Inflation Reduction Act: Additional Automatic Payments for Distressed Borrowers
Section 22006 of the IRA provided $3.1 billion for USDA to provide relief for distressed borrowers with certain Farm Service Agency (FSA) direct and/or guaranteed loans and to expedite assistance for those whose agricultural operations are at financial risk.
In October 2022, USDA provided approximately $800 million in initial IRA assistance to more than 11,000 delinquent direct and guaranteed borrowers and approximately 2,100 borrowers who had their farms liquidated and still had remaining debt.
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USDA Grant Funds Rice Resiliency Research
Four universities are participating in an effort through the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve the sustainability and profitability of rice farming as the staple grain grapples with extreme weather and climate challenges.
Scientists at Louisiana State University (LSU), the University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University (MSU) and Texas A&M University are part of a team awarded a four-year $10 million grant by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
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2022 Louisiana Honey Production Up
Honey production during 2022 from Louisiana producers with five or more colonies totaled 2.56 million pounds, up 19 percent from 2021. There were 42,000 honey producing colonies in 2022, up 5,000 colonies from previous year.
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National Agriculture Day: Fifty Years Later, Farmers Are Growing a Climate for Tomorrow
Fifty years after the creation of National Agriculture Day, America’s farmers, ranchers and private forestland owners find themselves on the front lines of climate change. They are uniquely positioned to deliver solutions by implementing climate-smart production practices that conserve natural resources, build healthier soils, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and sequester carbon.
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No-Till Tools For Small-Scale Application
Campti Field of Dreams has partnered with Jubilee Justice, DeLaTerre Permaculture Farm, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the National Soils Dynamics Lab to bring you two field days as part of the No-Till Tools for Small-Scale Applications Series this Spring. Join us on April 3rd and 4th for on-farm demonstrations of appropriate technology and learn how to build soil health so that you can grow more food.
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Scientists Develop Better Potatoes, for the Sake of Chips
You can’t have just one. Potato chips are America’s classic snack: crunchy, salty, greasy, and tasting of potato or flavored with things like sour cream, vinegar, BBQ, maple bacon, or Cajun dill. And today, on March 14, chip lovers across the country can celebrate them on National Potato Chip Day.
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NRCS Louisiana Partnership Opportunity
The Louisiana NRCS, an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is seeking support from natural resource conservation partners to provide outreach promoting NRCS programs that enhance conservation delivery in Louisiana.
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USDA Offers Support To Underserved Producers & Communities
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering a new service that assists entities serving underserved agricultural producers and communities with completing applications for funding opportunities. This includes a current funding opportunity for risk management education and outreach projects through USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA).
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USDA Conducting Review of What Louisiana Communities Are Considered Rural
The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development agency is currently conducting a review of all the areas under its jurisdiction to determine which areas no longer qualify for rural housing programs such as USDA loans. This could make it even harder for prospective homebuyers in some parts of Louisiana to afford a home.
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USDA's Simplified Direct Loan Application Now Available For All Producers
A new, simplified direct loan application is now available for all producers seeking a direct farm loan from the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The new application, reduced from 29 to 13 pages, provides improved customer experience for producers applying for loans and enables them to complete a more streamlined application.
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Promoting Fair Competition And Innovation In Seeds And other Agricultural Input Industries
On July 9, 2021, President Biden issued a historic Executive Order titled “Promoting Competition in the American Economy,” which creates a whole-of-government approach to competition and includes initiatives across federal agencies to tackle some of the most pressing issues across our economy. Among other things, the Executive Order directs the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, to submit a report to the Chair of the White House Competition Council on concerns and strategies for ensuring “that the intellectual property (IP) system, while incentivizing innovation, does not also unnecessarily reduce competition in seed and other input markets beyond that reasonably contemplated by the Patent Act.”
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USDA Announces Next Steps In Providing Financial Assistance To Borrowers Who Have Faced Discrimination
Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law by President Biden in August 2022, directs USDA to provide financial assistance to producers who have experienced discrimination in USDA’s farm lending programs. This program gives USDA the ability to provide financial assistance for farmers, ranchers, or forest landowners determined to have experienced discrimination in USDA's farm lending programs prior to January 1, 2021.
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Producers Have Until March 15 To Enroll In USDA"s Key Commodity Safety Net Programs
Alexandria, Louisiana, March 02, 2023 – Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2023 crop year have until March 15, 2023, to elect and enroll a contract. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers these two safety net programs to provide vital income support to farmers experiencing substantial declines in crop prices or revenues.
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USDA Announces March '23 Lending Rates For Agricultural Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for March 2023, which are effective March 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.
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Louisiana Rice Parish Estimates
This report contains the results from the 2022 December Agricultural and Row Crops County Agricultural Production surveys.
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