With the 2022 crop production season soon to begin, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be contacting producers to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season. Later this month, NASS will mail survey questionnaires asking producers to provide information about the crops they intend to plant in 2022, how many acres they intend to plant, and the amounts of …
Six Georgia Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas by USDA
This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of …
After Securing State of Emergency Declaration, Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried Advocates for USDA Disaster Designation to Help Florida Producers Hurt by Recent Freeze
(FDACS/Tallahassee, FL/February 9, 2022) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack in support of a Secretarial Disaster Designation to provide additional assistance to Florida producers experiencing losses due to the recent freezing temperatures. This follows the Commissioner’s requests last week for the Governor to declare a state of emergency and for the Florida Department of Transportation to issue an emergency …
USDA Funding Projects to Protect against Invasive Pests and Diseases
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced they are allocating more than $70 million to support 372 projects under the Plant Protection Act’s Section 7721 program to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation; to safeguard the nursery production system; and to respond to plant pest emergencies. Universities, states, federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, nonprofits, …
USDA to Invest $1 Billion in Climate Smart Commodities
Monday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will deliver on its promise to expand markets by investing $1 billion in partnerships to support America’s climate-smart farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. The new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities opportunity will finance pilot projects that create market opportunities for U.S. agricultural and forestry products that use climate-smart practices and include innovative, …
USDA-NASS Reports 2 Percent Drop in Sheep Inventory
Increased slaughter of mature sheep in 2021, thanks to drought and high mature ewe slaughter prices, played a role in a 2 percent decrease in the American sheep inventory as reported by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). As of Jan. 1, the American sheep and lamb inventory totaled 5.07 million head. Breeding sheep inventory was 3.71 million head, down 2 …
USDA Providing Disaster Assistance
USDA provided an update on upcoming disaster assistance during last week’s Cattle Industry Convention. The assistance is for agricultural producers impacted by weather-related disasters in 2020 and 2021. While speaking at the annual event Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, Robert Bonnie, said “Over the past two years, as agricultural producers have struggled with the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have …
USDA Announces Conservation Reserve Program Signups for 2022
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 …