The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced it is issuing more than $232 million to support public schools, roads and other municipal services through the agency’s Secure Rural Schools program. The program was reauthorized for fiscal years 2021 through 2023 through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Fiscal year 2023 funds will be paid to 745 eligible counties in 41 states and Puerto Rico.
Read MoreFor many families whose children receive free or reduced breakfast and lunch during the school year, summer can be a time of food insecurity. To combat this problem, each year the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) participates in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Read MoreAn extension livestock economist says the UDSA’s decision to cancel the July Cattle Inventory Report is a huge loss for the industry. Oklahoma State University’s Derrell Peel says this is a problematic time to lose access to data. “Given where we are right now, we’re in a cyclical low in numbers and we’re really concerned right now about sort of the process of stopping liquidation, stabilizing the beef cow herd,” he says. “And beginning that process of rebuilding.”
Read MoreThe Vermilion Parish Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in Abbeville is hiring a full time Program Technician (PT). The deadline to apply is April 12, 2024.
Duties include general office activities supporting FSA programs administered at the field level. Successful applicants must be reliable, have a professional attitude and enjoy working with the public.
Read MoreCongresswoman Julia Letlow questioned the United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on the steps his department was making to provide assistance for Louisiana farmers during a hearing on March 22.
During the hearing with USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Congresswoman Julia Letlow mentioned challenges that some Louisiana farmers are facing due to a drought in 2023. The USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack agreed to partner with Congresswoman Letlow on steps moving forward to assist Louisiana farmers who have faced challenges from the drought of 2023.
Read MoreThe new Shellfish Pilot Crop Insurance Program, offered through the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), offers you, as an oyster producer, needed protection from environmental challenges and it also allows you to insure for a higher price based on your personal sales records. You are now eligible for protection against losses due to named storms, excessive heat during a low tide event, freeze during a low tide event, or low salinity due to excessive rainfall.
Read MoreThis Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans.
Read MoreAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of an historic $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2024 to invest in partner-driven conservation and climate solutions through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
Read MoreWith farming communities across America facing challenges ranging from the economic to the environmental, developing a talent pipeline of young people interested in solving these problems is critical to the future of agriculture.
That was the message Xochitl Torres Small, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, shared when she visited the LSU campus
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for April 2024, which are effective April 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.
Read MoreFeral swine—also known as wild pigs, wild boars, wild hogs, and razorbacks—are descendants of escaped or released pigs first brought to the United States by Europeans as a food source. They are a dangerous and destructive invasive species, and their populations have expanded across the country. Help us manage their damage.
Read MoreLouisiana rough rice stocks in all positions on March 1, 2024, totaled 8.55 million hundredweight (cwt), up 13 percent from March 1, 2023. Stocks held on farms totaled 1.55 million cwt, up 7 percent from last year. Off farm stocks totaled 7.00 million cwt, up 14 percent from last year.
Read MoreLouisiana corn producers intend to plant 560,000 acres, down 20 percent from the 700,000 acres planted in 2023. Upland cotton acreage intentions are at 140,000 acres, up 17 percent from the 120,000 acres planted last year. All hay acres expected to be harvested in Louisiana are estimated at 420,000 acres, up 30,000 acres from 2023.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing up to $22 million in partnerships that expand access to conservation technical assistance for livestock producers and increase the use of conservation practices on grazing lands. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting proposals through its Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) until Sunday, May 26, 2024.
Read MoreMembers of the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited LSU AgCenter facilities March 26 to announce a $166,668 technical assistance grant for rural Louisiana communities through its Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP.
The investment is meant to provide support to farmers, ranchers and rural small business owners seeking federal funds for renewable energy systems such as solar and other energy-efficient measures.
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