The National Black Farmers Association has filed a lawsuit against USDA, claiming the Agriculture Department failed to keep promises it made to farmers of color that it would help socially disadvantaged producers pay off delinquent farm loans.
Read MoreOn Tuesday, February 14, Agriculture Secretary will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he will join Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, Congressman Troy Carter and Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) at a press conference. During the press conference, they will underline investments and initiatives under the direction of President Biden that expand economic opportunity and prosperity in the area and throughout the state of Louisiana, including for small and underserved producers and businesses. These actions will help create jobs, invest in and develop a competitive, well-trained workforce, close the racial wealth gap, and more.
Read MoreAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the U.S. Department of Agriculture is making 19.5 billion in funding available for agricultural producers and forest landowners nationwide to participate in voluntary conservation programs and adopt “climate-smart” practices.
Read MoreThe LFBF Livestock Committee is excited to open registration for our Southwest Louisiana Beef Tour, which will be a two-day and two-night event scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 17-18, 2023. We will begin with the “Economics and Profitability in the Cattle Business” workshop presented by Mr. Gene Lollis, the ranch manager of the Archbold Biological Research Station in Venus, Florida.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed a simplified direct loan application to provide improved customer experience for producers applying for loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The simplified direct loan application enables producers to complete a more streamlined application, reduced from 29 to 13 pages. Producers will also have the option to complete an electronic fillable form or prepare a traditional, paper application for submission to their local FSA farm loan office. The paper and electronic versions of the form will be available starting March 1, 2023.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for February 2023, which are effective Feb. 1, 2023. 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.
Read MoreUSDA and National Agricultural Statistics Service officials are reminding producers that Feb. 6 is the deadline to respond to the 2022 Census of Agriculture.
The NASS survey is conducted every five years to provide a complete account of the nation’s farms and ranches and the people who operate them. In December, NASS mailed questionnaires to every known agriculture producer in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Read MoreLouisiana January 1 All Cattle Inventory Down 3 Percent.
Read MoreThe Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Commodity Procurement Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) invite you to a live, interactive webinar on becoming an approved USDA food vendor. AMS purchases approximately $6 billion of U.S. grown and processed foods annually for both domestic and international food assistance programs. USDA purchases over 300 different food products that directly support the nutritional needs for millions of school children, families, and other qualified individuals. Find out how your company can participate in these purchases that support American agriculture.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack issued secretarial disaster declarations for an additional five Louisiana parishes due to excessive rains. Those parishes are Bossier, Caddo, Grant, Rapides and West Carroll.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service today announced it will offer $41 million through the 2023 Wood Innovations Grant and 2023 Community Wood Grant programs to spark innovation and create new markets for wood products and renewable wood energy.
Read MoreThe Biden administration says it plans to transform the food system to create a more competitive agricultural economy with new and better markets, and more resilient farms and ranches. In the recent news release, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack underscored the administration’s vision and efforts to create an economy where the wealth and opportunities created in rural America stay there.
Read MoreAfter serving nearly two years as the U.S. deputy secretary of agriculture, Dr. Jewel Bronaugh said that she is stepping away from the role to be able to spend more time with family. Her departure will happen in the coming weeks.
Read MoreLouisiana milk production during the October - December 2022 quarter was 25.0 million pounds, down 11 percent from the same period in 2021 but up 14 percent from the July - September quarter.
Read MoreA 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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