After a month-long shutdown, the federal government reopens officially for three weeks following an announcement from President Donald Trump. The 800,000 federal workers who have been on furlough will be …
Disaster Recovery Bill on Hold Until Government Shutdown Is Resolved
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to continue funding for the Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program (WHIP) to assist with disaster recovery. While analysts anticipate the …
USDA to Reopen All FSA Offices – Extends MFP Payment Deadline to Feb. 14
USDA announced it will reopen all of its Farm Service Agencies despite the ongoing government shutdown. Last week, USDA announced it would only reopen selected FSA offices, for three days …
Longest Recorded Government Shutdown Impacting Key Ag Programs
As the government shutdown continues, it has now officially reached an unfortunate milestone as being the longest shutdown ever recorded. As lawmakers continue to disagree about funding priorities many analysts …
How Ag is Affected by Governor Newsom’s Budget
Newly sworn in California Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced his first budget proposal; a record-setting $209 billion, with $144 billion in general fund spending. As the state sits on a …
Farmers Dealing with Uncertainty as 2019 Starts
The year is opening with uncertainty for farmers and ranchers despite several important developments such as the 2018 Farm Bill and the US-Mexico-Canada-Agreement projected to be finalized once the government …
Hopes to Curb Agribusiness Consolidation as New Congress Takes Office
As the new Congress takes office there is hope that something will be done to address the frequency and scope of agribusiness mergers the industry has seen over the past …
Improving LREC for Better Community Engagement
The folks at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center (LREC) are hoping to be able to expand and improve the facility to provide even better community outreach. The center hosts …
Perdue Details USDA Functions in the Event of a Lapse in Federal Funding
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today detailed which functions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will remain available in the event of a lapse in government funding. “There …
Tariff Relief Payments Near $840 Million
In an attempt to lessen the burden on farmers hurt by the trade war with China, USDA offered up a tariff relief package with three main program bundled in. The …
USDA Invests to Support Military Veterans Pursuing Farming and Ranching Careers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announces six awards to help military veterans pursue farming and ranching careers. Grants are made through NIFA’s Enhancing Agricultural …
Farm Bureau Establishes Disaster-Relief Fund
To assist farms, ranches and rural communities hurt by wildfires, floods and other natural disasters, the California Farm Bureau Federation has established a Farm and Rural Disaster Fund. Created under …
A Quick Recap of California Propositions and Their Standing
Voters lined up Tuesday at the polling booths to cast their votes on important California Propositions. Here’s a list of what was approved and denied. PROP 1 Veterans Housing Bond: …
The Dual Impacts of Proposed Ag Trade Disruption Payments
Trade facilitation program payments that were provided to aid farmers affected by tariffs may be having a secondary affect. USDA’s Rod Bain presented some insight from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture …