Perspective: USDA Organic Label Crackdown Is Long Overdue
A full-scale organic regulations overhaul has been a long time coming. And finally, it seems to be here … at least on paper. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has just unveiled its Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule, which it hopes will “protect organic integrity and bolster farmer and consumer confidence in the USDA organic seal.”
As I read through all of the things this new rule is supposed to do — from strengthening certification of organic imports to more rigorous domestic on-site inspections and better data reporting — I couldn’t help but wonder what all those organic activists think now that the USDA has basically admitted that the system they championed has been deeply flawed.
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USDA Researchers Develop Naturally Fire-Resistant Cotton Lines
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service have bred four cotton lines that can be used to make self-extinguishing textiles when exposed to fire. The hope is that these cotton lines will reduce the need for flame-retardant chemicals to be embedded in consumer products.
The new cotton lines were developed from cultivated varieties with a novel flame-retardant trait. When exposed to an open flame, the fabric from the new cotton lines self-extinguished compared to regular cotton fabric, which burned entirely in seconds.
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USDA Announces Additional Assistance For Dairy Farmers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the details of additional assistance for dairy producers, including a second round of payments through the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program (PMVAP) and a new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP). The update to PMVAP and the new ODMAP will enable USDA to better support small- and medium-sized dairy operations who weathered the pandemic and now face other challenges.
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USDA Announces Signup For '23 Assistance For Specialty Crop Growers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds specialty crop producers of available assistance to help cover certain costs of complying with regulatory and market-driven food safety certification requirements. Applications for the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program for eligible 2022 costs are due by Jan. 31, 2023. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept applications for 2023 costs from Feb. 1, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2024.
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USDA Provides More Than $70 Million to Protect Crops & Natural Resources
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating more than $70 million to support 350 projects under the Plant Protection Act’s Section 7721 program as part of a nationwide effort to strengthen the country’s infrastructure for pest detection, surveillance, and mitigation, as well as protect the U.S. nursery system. Universities, states, federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, nonprofits and Tribal organizations will carry out selected projects in 48 states, Guam and Puerto Rico.
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1890 National Scholar Program Awards Scholarships To Southern University
The USDA/1890 National Scholar Program is aimed at bolstering educational and career opportunities for students from rural or underserved communities around the country. It was established in 1992 as part of the partnership between USDA and the 1890 land-grant universities.
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USDA Approves New Honeybee Vaccine
Honeybees are a hot topic when it comes to pollinators. And, while they’re not known for being the best pollinators, they’re still a critical component of agriculture, and they’re being affected by the bacterial disease known as American foulbrood.
In the past, there hasn’t been an effective prevention to protect bees against American foulbrood. The aggressive bacterium, Paenibacillus, is known for spreading quickly from hive to hive, with the only current treatment method being the incineration of the affected hive, bees, and equipment.
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USDA Expands Eligibility, Enhances Benefits For Key Disaster Programs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made updates to several conservation, livestock and crop disaster assistance programs to give more farmers, ranchers, and tribes the opportunity to apply for and access programs that support recovery following natural disasters. Specifically, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) expanded eligibility and enhanced available benefits for a suite of its programs. These updates will provide critical assistance to producers who need to rebuild and recover after suffering catastrophic losses of production and infrastructure due to natural disasters.
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USDA Announces Major Program Improvements To Benefit Farmers & Ranchers
Today, at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual convention, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced several major developments at the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will benefit farmers, ranchers and producers across the nation.
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Farmers Anticipating Loss in Revenue Due to Extreme Weather Conditions in 2022
Avoyelles Parish is one of 11 parishes in Louisiana designated as disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to excessive rains in the second half of 2022.
The potential financial aid that farmers, especially local ones, can receive could be crucial for some families already anticipating a significant loss.
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USDA Designates 11 Louisiana Parishes as Disaster Areas
Agricultural producers in 11 parishes who suffered losses due to excessive rains that occurred from June 1 through November 2, 2022, may be eligible for assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA).
Many areas of the state, including Louisiana’s greatest row crop-producing parishes, suffered 18 or more inches of rain within just a few days.
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US Secretary of Agriculture Declares Disaster in 11 La. Parishes Due to Rain Losses in August
Farmers in 11 Louisiana parishes and another 30 parishes and counties in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are eligible for disaster aid from the USDA. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack sent a letter to La. Governor John Bel Edwards dated December 20, 2022 that Loss Assessment Reports showed sufficient losses in those 11 parishes to warrant a secretarial disaster declaration.
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Louisiana Hog Inventory Down 17 Percent
Louisiana inventory of all hogs and pigs on December 1, 2022, totaled 5,000 head, was down 17 Percent from December 1, 2021; breeding hog inventory, at 1,000 head, was down 50 percent from previous year; and market hog inventory, at 4,000 head, was unchanged from the previous year.
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2022 Census of Agriculture Underway in Louisiana
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) mailed the 2022 Census of Agriculture paper questionnaires to all known agriculture producers across the nation and Puerto Rico. Last month, producers in all states received their survey codes with an invitation to respond online. Any Louisiana producer who did not respond online still has the option to complete the ag census at agcounts.usda.gov or by mail.
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Carbon Credits Focus of Forage Meeting
Forage producers heard about a new potential income stream during a recent Louisiana Forage and Grassland Council and Louisiana Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative meeting in Alexandria.
Producers normally assess their forage profit potential by what’s above ground, but carbon guidelines offered during the Dec. 2 annual forage conference shows that there’s cash underground as well.
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