A group of graduate students at the University of Minnesota is asking Congress to streamline the approval process for GMO crops that produce food and fiber. A DTN article says the seven students are doing graduate work at the Minnesota College of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Sciences. They believe the regulatory hoops that companies need to jump through to …
USDA Helps Dairy and Beef Industries Reach More Domestic and Global Markets
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) made two announcements about its Animal Welfare Assessment Program (AWAP), which offers an independent assessment for industry animal welfare standards and programs. AWAP is a voluntary service for industry organizations that evaluates animal welfare standards for conformance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Specification (TS) 34700 – Animal Welfare …
USDA: Pesticide Residue Levels Show No Risk to Consumers
More than 20 percent of the food sampled by the USDA in 2016 showed no detectable pesticide levels and less than .5 percent of the food had detectable residue levels above limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency. A USDA report titled “What Consumers Should Know” says, again this year, the U.S. food supply is one of the safest in …
USDA Trims Export Expectations for Cotton
USDA recently trimmed their expectations for U.S. cotton exports. Stephanie Ho has a story explaining the updated numbers. USDA Trims Export Expectations for Cotton Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant Robotics Offers Growers Targeted Application of Herbicides or …
NCC Survey Suggests U.S. Producers to Plant 13.1 Million Acres of Cotton in 2018
U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 13.1 million cotton acres this spring, up 3.7 percent from 2017, according to the National Cotton Council 37th Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey. (see table below) Upland cotton intentions are 12.8 million acres, up 3.8 percent from 2017, while extra-long staple (ELS) intentions of 254,000 acres represent a 1.0 percent increase. The survey …
USDA February WASDE Report
The latest monthly World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report from the Department of Agriculture shows lower estimated soybean exports for the 2017-18 crop year. USDA lowered soybean exports by 60 million bushels to 2.1 billion bushels. The U.S. season-average soybean price range for 2017/18 is projected at $8.90 to $9.70 per bushel, unchanged from the previous report. USDA …
USDA Projects 2018 Farm Income to Fall
While it may be a bit early to know what will happen with farms and farmers in 2018, USDA has just put out its early farm income forecast for this year. Gary Crawford has the details. USDA Projects 2018 Farm Income to Fall Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle …
Perdue Applauds Trump’s USDA Rural Utility Services Administrator Selection
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue offered his applause to President Trump’s intent to appoint Kenneth Johnson to be the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Service Administrator. Perdue says Johnson ‘s experience with rural utilities, including expanding access to high-speed Internet, “will serve us well as we strive to increase prosperity across rural America.” Johnson serves as general manager and CEO …
Organic Trade Association Suing USDA Over Livestock Standards
The Organic Trade Association is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the USDA decision to withdraw the Organic Livestock Standards proposed and endorsed by most in the organic industry. Nate Lewis, farm policy director for the Organic Trade Association, says the USDA broke the rules when withdrawing the standards without public comment. Lawsuit Lewis says the decision to withdraw …
Perdue Unveils Farmers.gov, Interactive Website for Agricultural Producers
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today unveiled Farmers.gov, the new interactive one-stop website for producers maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Farmers.gov is now live but will have multiple features added over the coming months to allow agricultural producers to make appointments with USDA offices, file forms, and apply for USDA programs. The website, launched at a breakfast …