USDA Partners with Georgia to Strengthen Food Supply Chain Infrastructure

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced this week it has a cooperative agreement with Georgia under the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI). Through this agreement, USDA and Georgia are collaborating to offer $7.1 million in competitive grant funding for projects designed to build resilience across the supply chain. Georgia is accepting applications …

USDA to Issue $306 Million in Final Payments to Farmers Impacted by ’20, ’21 Natural Disasters

Clint ThompsonUSDA

WASHINGTON – The U. S Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing final Emergency Relief Program (ERP) payments totaling approximately $306 million to eligible commodity and specialty crop producers who incurred losses due to natural disasters in 2020 and 2021. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) started sending these additional payments to eligible producers last week. “In the natural disaster recovery process, every little …

USDA Announces February 2024 Lending Rates for Agricultural Producers

Clint ThompsonUSDA

 WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for February 2024, which became effective Feb. 1, 2024. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures or meet cash flow needs.   “I encourage our lenders and borrowers alike to work with our local offices …

Pesticide Data Program

USDA Releases 2022 Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary

Dan CooperPest Management, USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the 2022 Pesticide Data Program (PDP) Annual Summary, which shows that over 99% of the samples tested had pesticide residues below benchmark levels established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The tests were conducted on 10,665 samples from 23 commodities including fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, dairy, nuts and grains.   The PDP …

SECURE FUNDING NOW | USDA-Sponsored Farming Project Underway in the Southern Piedmont

Dan CooperSponsored Content

Rodale Institute, a nationally recognized agricultural nonprofit, has been hard at work to expand resilient farming practices in the Southeast. Through a USDA-funded project, Rodale Institute and its partners are enrolling 100 organic and conventional vegetable farmers as well as farmers markets across the Southern Piedmont region (Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama), in a research study that …

USDA NASS Conducts Hemp Survey

Clint ThompsonHemp, USDA

Athens, GA – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) sent the Hemp Production and Disposition Inquiry to nearly 1,600 producers across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina on Monday, Jan. 22. This follows NASS’s 2022 Hemp Acreage and Production survey. Like the 2022 questionnaire, this year’s survey will collect information on the total planted and harvested …

USDA to Kick off National Agricultural Classification Survey

Clint ThompsonUSDA

WASHINGTON – Already preparing for the 2027 Census of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct the National Agricultural Classification Survey (NACS) starting Wednesday, Jan. 24. The survey, an important step in determining who should receive a 2027 Census of Agriculture questionnaire, will be distributed to approximately 250,000 recipients to ask if they …

New USDA Investment in Specialty Crop Research, Trade Missions

Clint ThompsonSpecialty Crop Grower Magazine

By Sabrina Halverson The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is upping its investment in specialty crops for 2024 with key announcements in the areas of research and trade. USDA is investing $70.2 million in the Specialty Crop Research Initiative to support 21 research and Extension projects. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small announced the funding and described the kinds …

USDA Announces January 2024 Lending Rates for Agricultural Producers

Clint ThompsonUSDA

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for January 2024, which became effective Tuesday, Jan. 2. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help farmers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures or meet cash flow needs. “I encourage our lenders and borrowers alike to work with our local offices …

USDA Accepting Applications for Farm Loans Online

Clint ThompsonUSDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched an online application for Direct Loan customers. More than 26,000 customers who submit a Direct Loan application each year can now use an online, interactive, guided application that provides helpful features including an electronic signature option, the ability to attach supporting documents such as tax returns, complete a balance sheet, and build …