USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded $20 million to support Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program grants. These highly competitive programs support innovations that focus on high-quality research related to important scientific problems and opportunities in agriculture that could lead to significant public benefits.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced today the awarding of over $26 million to farmers and agricultural producers across the country through the USDA Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program. Entities can use these grant funds to develop value-added agricultural products, conduct market research, and implement business and marketing strategies.

An ag economist says widespread USDA farm program payments are expected for crop farmers beginning next month.

David Widmar with Ag Economic Insights tells Brownfield farmers will receive the higher payment from either the Ag Risk Coverage program or Price Loss Coverage program.

Federal scientists are still scrambling to find new jobs or relocate across the country as Maryland’s Beltsville Agricultural Research Center’s last days of operation approach. Even as their personal lives upend, employees are concerned that BARC’s legacy of impactful research will be left behind.

Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the Stand-Up Program to provide up to $50 million in new funding to help states start or expand their own meat inspection programs in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The program carries out President Trump’s September 4 Executive Order to expand market access for American meat producers and strengthen the domestic supply chain.

Agricultural producers can soon begin enrolling in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated to include more than 30 million new base acres. This expansion, the first in 20 years, was made possible by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and is part of USDA’s efforts to put Farmers First.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden was in Iowa Friday, asking farmers from across the country to share their experiences dealing with consolidation and pricing issues in the fertilizer industry.

Vaden, who previously served as a judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade and as USDA’s general counsel, said the individual stories from farmers will help as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission investigates the industry for potential unfair pricing or anti-competitive practices.

The USDA has released updated estimates for Louisiana’s 2026 crop production, including acreage, yields and total production for major commodities across the state.

The USDA has released updated estimates for Louisiana’s 2026 crop production, including acreage, yields and total production for major commodities across the state.