USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants to remind landowners with existing Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contracts, the renewal sign-up deadline is coming up May 5. NRCS Acting Chief, Leonard Jordan, says participants with existing CSP contracts that expire on December 31 can access the benefits of the recent program changes through an option to renew their contracts for an …
USDA to Study Antibiotics Use in Pork operations
The Department of Agriculture will begin a four-month study in May on how antimicrobials are used in U.S. swine operations. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports the agency’s National Animal Health Monitoring System, along with the National Agricultural Statistics Service, is conducting a new data collection and reporting effort that will focus on antimicrobial use and stewardship practices on swine nursery …
Rural Economy Index Lower Again
The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index remained weak with a reading below growth neutral for the 20th straight month, according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and energy. Released last week, the index which ranges between 0 and 100, slipped to 44.6 from 45.3 in March. The last time …
Progress on Canada Dairy Issue
The Associated Press reports more farmers impacted by what they call unfair trade practices by Canada have found a buyer for their milk. A Wisconsin state officials told the Associated Press Tuesday that around 15 more farms have found buyers or have promising leads. If those deals go through, that means 20 to 25 of the 58 farms dropped by …
Trump Administration Imposing Tariff on Canada Lumber Products
The Donald Trump administration intensified a decades-old trade dispute with Canada this week, announcing tariffs up to 24 percent on imported softwood lumber. Bloomberg News reports the step escalates an economic battle among neighboring countries that normally have one of the friendliest international relationships in the world. It follows a fight over a new Canadian milk policy that U.S. producers …
Perdue Off to Work as USDA Secretary
Newly minted Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue ditched his coat and tie, and rolled up his sleeves Tuesday morning, getting to work at the Department of Agriculture during an address to USDA employees. Following Senate confirmation Monday, the former Georgia Governor was sworn in Tuesday morning by Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, also from Georgia. Perdue preached transparency, ethics and …
USDA Announces $4.8 Million Available to Support Food Safety Outreach Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $4.8 million in available funding to develop and implement food safety training, education, extension, outreach, and technical assistance projects. This funding, offered through the Food Safety Outreach Program and administered by NIFA, will address the needs of owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning …
AFBF’s President Duvall Joins in Historic White House Ag Roundtable
During a meeting with farmers and ranchers, President Donald Trump pledged that his administration, including newly installed Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, would work to address critical challenges faced by agriculture, according to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. Duvall was among 14 farmers and ranchers from across the country who met at the White House with Trump, Vice …
Executive Order Creates New Agriculture Panel
President Trump’s Executive Order President Trump’s Executive Order established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity “to ensure the informed exercise of regulatory authority that impacts agriculture and rural communities.” As Secretary of Agriculture, Perdue will serve as the task force’s chairman. “It is in the national interest to promote American agriculture while protecting and supporting the rural …
2017 W.O. Atwater Memorial Lecturer Renews Call for Excellence in Nutrition Research
“Traveling the Road from Precision to Imprecision: Have I Gone in the Wrong Direction?” is the title of Dennis M. Bier‘s 2017 Agricultural Research Service (ARS) W. O. Atwater Memorial Lecture, which he delivered at the Experimental Biology 2017 meeting in Chicago. Bier is a renowned advocate for the highest standards of experiment design and increased rigor in nutritional research. …