Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an historic $1.5 billion was being made available in fiscal year 2024 to invest in partner-driven conservation and climate solutions. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting project proposals until July 2, 2024 through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). This will help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners adopt and expand conservation strategies …
USDA-NRCS Working to Expand Conservation on Grazing Lands
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants livestock producers to know it is working to expand conservation on grazing lands. This involves investing up to $22 million in partnerships that expand access to conservation technical assistance for livestock producers. “Privately owned grazing lands cover nearly 30 percent of the national landscape, which means we have a tremendous opportunity to address climate …
USDA Seeks Nominees for Mushroom Council
Want to joint the national Mushroom Council. Now’s your chance. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The USDA wants nominations for the Mushroom Council to fill three seats with terms expiring on December 31, 2027, and one seat whose term will expire on December 31, 2025. Nominees may seek nomination to the council for all the open seats …
USDA Seeks Partnerships to Expand Conservation on Grazing Lands
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing up to $22 million in partnerships that expand access to conservation technical assistance for livestock producers and increase the use of conservation practices on grazing lands. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting proposals through its Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) until May 26, 2024. Through GLCI, NRCS will use partnerships to increase technical …
Some Surprises in USDA Prospective Planting Reports
The USDA’s Prospective Planting Report was not without some surprises. Gary Crawford reports. Listen to USDA Gary Crawford’s report here. The USDA’s Prospective Plantings Report shows corn planted area will be 90 million acres this year, down five percent or 4.61 million acres from last year. Soybean planted area for 2024 is estimated to be 86.5 million acres, up three …
USDA Cotton Planting Intention
Growers intend to plant 10.7 million acres of all cotton across the United States, which is up 4 percent from the previous year. Cotton producers in Georgia expect to plant an estimated 1.1 million acres, down 1 percent from the previous year. Alabama forecasts a 13 percent increase in planting this year at 430,000 acres of cotton. In Florida, the cotton planting …
Applications for USDA Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants are Due April 9
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for grants to support urban agriculture and innovative production. Applications for USDA’s Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production grants are due April 9, 2024, via grants.gov. “This grant program has proven very popular and impactful in recent years, and we look forward to partnering with more communities nationwide to strengthen local food systems …
USDA Grants to Improve Organic Market
USDA is working to help organic growers keep up with market demand. Consumer demand for domestic organic products is on the rise, said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Program Jenny Lester Moffitt as she highlighted the Organic Market Development Grant (OMDG) program. “It’s an opportunity for producers to be able to capture a price premium. It’s a market …
NPPC Pleased with USDA Purchase of Pork for Nutrition Programs
Using funds from its Commodity Credit Corporation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is purchasing an additional 33.5 million pounds of pork. The more than $78.6 million buy is for pork products for distribution to various food nutrition and assistance programs. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) applauded the USDA purchase and says the organization will continue working with the …
How USDA Supports U.S. Biomanufacturing Sector
The Agriculture Department supports development of our nation’s biomanufacturing sector. Rod Bain tells us how in today’s This Land of Ours report. Listen to Sabrina Halvorson’s This Land Of Ours program here.