WASHINGTON, May 4, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a virtual listening session for beginning farmers and ranchers to learn how COVID-19 impacted their farming operations and to get their feedback on USDA assistance. The listening session will take place on May 6, 2021, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Eastern time. “We invite beginning farmers and ranchers to …
USDA, RESTORE Council to Invest $31 Million in Gulf States
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced $31 million in funds has been earmarked for advance restoration work and to improve water quality in the Gulf Coast states impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To mitigate the impact of oil spills in environmentally sensitive areas, it’s essential to use oil skimming services that can efficiently remove and contain the spilled …
Vilsack Discusses History of Discrimination by the USDA
During that hearing, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told lawmakers, “We will over the next four years do everything we can to root out whatever systemic racism and barriers that may exist at the Department of Agriculture.” In a recent interview with Southeast AgNet, Vilsack explained what they are looking at. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants producers to know …
Estimating the Greenhouse Gas Benefits of NRCS’ Applied Practices
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) works with agricultural producers to deliver voluntary climate solutions through climate-smart production decisions and practice applications. They have established conservation practice standards to guide the design, installation and maintenance of conservation practices. There are approximately 35 NRCS conservation practice standards that deliver quantifiable carbon sequestration and/or greenhouse gas reductions. On Thursday, April 29 at …
USDA Extends Deadline for Comments on Proposed Revisions
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced it is extending the deadline for public comments on proposed revisions to 23 national conservation practice standards. Comments on the proposed revisions, which were published March 9, are now due April 22. NRCS is encouraging agricultural producers, landowners, organizations, Tribes, and others that use its conservation practices to comment on these revisions. They …
Coalition Asks for Increased Conservation Funding
Seventy of the top agriculture, conservation, and wildlife groups delivered a letter to Congress last week asking for robust funding for conservation programs and technical assistance for the fiscal year 2022. In the letter, groups like the American Farmland Trust, the National Association of Conservation Districts, and many others called on House and Senate appropriators to provide necessary robust increases …
Ag Economy Barometer up 12 Points
The Ag Economy Barometer rose in March to 177, the highest reading for the barometer since the record high reading of 184 in October. Organizers say this month’s 12-point rise in the barometer was attributable almost entirely to ag producers’ more optimistic view of the future. The Index of Future Expectations climbed to 164, 16 points above February’s index. Although …
Florida Forest Service Highlights Wildfire Awareness Week
The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, urges residents to be wildfire ready by highlighting Florida Wildfire Awareness Week, April 5-11. Since January, nearly 600 wildfires have burned more than 7,700 acres. Last year, a total of 1,969 wildfires burned 44,152 acres across the state. The wildfire threat in the Florida Panhandle is substantially …
After Identifying Gaps in Previous Aid, USDA Announces ‘Pandemic Assistance for Producers’ to Distribute Resources More Equitably
USDA Reopens Program Sign-Up to a Larger Share of Producers with Plans to Expand Outreach and New Programming (USDA/FSA) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is establishing new programs and efforts to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions. The new initiative—USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers—will reach a broader set of …
CFAP 2 Reopening and Expanding
Last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP-2) was reopening for enrollment on April 5th. COVID-19 continues to impact Alabamians, especially farmers, so this updated program is designed to help replenish some of the financial loss. According to an article written by Mary Leigh Oliver, with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), the first …