Author Archives: tanya brown

Farm workers in California along with Senator Dean Florez hand delivered a bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office yesterday that would allow farm workers to earn overtime pay after eight hours of work. Currently, they only earn overtime after 10 … Continue reading →

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has asked the White House for “flexibility” in cutting five percent of USDA’s discretionary spending. The request comes in an effort to cut mandatory farm programs in fiscal year 2012 instead making the entire cut in … Continue reading →

A Mississippi man has been sentenced to five years in prison for defrauding the USDA out of $3 million to keep his biodiesel plant running. Tommy Tacker was convicted in a federal court in Aberdeen, Miss., of 10 counts of … Continue reading →

Milk production across the U.S. saw a 2.4 percent increase last month despite a drop in dairy herds. An increase in production per cow made up for the 1.2 percent drop in dairy herds in 23 major states, according to … Continue reading →

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have requested that USDA partially deregulate Roundup Ready alfalfa to allow planting of inventoried seed in the fall. Seventy-five members of the House signed the letter nearly one month after the Supreme Court … Continue reading →

A West Virginia farm loan manager in the FSA Martinsburg Service Center died last Thursday after the motorcycle he was riding was hit by a car. David Edward Kessel, was riding his 2008 Triumph to a local dairy farm to … Continue reading →

Some teenagers in Iowa and Illinois have been laid off from jobs detasseling corn because they are unable to reach the tops of the plants. An early planting season and warm growing conditions may have contributed to the tall corn … Continue reading →

A Minnesota Farmer was charged in U.S. District Court with two counts of causing the issuance of false official grain inspection certificates. Matthew Chisholm brought 300 metric tons of kidney beans in four lots to the USDA to be inspected … Continue reading →

More than $13 million in disaster assistance will be issued to livestock, honeybee and farm-raised fish producers that suffered losses in 2009 due to disease and adverse weather. The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program, or ELAP, … Continue reading →