The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an investment of $5 million in partnerships to help agricultural producers and private landowners restore and steward wetlands and floodplains through conservation easements. These projects, funded by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), deliver Farmers First, direct-to-producer benefits while improving water quality, reducing flooding risks and providing habitat for wildlife.
Read MoreMore than one million acres of wetlands and bottomland hardwood forests have now been restored through the Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) program across the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV), which stretches from Missouri to Louisiana. Of the 6 states included in the LMAV, Louisiana makes up more than a third of the one-million-acre milestone with 368,265 acres enrolled in WRE.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced an investment of $5 million in partnerships to help agricultural producers and private landowners restore and steward wetlands and floodplains through conservation easements. These projects, funded by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), deliver Farmers First, direct-to-producer benefits while improving water quality, reducing flooding risks and providing habitat for wildlife.
Read MoreU.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Louisiana State Director Troy Romero today announced the agency is awarding a $200,000 grant to Cockeyed Farms to expand processing, marketing, and distribution of its American-grown elderberry products.
“As the first elderberry farm in Louisiana, Cockeyed Farms is already bringing innovation to our state’s agricultural production,” said Romero. “With this investment, and so many others like it, USDA is backing producers that put in the hard work to build new markets and create jobs in their rural communities.”
Read MoreUSDA is targeting shortages in small meat processing capacity as ranchers in some areas face long trips to get cattle harvested. Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Mindy Brashears says about 80% of U.S. beef processing capacity is concentrated among four major processors.
Read MoreUSDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded $20 million to support Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program grants. These highly competitive programs support innovations that focus on high-quality research related to important scientific problems and opportunities in agriculture that could lead to significant public benefits.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced today the awarding of over $26 million to farmers and agricultural producers across the country through the USDA Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program. Entities can use these grant funds to develop value-added agricultural products, conduct market research, and implement business and marketing strategies.
Read MoreAn ag economist says widespread USDA farm program payments are expected for crop farmers beginning next month.
David Widmar with Ag Economic Insights tells Brownfield farmers will receive the higher payment from either the Ag Risk Coverage program or Price Loss Coverage program.
Read MoreFederal scientists are still scrambling to find new jobs or relocate across the country as Maryland’s Beltsville Agricultural Research Center’s last days of operation approach. Even as their personal lives upend, employees are concerned that BARC’s legacy of impactful research will be left behind.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the deadline for farmers to apply for Stages 1 and 2 of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) to Sept. 30, 2026. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is providing greater flexibility for farmers who experienced quality losses on eligible crops.
Read MoreToday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the Stand-Up Program to provide up to $50 million in new funding to help states start or expand their own meat inspection programs in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The program carries out President Trump’s September 4 Executive Order to expand market access for American meat producers and strengthen the domestic supply chain.
Read MoreAgricultural producers can soon begin enrolling in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated to include more than 30 million new base acres. This expansion, the first in 20 years, was made possible by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and is part of USDA’s efforts to put Farmers First.
Read MoreU.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden was in Iowa Friday, asking farmers from across the country to share their experiences dealing with consolidation and pricing issues in the fertilizer industry.
Vaden, who previously served as a judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade and as USDA’s general counsel, said the individual stories from farmers will help as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission investigates the industry for potential unfair pricing or anti-competitive practices.
Read MoreThe Trump administration is continuing to take steps to help improve market access for U.S. producers in Latin America.
USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg says the agency is helping provide humanitarian relief in Venezuela after two recent earthquakes. “The history they’ve had with our farmers and ranchers as a trading partner has been a bit of a sad story in the past decade or so. Once upon a time, Venezuela was once a top 10 ag export market for U.S. producers.”
Read MoreThe USDA has released updated estimates for Louisiana’s 2026 crop production, including acreage, yields and total production for major commodities across the state.
Read More
