USDA Organic Transition Program Celebrates First Year

Dan Organic

The USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) recently marked its first anniversary. It’s an investment of up to $100 million over five years in cooperative agreements with non-profit organizations that are partnering with others to provide technical assistance and support for transitioning and existing organic farmers. USDA Undersecretary Jenny Lester Moffitt says the program offers several benefits for growers. …

USDA Extends Milk Loss Program Deadline

Dan Dairy, Marketing, Milk Loss Program (MLP), USDA-FSA

U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) did extend the application deadline for the Milk Loss Program (MLP) to this coming Monday, October 30th. This is to allow more time for eligible dairy farmers to apply for much-needed weather-related disaster recovery assistance. Administered by the Farm Service Agency, MLP compensates dairy producers who, because of qualifying weather events, dumped or removed milk …

USDA Cotton Report Shows All Cotton Down from 2022

Dan Cotton, Crop Forecasts

All cotton production is forecast at 12.8 million 480-pound bales, down 2 percent from the previous forecast and down 11 percent from 2022. Based on conditions as of October 1, yields are expected to average 767 pounds per harvested acre, down 19 pounds from the previous forecast and down 183 pounds from 2022. All cotton area harvested is forecast at 8.02 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast but up 10 percent from 2022. By October 1, eighteen percent …

USDA Restricts Poultry Imports from France, EU

Dan Avian Influenza, Eggs, Exports/Imports, Poultry, USDA-APHIS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently placed restrictions on the importation of poultry from France and the European Union. The restrictions, enacted by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, include live ducks, duck eggs, and unmitigated or untreated duck products from the APHIS-recognized European Poultry Trade Region, as well as Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, but excluding Great …

USDA: Lower Income Countries Spend More on Food

Dan Economy, This Land of Ours

A look at which countries spend the most on food. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Consumers in low-income countries spend a greater proportion of their budgets on food than those in higher-income countries, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). As incomes rise with economic development and urbanization, the share of income spent on food tends to …

USDA Sees Record Interest in Conservation and Clean Energy Programs

Dan Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE), Biofuels/Energy, Climate Change, Conservation, Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environment, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Greenhouse Gas, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), USDA-NRCS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has seen record interest in the conservation and clean energy programs that received funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA made nearly $20 billion available over five years for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to address continuous high demand for popular conservation programs. This will help farmers and ranchers implement expanded conservation practices …

USDA Expands Access to School Breakfast and Lunch

Dan Agri-Business, Education, This Land of Ours

The USDA is giving more children access to school-day meals. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The Department of Agriculture Tuesday announced it is giving an estimated 3,000 more school districts in high-need areas the option to serve breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost. The expansion is possible through the Community Eligibility Provision, commonly known …

USDA Payments to Help Organic Dairy Producers

Dan Agri-Business, Dairy, Economy, Funding, Marketing, Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP), USDA-FSA

The USDA has announced a second round of payments for dairy producers through the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP). The agency is providing an additional $5 million to help dairy producers mitigate market volatility, higher input and transportation costs, and unstable feed supply and prices that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry. The Farm Service Agency …

USDA Expands Efforts to Prevent and Reduce Food Waste

Dan This Land of Ours

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wednesday announced an additional $25 million investment to expand efforts to prevent and reduce food loss and waste. The investment, funded under the American Rescue Plan Act, is part of a joint agency initiative between USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist. More than one-third of all …