USDA Designates 20 Alabama Counties As Primary Natural Disaster Areas

Clint ThompsonAlabama

Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate announced earlier this month that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins has designated 20 Alabama counties as primary natural disaster areas due to a recent drought. There were 18 additional counties listed as contiguous disaster counties. “The drought affected over half of the counties in Alabama,” said Commissioner Pate. “We …

USDA Seeks Nominees for Florida Tomato Committee

Clint ThompsonFlorida

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks nominees for the Florida Tomato Committee to fill seats for 10 producer members and their respective alternates for two-year terms, starting on Aug. 1, 2025. Nominations will take place on April 14 at a virtual nomination meeting in each of the two established districts. The committee is seeking nominees for five producer member …

USDA Extends Response Deadline for ’24 Census of Horticultural Specialties

Clint ThompsonUSDA

WASHINGTON, D.C.-The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will continue to collect the 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties through April 18, 2025. Conducted just once every five years, the Census of Horticultural Specialties is the only source of detailed production and sales data for U.S. floriculture, nursery and specialty crop industries, including greenhouse food crops. Growers …

USDA’s February 2025 Lending Rates for Producers

Clint ThompsonUSDA

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for February 2025, which became effective Feb. 3. USDA 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. Operating, Ownership and Emergency Loans FSA offers farm ownership, operating and emergency …

Attention Alabama Farmers: USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Applications Being Accepted

Clint ThompsonAlabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) is accepting grant applications for projects that enhance the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crops in foreign and domestic markets. The application deadline for these specialty crop block grants through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is March 20, 2025, 5 p.m. CST. Specialty crops are defined by USDA …

Specialty Crops Secure $650 Million in Additional Funding for USDA MASC Initiative

Clint ThompsonSpecialty Crops

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s updates to the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) initiative, which included an additional $650 million investment. “Specialty crop growers across the U.S. are facing severe and unique challenges. As we wrote in December, the USDA’s MASC program …

USDA Announces $300 Million in Additional RAPP Grants to Diversify Ag Export Markets

Clint ThompsonUSDA

WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the second round of Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) grants, which will allocate $300 million to 67 partners once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied, expanding American food and agricultural exports in emerging global markets. This latest investment brings total RAPP funding to $600 million in 2024. The new …

USDA Invests to Strengthen Farms; Increase Competition and Lower Costs

Clint ThompsonUSDA

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that the USDA is making domestic fertilizer production investments in nine states to increase competition, lower fertilizer costs for farmers and lower food costs for consumers. It includes Georgia. “When we invest in domestic supply chains, we drive down input costs and increase options for farmers,” Vilsack said. “Through today’s …

Avocado Research: UF/IFAS Secures $5 Million USDA Grant

Clint ThompsonFlorida

Scientists with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have secured a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture to combat the lethal Laurel wilt disease and the redbay ambrosia beetles responsible for it. The research aims to improve control and mitigation practices for avocado production in …

SCFBA Welcomes New USDA Initiative

Clint ThompsonSpecialty Crops

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) issued the following statement in response to the USDA’s Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops initiative announced last week. “The last four years have been turbulent for the specialty crop industry due to skyrocketing costs of production inputs, especially labor, as well as competition from imports with lower input costs. This …