USDA Announces Insurance Premium Support For Cover Crops
Producers who have crop insurance coverage may qualify for premium support up to $5 per acre in a new USDA assistance program if they planted cover crops for the 2021 crop year.
The Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday some cover crop acreage could be eligible for the Pandemic Cover Crop Program offered by USDA's Risk Management Agency.
Qualifying cover crops include cereals, grasses, legumes, brassicas, non-legume broadleaves, and mixes of two or more cover crop species planted at the same time.
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USDA Announces June, 2021, Lending Rates For Ag Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced loan interest rates for June 2021, which are effective June 1. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures, or meet cash flow needs
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USDA Announces Grants For Urban Agriculture And Innovative Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the availability of up to $4 million for grants to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production projects. USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (Office) is accepting proposals for planning and innovation projects, and these grants are part of USDA’s broader efforts to support urban agriculture.
USDA will accept applications on Grants.gov until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 30, 2021.
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USDA Forecasts Record Farm Exports in FY 2021
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s quarterly agricultural trade forecast projects fiscal year 2021 U.S. farm exports at $164 billion — the highest total on record.
The projections represents an increase of $28 billion, or 21 percent, from last fiscal year’s total, and a $7-billion increase from USDA’s previous FY 2021 forecast published in February. The previous annual export record of $152.3 billion was set in FY 2014.
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USDA Announces New Initiative To Quantify Climate Benefits Of CRP
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced an initiative to quantify the climate benefits of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts. This multi-year effort will enable USDA to better target CRP toward climate outcomes and improve existing models and conservation planning tools while supporting USDA’s goal of putting American agriculture and forestry at the center of climate-smart solutions to address climate change.
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House Bill Proposes More Than $7 Billion For Rural Broadband
Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday proposed a three-year program with $7.35 billion in funding to bring broadband access to rural America. The bill would focus on the most remote and least served areas.
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May Cattle on Feed Report Shows Inventory Up, Placements Higher Than Expected
USDA’s latest Cattle on Feed report, released May 21, shows the number of animals on feed as of May 1 is 4.7% above year-ago levels. The report provides monthly estimates of the number of cattle being fed for slaughter. For the report, USDA surveys feedlots of 1,000 head or more, as this represents 85% of all fed cattle. Cattle feeders provide data on inventory, placements, marketings and other disappearance. It is important to remember that due to COVID-19 disruptions last year, typical year-over-year comparisons need to be contextualized.
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NAHMS Swine 2021 Small Enterprise Study
From May 2021 through July 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS), in collaboration with the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), will conduct its third national study of U.S. small enterprise swine operations.
The study will take an in-depth look at small enterprise swine operations (fewer than 1,000 pigs) and provide new information regarding animal health and management practices used on these operations, as well as the alternative marketing strategies they implement.
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Time For USDA, Not FCC, To Take Over Rural Broadband
Bridging the digital divide—particularly in rural areas where broadband is insufficiently deployed—is the Federal Communication Commission’s top priority, the agency says. However, it continues to fall short for rural America and House Republicans want to direct resources to the USDA to address the shortfalls in rural connectivity.
“The FCC had had their chance, and they haven’t gotten it done,” says Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., and one of the lead authors of a new proposal to put USDA in the driver seat of trying to connect the last mile.
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USDA To Begin Loan Payments To Socially Disadvantaged Borrowers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) today published the first notice of funding availability (NOFA) (PDF, 242 KB) announcing loan payments for eligible borrowers with qualifying direct farm loans under the American Rescue Plan Act Section 1005.
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Looking Beneath The Surface, USDA Paper Gauges Pandemic's Impact
Global trade in food and agricultural products grew by 3.5% last year, according to the WTO, leading to descriptions that the sector was robust and resilient in the face of the worst pandemic in a century. However, a USDA working paper says the impact of the coronavirus was obscured by such factors as the de-escalation of the Sino-U.S. trade war.
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USDA Announces Cooperative Agreements for Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of up to $2 million for local governments to host Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) pilot projects for fiscal year 2021. The cooperative agreements support projects that develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans and they are part of USDA’s broader efforts to support urban agriculture.
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USDA Expands Aquaculture Disaster Assistance To Include Fish Raised For Food
In response to catastrophic aquaculture losses due to major winter storms that hit states along the U.S. Gulf Coast in February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced a policy change that makes food fish and other aquatic species eligible for the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). Previously, only farm-raised game and bait fish were eligible for death loss ELAP benefits. Beginning June 1, eligible aquaculture producers can request ELAP assistance for 2021 losses. This policy change is for the 2021 and subsequent program years.
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Higgins Announces USDA Purchase of Gulf Shrimp
Congressman Clay Higgins announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will purchase up to $25 million of Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Wild-Caught Shrimp to address food system supply chain disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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USDA to Purchase Gulf Shrimp, Graves Initiated Deal in April 2020
U.S. Congressman Garret Graves announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will purchase up to $25 million of Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Wild-Caught Shrimp to address the disruptions in the food system supply chain and food insecurity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Wild-Caught Shrimp amount is the second highest out of the 13 products purchased.
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