The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the availability of $17.7 million in grant funding to help train and educate the next generation …
National Farm to School Month
Highlights Benefits to America’s Students and Communities by Deborah Kane, Director, Office of Community Food Systems, Food and Nutrition Service It’s National Farm to School Month and USDA’s Office of …
Most Consumers Say They Lack Access to Information about Food
New research by the from The Center for Food Integrity shows consumers want more information about food and how it’s produced. The research, announced last week, shows only 28 percent …
Banking Group Supports Bill Offering Tax Relief for Rural Lending
The Independent Community Bankers of America last week endorsed legislation that the organization says would provide tax relief for farmers. The group says the Enhancing Credit Opportunities in Rural America …
Livestock Sales Bill Clears Senate, Heads to White House
Cochran & Tester Introduced Legislation, Pushed for Senate to Complete Work on Measure U.S. Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) welcomed Senate passage of legislation to ensure protections …
Fruit Fly’s Genetic Code Revealed
An international team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other research organizations have sequenced the complete genome of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata. This pest attacks …
Pacific Region Cattle/Livestock Review
California Cattle on Feed Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in California for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 405,000 head on September 1, …
Updated Indemnity Calculator for Laying Hens
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is updating its indemnity calculator formula for laying hens, effective October 1, 2016. The updated formula was …
U.S. Hogs and Pigs Inventory Up 2 Percent
As of September 1, there were 70.9 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up 2 percent from September 2015, and up 4 percent from June 1, 2016, according to …
U.S. Corn and Soybean Stocks Up from 2015
Wheat Growers See Record-High Yields As of September 1, there were 1.74 billion bushels of old crop corn and 197 million bushels of old crop soybeans in storage, according to …
NIFA Awards Community Food Projects
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced details on investments of $8,640,000 in 33 projects to foster self-sustaining solutions that help make healthy …
Support for Minority and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $8.4 million in grants to support minority and veteran farmers and ranchers. The Department of Agriculture says the funds will be used by organizations in …
NCBA Joins Calls for Withdrawal of Proposed Estate Tax Regulations
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and others are asking the Treasury Department to withdraw the newly proposed estate tax regulations. NCBA joined more than 3,800 organizations in a letter sent …
China Wants GMOs, Citizens Don’t
A new report says China wants to incorporate the use of genetically modified organisms in agriculture, but the Chinese people do not. And Bloomberg says the latest food safety scandal …