Allows for Transfer of Certain Conservation Reserve Program Land to New Farmers; Provides Priority Enrollment in Working Lands Conservation Programs Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Lanon Baccam announced that beginning Jan. 9, 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will offer an early termination opportunity for certain Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts, making it easier to transfer property to the next …
Net Farm Income Down for Third Straight Year
Net cash farm income and net farm income are two popular ways to measure farm sector profitability, but they aren’t the same thing. Net cash farm income tracks cash receipts and cash expenses, while net farm income includes non-cash transactions, including inventory changes, capital replacements costs, and others.
No Actions Under Feedstock Flexibility Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation announced that it does not expect to purchase and sell sugar under the Feedstock Flexibility Program in fiscal year 2017. Federal law allows sugar processors to obtain loans from USDA with maturities of up to nine months when the sugarcane or sugar beet harvest begins. Upon loan maturity, the sugar processor …
Budget Patch Averts Ag Lending Crisis
All available ag lending money the government had was given out to farmers during the last fiscal year to help them through the worst economic downturn in decades. An Associated Press article says, despite that, no one who qualifies for a farm loan will be turned down over the next four months, thanks in part to an unusual item recently …
USDA to Survey Dairy Operators and Measure Dairy Financial Situation
USDA will gather data from dairy operators to aid in assessing the financial condition of the U.S. dairy industry and the impact of USDA dairy programs. Gary Crawford has the story.
U.S. Hogs and Pigs Inventory Up 4 Percent
As of December 1, there were 71.5 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up 4 percent from December 2015, and up slightly from September 1, 2016, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
USDA to Measure Financial Well-Being of Dairy Farms
Beginning in January, representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will visit dairy farms across the nation, as the agency begins collecting data for the final phase of the 2016 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).
USDA Releases Local Food Marketing Survey Results
The National Ag Statistics Service released the results of its first-ever Local Food Marketing Practices Survey this week. Over 167,000 U.S. farms locally produced and sold food through direct marketing practices.
Funding for Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the availability of up to $4 million for research to help federal regulatory agencies make science-based evaluations about the environmental effects of genetically engineered (GE) organisms including plants, animals, insects and microorganisms. This funding is made available through NIFA’s Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants (BRAG) Program.