the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. “To be competitive in a global market, U.S. specialty crop …
Signup Now for Alabama NRCS Programs
October 20 is the signup batching date to receive 2018 funding for four the conservation programs through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Alabama. That includes the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). Sponsored ContentNuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024CIR Agriculture …
Federal Program Providing Help after Irma
If your area suffers damage from a natural disaster, like Hurricane Irma, then USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida can help. Through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP), aid may include financial and technical assistance for various projects. Here is State Conservation Engineer Jason Strenth. Sponsored ContentNuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2024TriEst …
Censky, McKinney Confirmations Good News for U.S. Agriculture
The National Pork Producers Council congratulated Stephen Censky and Ted McKinney on their confirmations for key leadership positions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Senate confirmed Censky and McKinney as the USDA’s deputy secretary and undersecretary of trade and foreign agricultural affairs, respectively. “The confirmations of Stephen Censky and Ted McKinney come at a critical time for U.S. …
USPOULTRY Foundation Approves Funding for More Avian Influenza Research
The USPOULTRY Foundation last week approved $125,000 in additional emergency funding to support avian influenza research and communication. The research is a follow-up study on a previously funded project in which researchers provided insight on using ventilation shut down as a humane depopulation method. The study showed that the addition of heat and CO2 to the procedure provided a rapid …
Stabenow Intends to Meet with Clovis
Ranking Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee Debbie Stabenow wants to meet with Sam Clovis. Clovis is the controversial nominee for the Department of Agriculture’s chief scientist post. Stabenow told reporters earlier this week that she doesn’t feel Clovis meets the criteria for the job, a stance she has held since his nomination. Meanwhile, Chairman Pat Roberts told reporters last …
Goodlatte Guest Worker Bill Up for Committee Vote Wednesday
A committee vote is planned Wednesday (Oct. 4) for the agriculture guestworker revamp bill in the House of Representatives. Virginia Republican Representative Bob Goodlatte introduced the bill Monday, and vowed to push for a “tight timetable.” The bill, according to Politico, would essentially scrap H-2A in its current form, rename the visa program H-2C and house it within the Department …
Ag Economy Expectations Sliding
Future expectations for the agriculture economy turned lower in the latest monthly Ag Economy Barometer by CME Group and Purdue University. Released Tuesday, the September reading of 132 was unchanged compared to August. However, the barometer’s two sub-indices, the Index of Current Conditions and Index of Future Expectations, did shift in opposite directions. The Current Conditions Index rose to 135, …