…goods. The forecast from USDA says the fiscal year 2017 will see exports valued at just shy of $140 billion, up $10 billion from last year. That would break the…
Sunset Proposal in NAFTA 2.0
…Department objected to the idea. A USDA official sent an email to the USTR office, saying, “Termination of NAFTA would be devastating for the U.S. agricultural economy and making such…
Medfly Quarantine Issued in Los Angeles County
…the detection of two adult males, nine females, and 55 larvae. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), along with the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner, and the California Department of…
OTA Files Lawsuit Against USDA Over Organic Livestock Standards
The Organic Trade Association announced a lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture over its failure to advance new organic livestock standards. The suit alleges USDA violated the Organic Foods Production…
Censky, McKinney, Nomination Hearing Scheduled
…Agriculture. McKinney, Indiana Agriculture Director, was nominated to be the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. Hearings for other nominees to top USDA posts, Including Iowa…
Almond Board: Low-Dust Harvest Equipment Demos
…staff with messaging and program oversight from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This ensures that all of our messages comply with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and…
Roberts Wants Farm Bill to Target SNAP Fraud
…a hearing Thursday focusing on misreporting of costs in the program. During the 2014 Farm Bill process, a national payment-error rate was reported at 3.2 percent. A USDA spokesperson says…
Head of USDA Organic Program Stepping Down
…to his home state of Washington. McEvoy led the program that oversees organic regulations and the USDA organic seal for eight years. McEvoy told Fern’s Ag Insider that his original…
CDFA, Agricultural Stakeholders Invite Federal Trade Officials to California
Ross CDFA Secretary Karen Ross and number of California agricultural organizations submitted the following invitation letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lightizer inviting them to…
Apply for Value-Added Producer Grant Program
The United States Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the Value-Added Producer Grant Program. USDA recently announced the availability of $18 million for the program administered by USDA…
Vilsack says Clovis Lacks Experience for USDA Post
…undersecretary for research, education, and economics, commonly known as USDA’s chief scientist position. Vilsack said recently that Clovis’ positions on things like climate change “create a barrier for him that…
USDA Restructuring Efforts Move Forward
…agency more customer friendly. The actions involve innovation, consolidation and the rearrangement of certain offices into more “logical organizational reporting structures,” according to USDA. The most notable change is the…
U.S. Cropland Value Holds Steady
The USDA’s 2017 Land Values Summary shows that the average acre of American cropland is worth $4,090. That’s unchanged from last year and the third-highest in history. Pastureland values increased…
House Debates Ag Spending Bills as Fiscal Battle Looms
…the USDA and FDA. That’s $1.1 billion lower than last year but still, over $4 billion more than President Trump requested in his budget. By voice vote, the House adopted…