Last Friday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the second tranche of 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments will begin the week before Thanksgiving. Tyron Spearman has more details.
USDA Issues Second Tranche of Market Facilitation Program
(USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the second tranche of 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations. The payments will begin the week before Thanksgiving. Producers of MFP-eligible commodities will now be eligible to receive 25 percent of the total payment expected, in addition …
ADAI Encouraged by USDA Disaster Aid Block Grant Award
(ADAI) — Commissioner Rick Pate is encouraged by USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue’s recent announcement awarding $800 million in a disaster aid block grant for agricultural producers in various southern states. The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) has worked with USDA leadership for the past four months on a disaster aid block grant program, specifically for producers impacted by …
USDA Announces Block Grants for Three States as Part of Broader Disaster Relief Package
(USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make available $800 million to agricultural producers in Alabama, Florida and Georgia affected by hurricanes Michael and Florence. The state block grants are part of a broader $3 billion package to help producers recover from 2018 and 2019 natural disasters, which includes the Wildfire …
Update on Second MFP Payment Tranche
On Thursday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue gave an update on a potential second tranche of payments to producers under a USDA tariff mitigation program. Rod Bain has the details.
Commissioner Nikki Fried on USDA Federal Hemp Program Rules
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its long-awaited Domestic Hemp Production Program rules, following the reclassification of hemp as an agricultural commodity in the 2018 federal Farm Bill. Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried, who will oversee Florida’s state hemp program through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, offered the following statement: “The announcement by the USDA is welcome news …
USDA Establishes Domestic Hemp Production Program
(USDA) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the establishment of the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program. This program, as required by the 2018 farm bill, creates a consistent regulatory framework around hemp production throughout the United States. “At USDA, we are always excited when there are new economic opportunities for our farmers, and we hope the ability to …
USDA Pauses RFID Ear Tag Proposal
(NAFB) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has paused its effort to mandate radio-frequency identification (RFID) ear tags for cattle and bison. The proposal would have mandated the ear tags for animals moved in interstate commerce beginning in January of 2023. A guidance document detailing the proposal on the USDA website was recently removed, following a lawsuit against the …
U.S. Cattle on Feed Down 1 Percent
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released its October Cattle on Feed Report. The new numbers show that as of Oct. 1, there were 11.3 million head of cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market. That is 1 percent below Oct. 1, 2018. Gary Crawford discusses whether we are about to enter a cattle herd contraction. USDA livestock analyst Shayle …
Deadline Extended to Enroll in CSP Grassland Conservation Initiative
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the deadline for eligible agriculture producers to enroll in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Grassland Conservation Initiative. The original deadline of Oct. 25 has been extended to Nov. 8. This program, created by the 2018 farm bill, is available to producers with base acreage that has been in grass or grasslands over a nine-year …