Author Archives: tanya brown

Small California People’s Garden Provides Wealth of Herbs to Underserved

Posted on August 16, 2010 by tanya brown

 The Alturas, Calif., Farm Service Agency Service Center People’s Garden is in its second year with overwintering sage, chives and parsley. The small plot at this Northern California service center entrance demonstrates the variety of herbs that can be grown successfully … Continue reading →

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FSA Youth Loan Key to Success

Posted on August 13, 2010 by tanya brown

  “Without the help from the youth loan I received from the Farm Service Agency I wouldn’t have the herd I have today.” Those were the words of 17-year-old Brian Linton of Inwood, W. Va., as he sat by his … Continue reading →

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Once Soggy High School Land Now Yields 500 Pounds of Produce Weekly

Posted on August 13, 2010 by tanya brown

What once was a barren plot of soggy grass in front of a Brooklyn, N.Y., high school has been turned into a 10,000-square-foot vegetable farm that yields more than 500 pounds of organic produce each week. The principal of the … Continue reading →

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ARRA Funds Help Keep Washington Farmers Afloat

Posted on August 13, 2010 by tanya brown

A bad year forced Klickitat County farmer Kelly Kreps to choose between fertilizing his fields or paying taxes and insurance. Even though his operation suffered freeze-related losses, Kreps’s ranch didn’t qualify for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) disaster payments program. … Continue reading →

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New Members Appointed to USDA Beginning Farmer Advisory Committee

Posted on August 13, 2010 by tanya brown

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed 11 new members to the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Advisory Committee. The committee gives advice to the secretary on programs for beginning farmers and ranchers and also works to enhance and expand federal-state partnerships … Continue reading →

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USDA to Hold Three Public Meetings on Animal Disease Traceability

Posted on August 12, 2010 by tanya brown

USDA will host three public meetings this month to discuss animal disease traceability. The agency is drafting regulations to implement a livestock tracking system that will help reduce disease outbreaks by allowing officials to trace the disease to a particular … Continue reading →

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First African American to Chair FSA Calif. State Committee

Posted on August 12, 2010 by tanya brown

Ron Kelley has always broken new ground, personally and professionally. Now, President Obama selected him to be the first African American chairman of the USDA Farm Service Agency State Committee in California. With the help of family, he’s been operating … Continue reading →

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Report: Farmers on Pace to Have Record-Setting Corn, Soybean Crop

Posted on August 12, 2010 by tanya brown

U.S. farmers are set to produce the largest corn and soybean crop in history, according to the USDA Crop Production report released today. As of Aug. 1, corn yields are expected to average a record-high 165 bushels per acre, which … Continue reading →

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Corn, Soybean in Good to Excellent Condition; Ahead of Last Year’s Numbers

Posted on August 10, 2010 by tanya brown

The nation’s corn and soybean crops are ahead of last year’s averages and more than 60 percent of both crops are in good to excellent condition, according to the USDA Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin. Based on the report, which … Continue reading →

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No Space, No Problem: Butterfly People’s Garden Sprouts Wings in West Virginia

Posted on August 10, 2010 by tanya brown

A lack of space for a traditional vegetable garden didn’t stop the Farm Service Agency in Sabraton, W.Va from creating a People’s Garden. Instead of tomatoes, squash and string beans, a group of volunteers planted a butterfly/pollinator garden. Pollinators are … Continue reading →

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