The Department of Agriculture is mailing ballots for the Farm Service Agency county and urban county committee elections. Elections are occurring in certain Local Administrative Areas for committee members who…
Subcommittee Hearing Highlights Value of Biotechnology in Agriculture
Lawmakers discussed the importance of biotechnology in the agricultural sector during a joint hearing of the U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittees on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture and Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research….
Ag Groups and Lawmakers Concerned by New Operating Plan for Water Projects
Several lawmakers and agricultural organizations have expressed concern regarding a new joint operating plan for California water projects. The environmental review process is being reinitiated for operating procedures for the…
USDA Providing $1.8 Billion in Producer Payments Through ARC and PLC
…and other issues,” Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Zach Ducheneaux said in a press release. “We also know producers prefer to get good prices for their crops in the marketplace,…
U.S.-Mexico Ag Officials Establish Working Group
…prohibitions on agricultural biotechnology and certain pesticides. Delegates reaffirmed their commitment that the regulation, import and use of these critical tools be based on science and established a working group…
Despite Objections, State Water Board Votes to Increase Fees
…out that the increased fees far outweigh other environmental fees that the industry also has to pay. During testimony, WAPA joined the Agricultural Council of California in calling for an…
Crops Sector Received 65% of PPP Loans for Agriculture in 2020
Information updated by USDA’s Economic Research Service shows 65 percent of Paycheck Protection Program 2020 agriculture funds went to crop farms, with 35 percent for livestock. Last year, farmers and…
Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks to Reverse Trump Era Rules
…of the ESA are better met by resuming its previous approach. The proposal follows an executive order which directed all federal agencies to review and address agency actions to ensure…
Support Grows for Sustainable Productivity Growth Coalition
…through productivity growth that optimizes agricultural sustainability across social, economic, and environmental dimensions. Vilsack says, “We initiated this because it’s clear that increasing agricultural productivity is essential to meet the…
Comment Period Open for NEPA Implementation
The Council on Environmental Quality recently announced it will be making updates to regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In a press release from the White House, the…
USDA Makes $1.15 Billion Available to Access High-Speed Internet
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says his agency is making funding available to bring a significant expansion of access to high-speed internet, health care, and educational services for millions of Americans….
NRCS Funding Opportunities Announced for Conservation Programs
…Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) accepts applications for these programs year-round, however, each state…
Latest Pesticide Report Shows Consistently Low Residue Levels
…the previous eight years. Nearly 99 percent of all domestic foods that were tested were well below the safety standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to…
Global Ag Productivity Growth Off Target for 2050 Demand
…productivity growth at all production scales to meet consumers’ needs and address human and environmental well-being threats. Productivity growth remains the primary source of agricultural output growth globally. Still, the…
