…USDA says the decision is “based on uncertain industry support” for the program and “substantive issues” with the proposed program. The Organic Trade Association however says the USDA actions reflects…
Farmers Union Urges USDA to Proactively Address Farm Suicide Crisis
…noted that financial risk, volatile markets, unpredictable weather, social isolation, and heavy workloads can all place significant strain on farmers’ and ranchers’ mental and emotional well-being. Johnson highlighted USDA’s vast…
Starling Moves from White House to USDA
In announcing leadership for Department of Agriculture agencies last week, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue also announced the movement of Ray Starling from the White House to USDA. Starling Agri-Pulse reports…
USDA Proposes Rule to Eliminate Redundant Hog Carcass Cleaning Regulation
The Department of Agriculture last week proposed to amend federal meat inspection regulations to repeal what USDA calls a redundant regulatory requirement for hog slaughter establishments. The Food Safety and…
Perdue Names Bruce Summers AMS Administrator
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the appointment of Bruce Summers as the Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), part of the…
Secretary Perdue Names FSA Administrator
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the appointment of Richard Fordyce to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). In his role,…
2017 California Raisin Grape Mechanical Harvest Report
Total acreage harvested by mechanical means was 45,548, just over 30 percent of the State’s total raisin-type grape acreage, according to the Pacific Region Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics…
Perdue Announces FSIS Key Leadership
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the appointment of Carmen Rottenberg and Paul Kiecker to key leadership positions within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection…
Senate Ag Leaders Introduce Bipartisan Farmer Veteran Legislation
…careers in agriculture. Currently, USDA’s veterans initiatives are designed to support those who are starting a career in agriculture for the first time. Senators Roberts and Stabenow in a joint…
USDA Projects Smaller Corn, Soybean Crops
…forecast at $8.75 to $11.25 per bushel compared with $9.35 per bushel in 2017/18. USDA upped the 2018/19 U.S. wheat crop five percent at a projected 1.8 billion bushels on…
Secretaries Perdue and Zinke Join Forces to Combat 2018 Wildfire Season
…The 2017 wildfire season was one of the most challenging years on record, stressing the need for the USDA and the Department of the Interior to work together in combating…
2018 California Almond Forecast
The initial subjective forecast for the 2018 California almond production is 2.30 billion pounds, according to a survey conducted by the USDA/NASS Pacific Regional Office. Forecasted production is 1.3 percent…
Time is Nearly Up for Cotton Ginning Cost-Share Applications
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds cotton producers that time is almost up to apply for the Cotton Ginning Cost-Share (CGCS) program. The application window opened on March 17…
Co-ops Support California Federal Milk Marketing Order
…better address disparities between farm gate prices in California and the rest of the nation.” After USDA’s release of the final decision on March 30th, the three cooperatives held educational…