Whether you are a longtime advocate of cover crops—or have never even considered using them—the Soil Health Partnership is encouraging all farmers to participate in the USDA’s 2017 Cover Crop Survey. In its fifth year, the survey helps the USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program understand why farmers choose to use cover crops, or the reasons that they don’t. …
ADAI Accepting Applications for USDA Organic Cost Share Programs
Growers and handlers of organic agricultural products now can recover part of the cost of their USDA certification. The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) will be allocated funds from the USDA to reimburse producers and handlers who either obtain or renew their organic certification in the fiscal year that ends September 30, 2017. The reimbursement covers 75% of …
Organic Farmers Push for Welfare Standards Implementation
Organic dairy and livestock farmers are pushing for Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue to let animal welfare standards formed at the end of the Obama Administration to go into effect. Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says the farmers argue that the long sought-after rules will give consumers what they want. The measure has long been supported by the USDA’s Organic Advisory Board …
Monsanto Terminates Sale of Precision Planting to John Deere
The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week that John Deere and Monsanto had terminated their attempted sale of Precision Planting, LLC., from Monsanto to John Deere. The department filed suit to block the sale on August 31, 2016, to block the acquisition. The reasoning behind the suit was the Justice Department felt the sale was a merger-to-monopoly in high-speed …
Ag Lender Survey: Farm Profitability Down, Commodity Prices Top Concern
ABA and Farmer Mac release first biannual survey of agricultural lenders Nearly 90 percent of agricultural lenders have seen an overall decline in farm profitability in the last 12 months, according to a joint survey by the American Bankers Association and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac; NYSE: AGM and AGM.A). The survey of more than 350 agricultural lenders …
International Trade and Deforestation: Potential Policy Effects via a Global Economic Model
by Jayson Beckman, Ron Sands, Anne Riddle, Tani Lee, and Jacob M. Walloga USDA Economic Research Service What is the Issue? An increasing world population and a shift in global diets toward vegetable oils and animal products increase the demand for agricultural commodities. To meet this demand, forestland is frequently converted into crop fields or pasture, especially in developing countries. …
Ag Secretary Perdue Moves to Make School Meals Great Again
Local Control of Whole Grains, Sodium, Milk to Make Meals Healthful, Appealing U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide greater flexibility in nutrition requirements for school meal programs in order to make food choices both healthful and appealing to students. Perdue made the announcement during a visit to Catoctin Elementary School in …
Bipartisan Congressional Letter Voices Support for Tackling of Canada’s Protectionist Dairy Practices
Adding to the groundswell of recognition that Canada’s protectionist dairy policies are harmful to U.S. dairy exports, a bipartisan group of 68 members of the House of Representatives wrote to President Donald Trump yesterday urging him to insist that Canada comply with its dairy trade commitments, including those under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). At a time when questions are arising about the future of the …
National FFA Organization Awards More Than $2.7 Million in Scholarships
The National FFA Organization and National FFA Foundation has awarded more than $2.7 million in scholarships to 1,884 recipients. This was made possible thanks to the generosity of 115 sponsors. More than 8,300 students applied online for the scholarships, with many of the applicants being considered for multiple awards. Approximately one in every four students who applied was awarded a …
USDA to Study Antibiotics Use in Pork operations
The Department of Agriculture will begin a four-month study in May on how antimicrobials are used in U.S. swine operations. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports the agency’s National Animal Health Monitoring System, along with the National Agricultural Statistics Service, is conducting a new data collection and reporting effort that will focus on antimicrobial use and stewardship practices on swine nursery …