…services.” USDA is accepting applications through May 14 in the Community Connect Program. Grants ranging from $100,000 to as much as $3 million are available to state and local governments,…
Partisan Farm Bill a No-Go in the Senate
…potential changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). House Ag Chair Mike Conaway, a Texas Republican, hasn’t indicated whether he’ll yield to pressure from Democrats to share the bill’s…
California Agriculture Day Celebration at the State Capitol
…theme of this year’s event is “Climate-smart, California Grown” to showcase the environmental stewardship and overall adaptability of California growers. “Farmers and ranchers are the original stewards of the environment…
CDFA Works to Reinstate Emergency Pest Management Protocols
…the agency’s Plant Pest Prevention and Management Program. The appeal has been filed in the Third District Court of Appeal for California. The goal is to overturn the lower court…
House Farm Bill Markup Delayed
…nutrition title handles the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), according to the Hagstrom Report. That decision means that Conaway will not meet his goal of holding a markup on the…
House Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan STRESS Act to Help Farmers
Lawmakers in the House this week introduced legislation to provide farmers with stress assistance programs. The Stemming the Tide of Rural Economic Stress and Suicide, or STRESS Act, seeks to…
Farm Bureau Compares Crop Insurance to Ad Hoc Disaster
…located in a specific part of the country may be eligible for ad-hoc disaster payments even if a loss was not experienced on the farm. Under crop insurance programs a…
Hartzler Introduces Legislation to Address Broadband in Farm Bill
…she says would make necessary changes to existing Rural Utilities Telecommunications programs to ensure rural Americans aren’t left behind in the digital age. Hartzler says she plans to work with…
An Orchard Becomes a Community’s Jewel
…markets and restaurants. The youth internship program provides hands-on garden/farm experience, teaches small business skills, and how to communicate with customers. With the help of NRCS conservation assistance, interns also…
USDA/NIFA Invests in Exploratory Research
…Exploratory Research Grants (ERG) program. Funding is made possible through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. The ERG program fosters the creation…
Organic Herbs & Female Empowerment: A NRCS Success Story
…utilized two previously-owned tractors to conduct business, but they seemed to make work that much more difficult. With the help of Jose Luis Herrera, a Soil Conservationist at the Natural…
USDA Decides Not to Impose Additional Regulatory Requirements for Organic Producers and Handlers
…organic regulations could have a negative effect on voluntary participation in the National Organic Program, including real costs for producers and consumers. The existing robust organic livestock and poultry regulations…
Latest RFS Bill Ignores Ethanol Benefits and Science
…National Corn Growers Association says the bill seeks to kill what has been the most successful renewable energy program America has ever had. An NCGA news release says, “This bill…
Cap on Conventional Ethanol RINs Will Reduce Biodiesel Market
…of greenhouse gas emissions reductions). The interconnected nature of the program and how RINs can qualify for multiple categories is one reason that capping one type of RINs impacts other…