The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that agricultural producers and landowners can now sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). USDA calls CRP a key tool in the Biden-Harris Administration’s effort to address climate change and achieve other natural resource benefits. The General CRP signup begins today, January 31, and remains open through March 11. Then the Grassland CRP …
Florida Producers Reminded of USDA Inclement Weather Disaster Assistance Ahead of Weekend Cold Front
(FDACS/Tallahassee, FL/January 28, 2022) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is sharing information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on federal disaster assistance for producers facing inclement weather as Florida is expected to see record cold temperatures this weekend. A cold front moving across the state is expected to bring record low temperatures, triggering a hazardous weather warning from the National Weather Service. …
USDA to Conduct First National Agroforestry Survey
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct the first-ever National Agroforestry Survey. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is mailing the survey to 11,000 farmers and ranchers next week to gather information on agroforestry practices used for climate, conservation and production. NASS Agricultural Statistics Board Chair, Joe Parsons, explains the various agroforestry practices that will be part of this …
USDA Investing in Partner Driven Conservation in Georgia
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced up to $225 million in funding for conservation partners through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is being made available. RCPP is a partner-driven program that leverages collective resources to find solutions to address natural resource challenges on agricultural land. This year’s funding announcements include opportunities for projects that address climate change, benefit historically underserved …
USDA To Conduct First-Ever National Agroforestry Survey
(WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2022) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct the first National Agroforestry Survey, beginning next week. Data collection will begin Feb. 1 and conclude on April 5, 2022. The survey will be sent to 11,100 farmers and ranchers nationwide to gather information on the five agroforestry practices used for climate, …
USDA-NRCS in Alabama Announces Two Program Signups
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Alabama has announced applications are being accepted for two different programs. One involves several new and expanded opportunities for climate-smart agriculture in 2022. Updates include nationwide availability of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Conservation Incentive Contracts option and a Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry Initiative. These improvements to NRCS’ working lands conservation …
Florida Commissioner Nikki Fried on Additional TS Elsa Disaster Declarations by the USDA
(Tallahassee, FL/January 24, 2022) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried welcomed the news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that it has designated Dixie and Gilchrist counties as primary natural disaster areas eligible for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans to help producers impacted by Tropical Storm Elsa in July 2021 recover. “While we were fortunate that the 2021 hurricane season was relatively quiet for Florida, all three storms that made landfall in the …
Big Numbers in USDA’s Cattle Feedlot Report
USDA’s latest report on cattle feedlot activity shows the number of cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the U.S. for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head was at 12.0 million head on January 1, 2022, 1 percent above January 1, 2021. Gary C4rawford reports that overall, there are some big numbers in this report. The new …
USDA-NASS Conducting Third Phase of ARMS
The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has started the third and final phase of the 2021 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). They are collecting information about farm economics and production practices from more than 30,000 producers nationwide, including nearly 4,100 producers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Anthony Prillaman, Director of the NASS Southern Regional Field Office, explained to Southeast AgNet’s …
USDA-NRCS in Florida Web Conference is Next Week
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida would like to remind producers and landowners across the state that they will be conducting a State Technical Committee meeting via web conference on Wednesday, January 26, from 10:00 am-12:00 pm Eastern. The NRCS meeting, which is open to the public, will provide a report for natural resource and program priority decisions and they …