With the year drawing to a close, the U.S. Department of agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is preparing for 2018 with renewed vigor, building on its scientific and technological …
Expanding U.S. Commodity Markets Top Priority for USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service
64.5 billion pounds of fruit and vegetables, and 44.4 billion eggs graded/inspected domestically The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the agency facilitated the export of …
NASS Research, Survey, and Technology Advancements in 2017 Serve U.S. Agriculture
Census of Agriculture is Updated for New Agricultural Trends and Ease of Responding The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has advanced a number of programs …
FSA – A Vital Source of Assistance to America’s Farmers and Ranchers
Through the work of dedicated staff in over 2,100 county and state offices, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides vital farm safety-net assistance to agricultural …
DuPont Pioneer Confirms Iowa Layoffs
DuPont Pioneer officials earlier this week confirmed the company has laid off “an undisclosed number of workers” in Iowa. A spokesperson for the company said the layoffs are an effort …
Canada On-farm Bovine TB Testing Concludes
Canada has concluded on-farm testing for bovine tuberculosis after the fall 2016 outbreak in Alberta. The TB investigation has been underway since September of last year, when Canadian officials got …
Canada Executives Urging Trudeau to Join U.S.-Free TPP
Business leaders in Canada are trying to sway Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to join the now U.S.-free Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. In an open letter, more than a dozen …
Agriculture Secretary Perdue Comments on Tax Reform
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue calls the recently passed tax reform bill a “once-in-a-generation” reform of the federal tax code. Calling tax reform an eagerly awaited Christmas present for taxpayers, Perdue …
Congressional Ag Leaders Applaud Tax Bill Passage
Leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees say the just-passed tax bill delivers lower taxes for farmers and ranchers. House Ag Chair Mike Conaway says: “From lower marginal rates …
Still Little to No Pesticides on 2016 CA Produce
Tests on produce collected by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) indicate that the vast majority of fruits and vegetables available for sale in California meet stringent pesticide safety …
USDA Expands Flexibility, Encourages Program Integration in SNAP Administration
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) issued national program guidance that gives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) state operators new flexibility to make their operations …
Improvements to Crop Insurance continue in 2018
USDA Strengthens Crop Insurance Program to keep Rural Economy Viable Changes to the Federal crop insurance program initiated in 2017 will continue into 2018. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) …
Egg Supply Dropping Prices, Pressuring Cage-Free Market
An abundance of inexpensive, conventionally produced eggs is depressing demand for higher priced cage-free eggs. A new report by CoBank says egg production, conventual and cage-free, has surged since the …
Global Drought Severity Index Launched
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, and others, are rolling out a new worldwide satellite-based drought severity index. Relying on data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment mission, …