The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida is investing up to $900,000 for Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for agricultural resource priorities in the state. Fiscal Year 2022 conservation resource priorities for the NRCS in Florida are: climate resilience, grazing, soil health, and urban agriculture. Grants from $25,000 to $250,000 will be awarded to applicants matching those funds on a dollar-for-dollar basis …
USDA Sends Out ERP Applications
Last week, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) mailed 303,000 pre-filled applications for the Emergency Relief Program (ERP). It’s a new program designed to help agricultural producers impacted by wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, winter storms, and other qualifying natural disasters experienced during calendar years 2020 and 2021. This all stems from legislation that Congress passed, and President Biden signed into law. It’s known as the Extending Government Funding …
USDA to Gather Information about Adoption of Conservation Practices
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced they will be gathering information about the adoption of conservation practices across the Southeast. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is mailing the Conservation Practice Adoption Motivations Survey this week to nearly 2,700 farmers and ranchers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. The new survey is a joint project between NASS and USDA’s Natural …
USDA-NRCS Offers EWP after a Natural Disaster
With the 2022 hurricane season starting June 1st, and the fact forecasters have predicted another active season, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants to remind landowners about the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP). If your area were to suffer damage from a natural disaster, the EWP can help relieve imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms and hurricanes. Aid …
USDA Seeking Producer Feedback about 2022 Crops
Over the next few weeks, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct two major mid-year surveys, the June Agricultural Survey and the June Area Survey. NASS will contact nearly 5,000 producers across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina to determine crop acreage and stock levels as of June 1, 2022. “The June Agricultural Survey and the June Area …
USDA Accepting Applications for Organic Programs
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for the Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program and Organic Certification Cost Share Program. The programs help producers and handlers cover the cost of organic certification, along with other related expenses. Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux says, “By helping with organic certification costs – long identified as a barrier to …
USDA Report Indicates Advancing Conservation Trends
We told you back in March that a new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report showed the use of no-till, crop rotations, more efficient irrigation methods and advanced technologies have climbed in recent years. The report is from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and it shows how progress was made through voluntary conservation over a 10-year period. The report was developed by USDA’s Conservation …
USDA Updates Livestock Insurance Options to Offer Better Protection, Flexibility
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has updated three key crop insurance options for livestock producers: the Dairy Revenue Protection (DRP), Livestock Gross Margin (LGM), and Livestock Risk Protection (LRP). USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) revised the insurance options to reach more producers, offer greater flexibility for protecting their operations, and ultimately, better meet the needs of the country’s swine, …
USDA Encourages Producers to Enroll Grasslands into Working Land Conservation
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is encouraging producers and landowners to enroll in the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Signup ends May 13, 2022.? Grassland CRP, a part of the CRP program, provides a unique opportunity to keep land in agricultural production and supplement your income while improving their soils and permanent grass cover.?? The program had its highest enrollment in history in …
USDA to Provide $50 Million in Support to U.S. Cotton and Wool Apparel Manufacturers Impacted by the Pandemic
(WASHINGTON, May 5, 2022) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a commitment of $50 million to assist eligible apparel manufacturers of worsted wool suits, sport coats, pants, or Pima cotton dress shirts; Pima cotton spinners; and wool fabric manufacturers and wool spinners. The new Cotton and Wool Apparel (CAWA) program is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative and the …