The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will cover up to 75% of the costs associated with organic certification, up to $750 per category, through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). Louisiana Farm Service Agency (FSA) encourages organic agricultural producers and handlers to apply for OCCSP by Oct. 31, 2023, for expenses incurred from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will cover up to 75% of the costs associated with organic certification, up to $750 per category, through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). Louisiana Farm Service Agency (FSA) encourages organic agricultural producers and handlers to apply for OCCSP by Oct. 31, 2023, for expenses incurred from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for four positions on the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. Nominations will be open to public from May 15, 2023, to July 15, 2023. The 12-member Committee, which first convened in March 2022, is part of USDA’s efforts to increase support for urban agriculture and innovative production.
Read MoreThis report contains the results from the 2022 December Agricultural and Row Crops County Agricultural Production surveys
Read MoreAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking additional steps as part of its commitment to strengthen the market for domestically grown organic goods, and to support producers seeking organic certification. These funding opportunities are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Organic Transition Initiative, launched in fall 2022, which is a suite of offerings to help existing organic farmers and those transitioning to organic production and processing.
Read MoreAccording to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Louisiana, there were 4.4 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday, May 7, 2023. Topsoil moisture supplies were 0 percent very short, 2 percent short, 77 percent adequate, and 21 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were 0 percent very short, 3 percent short, 75 percent adequate, and 22 percent surplus.
Read MoreSection 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides $2.2 billion in financial assistance for farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA’s farm lending programs prior to January 1, 2021.
USDA is aware of some lawyers and groups spreading misleading information about this process, pressuring people to sign retainer agreements, and asking people to fill out forms with private and sensitive information. Note that application forms for this program are not yet available and the application filing period has not started.
Read MoreThe Forest Service making up to $1 billion available in Urban and Community Forestry competitive grants for investments that increase equitable access to urban tree canopy and associated human health, environmental and economic benefits in disadvantaged communities.
Read MoreAccording to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Louisiana, there were 4.2 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday, April 30, 2023. Topsoil moisture supplies were 0 percent very short, 2 percent short, 78 percent adequate, and 20 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were 0 percent very short, 5 percent short, 78 percent adequate, and 17 percent surplus.
Read MoreAgriculture is a risky business. USDA is here to help you prepare for and recover from the impacts of natural disasters and market volatility. USDA provides a suite of disaster assistance programs to help offset losses as well as crop insurance and other coverage options to help manage risk and provide a safety net. USDA’s Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Risk Management Agency offers a number of options.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that nearly $130 million in additional, automatic financial assistance has been obligated for qualifying farm loan program borrowers who are facing financial risk. The announcement is part of the $3.1 billion to help distressed farm loan borrowers that was provided through Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Read MoreThis program supports independently owned meat and poultry processing businesses with funds to provide more and better processing options for local livestock producers by modernizing, increasing, diversifying and decentralizing meat and poultry processing capacity, including support for rendering.
Processing Expansion Projects will fund grants from $100,000 up to $5 million to increase the processing and/or rendering capacity of privately, cooperatively, non-profit, or Tribally held processing facilities.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for May 2023, which are effective May 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 MoreAgricultural producers and landowners with certain expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts can receive additional rental incentives and extend that land’s role in conservation for another 30 years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has opened the signup period for its Clean Lakes, Estuaries, And Rivers enrollment (CLEAR30) now through July 31, 2023.
Read MoreLouisiana milk production during the January - March 2023 quarter was 30.0 million pounds, down 9 percent from the same period in 2022 but up 20 percent from the October - December 2022 quarter. The average number of milk cows on farms during the quarter was 8,000 head, down 1,000 head from the same period last year but unchanged from the previous quarter.
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