Myth: I am too old to be considered a beginning farmer or rancher. False—In fact, there is no age limit or age requirement to be considered a beginning farmer!
• According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, 61% of beginning farmers and ranchers are between the ages of 35 – 64 with an average age of 47.
Read MoreThe American Relief Act, 2025, provides disaster relief payments to producers who suffered revenue, quality or production losses to crops, trees, bushes, or vines due to qualifying disaster events in calendar years 2023 and 2024.
The Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) will be administered in two stages. Producers can receive payments in both stages, if applicable, and for one or both years, depending on losses.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the opening of a 30-day public comment period for stakeholders to provide feedback on the Department’s reorganization plan, as outlined in the Secretary’s memorandum issued on July 24, 2025.
Read MoreGovernment Executive's Eric Katz reported that "the Agriculture Department is confident its push to move more employees out of Washington and into five new hubs around the country will retain most staff and large-scale layoffs will not be necessary, a top official told lawmakers on Wednesday."
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for August 2025, which are effective Aug. 1, 2025. USDA 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 MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is reaching out to farmers, ranchers, and agricultural landowners to gather in-depth information about the conservation practices they use.
Read MoreThere were 94.2 million head of cattle and calves on U.S. farms as of July 1, 2025, according to the Cattle report published today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). This is the first July cattle inventory report since July 2023.
Read MoreOn Wednesday, July 23, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a confirmation hearing for Richard Fordyce, the nominee to serve as Under Secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) mission area.
Fordyce, a Missouri farmer and former Administrator of the Farm Service Agency (FSA), is widely respected across the agriculture community for his leadership and hands-on experience in farm policy and conservation.
Read MoreHazardous heat has impacted millions of residents in the Plains, Southeast, and Midwest regions this week after a heat dome formed from the Gulf Coast to the Plains on July 22. The sweltering conditions pushed into the Midwest between July 23-24, and are expected to impact the Northeast by July 25. High humidity from the weather pattern is raising overnight temperatures in the area, increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses for residents. The oppressive heat is expected to linger in the Plains and Southeast through next week.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), refocusing its core operations to better align with its founding mission of supporting American farming, ranching, and forestry.
Over the last four years, USDA’s workforce grew by 8%, and employees’ salaries increased by 14.5% - including hiring thousands of employees with no sustainable way to pay them.
Read MoreHay! Sign up for Grassland CRP to conserve grasslands while also continuing most grazing and haying practices on your working lands. The sign-up runs through Aug. 8, 2025.
The Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is part of CRP, a federally funded voluntary program that contracts with agricultural producers so that environmentally sensitive agricultural land is not farmed, but instead used for conservation benefits.
Read MoreThe original Section 18 crisis exemption for Sivanto Prime in sugarcane for aphids/West Indian Cane Fly was set to expire July 18th. However shortly after, LDAF office of Pesticide Programs filed for a specific exemption to extend the use beyond July 18th.
Read MoreUSDA’s Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP) is requesting your participation in a survey on the use of targeted pesticide application equipment and the incentives and barriers to adoption. The questions in this survey are focused on growers' use of targeted spray technologies for chemical pesticides (for example, See&Spray™, Greeneye™, SmartSpray™ and others). Targeted pesticide application technology has the potential to control weeds and other agricultural pests while reducing the overall amount of pesticide used.
Read MoreThe U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council (USAEDC), that represents and promotes the export promotion interests of growers and processors of U.S. agricultural products, welcomed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins to their annual meeting last week where she expressed her appreciation and support for “the greatest of all American industries: American agriculture.”
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can now enroll in the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (Grassland CRP). The sign-up runs from , July 14, to Aug. 8, 2025.
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