The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages urban producers, innovative producers and other stakeholders to submit comments for and virtually attend the fifth public meeting of the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (Committee) on April 18, 2023.
Read MoreDionne Toombs, acting director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, visited the LSU AgCenter on March 27 as part of her tour of land-grant universities.
Read MoreA new year generally means a fresh set of opportunities to keep growing, especially when it comes to grants for many agricultural programs operated by the federal government. As we embrace the spring season ahead, USDA has announced a number of funding opportunities for sustainable agriculture.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for individuals to serve on the Advisory Committee on Minority Farmers. This committee recommends solutions to challenges faced by minority farmers and ranchers, and is part of USDA’s commitment to advance equity for all, especially for farmers and producers in underserved communities. The Committee is administered by USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE).
Read MoreSection 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.
Read MoreFour 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.
Read MoreHoney 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.
Read MoreFifty 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.
Read MoreCampti 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.
Read MoreYou 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreThe 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).
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreA 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.
Read MoreOn 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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