USDA Announces Dates For Conservation Reserve Program Signups
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set a July 23, 2021, deadline for agricultural producers and landowners to apply for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General signup 56. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept applications for CRP Grasslands from July 12 to August 20. This year, USDA updated both signup options to provide greater incentives for producers and increase its conservation benefits, including reducing the impacts of climate change.
Both signups are competitive and will provide for annual rental payments for land devoted to conservation purposes.
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$1,6 M Awarded For SmartPort In Louisiana
On June 9, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced a $1.6 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Water Institute of the Gulf, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to develop the Lower Mississippi SmartPort and Resilience Center (i.e., SmartPort).
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Weekly Cotton Market Review
Average spot quotations were 39 points lower than the previous week, according to the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service’s Cotton and Tobacco Program. Quotations for the base quality of cotton (color 41, leaf 4, staple 34, mike 35-36 and 43-49, strength 27.0-28.9, and uniformity 81.0-81.9) in the seven designated markets averaged 81.29 cents per pound for the week ending Thursday, June 17, 2021.
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Eyeing USDA's Budget Request
Questions about the meat industry dominated a Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee hearing Tuesday at which Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appeared in person to discuss the Biden administration’s budget request for fiscal year 2022.
In an opening statement, Vilsack said, “The president’s budget for 2022 for USDA programs within this subcommittee is $192 billion, of which approximately $168 billion is mandatory funding and $23.2 billion is net discretionary funding.
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Pollinators Matter. Bee Appreciative. Bee The Solution
A bee-less future would sting us all. The decline of bees and other pollinator populations threatens our global food security and here’s why.
Pollinators contribute to ecosystem health and a sustainable food supply. Honeybees, native bees, birds, bats, butterflies, and other animals are all required for more than 80% of the world’s flowering plants to reproduce. This includes food crops.
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Vilsack Advocates Senate Action ON Farm Labor Reform
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Col., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, met with representatives from major farm and farmworker organizations in a roundtable Wednesday, June 16, to discuss the needs of agricultural labor reform as the Senate begins to formulate its on solution ag labor.
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USDA Opens Signup for CLEAR30, Now Nationwide
Landowners and agricultural producers currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) now have a wider opportunity to enroll in a 30-year contract through the Clean Lakes, Estuaries, And Rivers initiative, called CLEAR30. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expanding CLEAR30 — a water-quality focused option available through CRP — to be nationwide now.
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USDA Reminds Producers To File Crop Acreage Reports
Agricultural producers who have not yet completed their crop acreage reports after planting should make an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office before the applicable deadline. July 15 is a major deadline for most crops, but acreage reporting deadlines vary by county and by crop.
“USDA offers a lot of programs to assist producers, but in order to receive many of these program benefits, you must file an accurate crop acreage report,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “Once planting is complete, call your local FSA county office to make an appointment.”
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USDA Sets Deadline for Conservation Reserve Program Sign Up
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set a July 23, 2021, deadline for agricultural producers and landowners to apply for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General signup.
Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency will accept applications for CRP Grasslands from July 12 to August 20. This year, USDA updated both signup options to provide greater incentives for producers and increase its conservation benefits, including reducing the impacts of climate change.
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USDA Announces Additional Aid To Ag Producers & Businesses In Pandemic Assistance For Producers Initiative
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today additional aid to agricultural producers and businesses as part of the USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Earlier this year, Secretary Vilsack announced plans to use available pandemic assistance funds to address a number of gaps and disparities in previous rounds of aid. As part of the Pandemic Assistance initiative announced in March, USDA pledged to continue Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments and to provide aid to producers and businesses left behind. Implementation of the assistance announced today will continue within 60 days to include support to timber harvesters, biofuels, dairy farmers and processors, livestock farmers and contract growers of poultry, assistance for organic cost share, and grants for PPE.
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USDA to Begin Payments for Producers Impacted by 2018 – 19 Natural Disasters
More than $1 billion in payments will be released over the next several weeks starting June 15 for agricultural producers with approved applications for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program and for producers who have already received payments through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+).
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New USDA Data Deepen Milk’s Role in Healthy Nutrition
For years milk has been a staple for many families when they are looking something delicious and nutritious. But now there’s even more good news to share about real dairy milk.
New information based on updated U.S. Department of Agriculture databases shows milk packs 13 essential nutrients in every serving, including zinc, selenium, iodine and potassium, plus nine more vitamins and minerals contributing to health, immune function, and strong bones and muscles.
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Farmers Must File Cover Crop Acreage Report by June 15
Did you plant a cover crop and also have crop insurance coverage for your spring crops this year?
If so, you may be eligible for a premium benefit through the new Pandemic Cover Crop Program. To receive this benefit, you must file a Report of Acreage (FSA578) by June 15, 2021.
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Please Complete Your June USDA Surveys
Please complete your June Agricultural and Area surveys. The information you provide is a critical foundation for understanding U.S. agricultural activities, land uses, crop acreage, production and stocks. Fill out your surveys online at http://agcounts.usda.gov
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Black And Minority Farmers Will Receive $4 Billion In Debt Relief. For Some, It’s A Lifeline. For Others, Too Little, Too Late.
Betty Chenier, aged 60, grows potatoes, watermelon, kale, collards, and other vegetables, and raises chickens, hogs and cattle on her 50-acre farm, selling her produce at a farmer’s market in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Betty and her husband, John, bought their current farm in Opelousas, Louisiana roughly 30 years ago, but the couple has been farming far longer, John since childhood. While roughly 33,000 farmers receive a loan from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency each year, Betty and John have never received a loan from the USDA. It’s not for lack of trying. When Chenier Farms applied for a USDA loan to purchase a water well, “they wanted us to mortgage 50 acres for a loan of $10,000.” That didn’t feel fair to Betty – in Louisiana, an acre of farmland is worth roughly $1,000 – so they looked for a private loan instead.
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