…small businesses and entrepreneurs nationwide develop new product lines. USDA is investing in 325 projects through the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. “Value-Added Producer Grants are one of USDA’s most…
Crop Insurance Options for Upland Cotton Farmers
by Ashley Hungerford and Erik O’Donoghue, USDA Economic Research Service What Is the Issue? The 2014 Farm Act changed the structure of several commodity support programs for agriculture. Before, cotton…
2016 Profiles in Leadership Award Recipient Honored
…a recent ceremony at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District. The Profiles in Leadership Award recognizes alumni of the California Agricultural Leadership Program for their leadership actions resulting in the betterment…
Judge Considering Merits of Beef Checkoff Lawsuit
…this week from attorneys representing R-CALF and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack about the Beef Checkoff program, according to Food Safety News. R-CALF alleges the Beef Checkoff is allowing the Montana…
Soil Health Key Topic of Climate-Smart Ag Meeting
…practices include: Growing cover crops to prevent erosion and nutrient losses, Implementing conservation tillage like no-till or strip-till, and Using advanced, science-based nutrient management techniques to reduce nutrient loss. The…
Funding for Electric Projects in 31 States
…million for environmental improvements, and nearly $1.8 million for energy efficiency. The loans are being provided through the Electric Program of the Rural Utilities Service, the successor to the Rural…
Wasp and Scale Insects Help Control Giant Reed
…part of a biocontrol program to kill giant reed along Texas’ Rio Grande. The weed, also known as “carrizo cane” and “Spanish reed,” clogs streams and irrigation channels, weakens river…
Growers, Researchers Fight Citrus Disease
…vital to slowing spread of HLB, Gottwald said. It has been proven in Brazil, he said, that removal plus vigilant treatment programs can keep infection rates below 3 percent. Grafton-Cardwell…
Improve Energy Efficiency, Adopt Renewable Energy Systems
…consumption with an expected output of 198 million BTUs. Vilsack also announced that Pedernales Electric Cooperative of Johnson City, Texas, received an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program (EECLP) loan…
Extension Educators Receive National Honors
…Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, will receive the 2016 Excellence in Extension Award. Green is cited for developing programs proven to increase knowledge of best practices in child care, enhanced…
Los Angeles Schools Reconsider Flavored Milk
…school lunchrooms through a voluntary pilot program to study the effects of reintroducing flavored milk. The vote overturns a 2011 ban on flavored milks by the school district. Parents and…
Vilsack Names Members and Alternates to the Hass Avocado Board
…by the programs. Research and promotion programs are funded by industry, authorized by Congress, and date back to 1966. Since then, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 research and…
Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook
…increase in estimated deliveries for the reexport program. Projected Mexico sugar production in 2016/17 is raised 200,000 metric tons, actual value (MT), to 6.300 MT based on source-reporting by the…
Re-engaging the Industry at Citrus Conference
…endeavor.” The opening talk concluded with a rather motivational message. “There’s a degree of complacency that sets in with an ongoing program. People change, and as much as you have…