Posts in USDA
Editorial: Crawfish Farmers Deserve Federal Support
Editorial: Crawfish Farmers Deserve Federal Support

At this time of year, most Louisianans are used to gathering with family and friends to enjoy steaming trays of boiled crawfish. But this year, with the harvest devastated by drought, crawfish are hard to find and costly, putting a damper on our seasonal festivities. 

While consumers lament the high prices, the impact on crawfish farmers is downright dire. The fallout from searing temperatures and dry weather in August is being felt in all parts of the state, producing fewer and smaller-than-usual mudbugs this year.

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Aquaculture, USDAAvery Davidson
Small Farmers Cry for Help as Climate Change Keeps Killing Crops
Small Farmers Cry for Help as Climate Change Keeps Killing Crops

Iriel Edwards is a first-generation farmer from Louisiana. In her short tenure as a farmer, Edwards, 25, has already seen extreme drought, freezes, flooding and excessive heat.

Edwards, along with thousands of other growers across the country, faces a conundrum nearly every growing season: how to stay afloat when shifting weather patterns caused by climate change keep wrecking their crops?

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USDAAvery Davidson
USDA Finalizes Rule On Product Of The USA Labeling
USDA Finalizes Rule On Product Of The USA Labeling

The USDA has finalized its new Product of the U.S.A. labeling rule for meat, poultry, and eggs. 

Joe Maxwell, co-founder of Farm Action, says the rule is good news for America’s farmers and ranchers.  “It was a great day to be in the room when the Secretary announced that America’s farmers and ranchers can be assured that only their meat products, those born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States, will bear that American flag and that proud name Product of the USA,” he says.

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USDAdon molino
USDA Finalizes Voluntary “Product of USA” Label Claim to Enhance Consumer Protection
USDA Finalizes Voluntary “Product of USA” Label Claim to Enhance Consumer Protection

At the National Farmers Union Annual Convention, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the finalization of a rule to align the voluntary “Product of USA” label claim with consumer understanding of what the claim means. Secretary Vilsack also announced USDA is awarding $9.5 million to 42 projects through the Local Meat Capacity grant program to expand processing options for the meat and poultry industry and new actions to ensure transparency and a fair and competitive market in the U.S seed industry.

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USDAAvery Davidson
Reminder-Ag Producers Only Have Until March 15 To Enroll in Commodity Safety Net Programs
Reminder-Ag Producers Only Have Until March 15 To Enroll in Commodity Safety Net Programs

Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2024 crop year have until March 15, 2024, to revise elections and sign contracts. Both safety net programs, delivered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provide vital income support to farmers who experience substantial declines in crop prices or revenues for the 2024 crop year. 

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USDAdon molino
USDA Announces New Final Rule Under The Packers & Stockyards Act
USDA Announces New Final Rule Under The Packers & Stockyards Act

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the finalization of Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act.

The final rule will be effective 60 days following publication in the Federal Register. The final rule Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act (the Inclusive Competition Rule) establishes clearer, more effective standards under the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act for prohibited practices relating to discrimination, retaliation and deception in contracting.

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Livestock, USDAdon molino
Proposed Bill Could Help Crawfish Farmers
Proposed Bill Could Help Crawfish Farmers

On February 29th, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy introduced the crawfish recovery assistance from weather disasters and droughts act. The CRAWDAD act would support Louisiana's crawfish jobs, providing farmers with federal aid in order to sustain their business during difficult conditions.

The bill would provide emergency livestock aid due to drought, something that is currently not in effect.

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Aquaculture, USDAAvery Davidson
Biden-Harris Administration Invests $2.3 Billion in Projects to Expand Affordable, Reliable, Clean Power in Rural Communities Through Investing in America Agenda
Biden-Harris Administration Invests $2.3 Billion in Projects to Expand Affordable, Reliable, Clean Power in Rural Communities Through Investing in America Agenda

As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s PowerXchange annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas that USDA is moving forward on clean energy investments in 23 states to reduce pollution and strengthen rural America’s power grid. The announcement includes the first five awards totaling $139 million under the Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program.

Electric infrastructure projects will benefit rural business owners, families and individuals in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Texas and Wisconsin.

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USDAAvery Davidson
USDA Announces Conservation Reserve Program General Signup for 2024
USDA Announces Conservation Reserve Program General Signup for 2024

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin signing up for the general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) starting March 4 and running through March 29, 2024. This conservation opportunity gives producers tools to conserve wildlife habitat while achieving other conservation benefits, including sequestering carbon and improving water quality and soil health.  

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USDAdon molino
USDA Announces March '24 Lending Rates For Ag Producers
USDA Announces March '24 Lending Rates For Ag Producers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for March 2024, which are effective March 1, 2024. 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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USDAdon molino
Kennedy Introduces CRAWDAD Act to Support Louisiana Jobs, Culture
Kennedy Introduces CRAWDAD Act to Support Louisiana Jobs, Culture

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, introduced the Crawfish Recovery Assistance from Weather Disasters and Droughts (CRAWDAD) Act. The bill would support Louisiana’s crawfish jobs as droughts and severe weather have put strain on the industry.

“Louisiana’s crawfish farmers have worked hard to weather a bad freeze and devastating drought. My CRAWDAD Act would give mudbug farmers the help they need to keep delivering quality Louisiana fare to crawfish lovers everywhere,” said Kennedy.

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Aquaculture, USDAAvery Davidson
Graves, Carter Call for Immediate Assistance from USDA for Louisiana Crawfish Farmers
Graves, Carter Call for Immediate Assistance from USDA for Louisiana Crawfish Farmers

U.S. Congressmen Garret Graves (Louisiana) and Troy Carter (Louisiana) led a formal request asking that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP) funding to drought-affected crawfish producers in Louisiana. Congress has already granted the USDA discretion to provide assistance to farmers affected by severe weather through the ELAP statute; the bipartisan letter asks that the Secretary use it now to provide relief to Louisiana farmers who suffered significant crawfish crop losses due to extreme heat and drought in 2023. 

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Aquaculture, USDAAvery Davidson