Author Archives: tanya brown

The Farm Service Agency is seeking comments on a new program designed to provide grants to state and tribal governments to encourage owners of privately held land to make the land available for hunting, fishing and other wildlife-dependent recreation. The … Continue reading →

The U.S. can “easily” meet the Obama administration’s goal of doubling exports in five years, according to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. His comments are supported by a 19 percent increase in agricultural exports during the first quarter of this year. … Continue reading →

USDA launched an online, knowledge-based search engine that will deliver reliable, relevant information while reducing wait time and conserving taxpayer dollars.  Ask the Expert connects pre-existing systems from the Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Farm Service Agency, allowing … Continue reading →

An investigation into the complicated system of milk production and pricing could help the dairy industry, as well as the public understand how the system works and how it could be improved. Prices paid by consumers are not keeping pace … Continue reading →

No funding will be given for agricultural education next year in Illinois. Last week the state legislature passed a budget that provided no funding for ag education, a move that affects more than 500,000 students and 29,000 teachers. Without the … Continue reading →

California farm workers may soon get paid for overtime after eight hours of work. A bill introduced by Sen. Dean Florez and now on its way to the governor’s desk, will require farm workers to receive time and a half … Continue reading →

Soybean planting set a new record high this year with farmers sowing seed in 78.9 million acres of land. According to the USDA Acreage report released this week, record-high planted acreage was reported in Kansas, Nebraska, New York and Pennsylvania, … Continue reading →

Researchers in northern India have found a connection between cell phone usage and the decline in honeybees in some parts of the world. The study found that cell phones, when fitted to a hive and powered up for two 15-minute … Continue reading →

Disaster assistance is being issued to honeybee, livestock and farm-raised fish producers who suffered losses in 2008 due to disease, adverse weather or other conditions. The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program, or ELAP, provides more than … Continue reading →

The USDA Commodity Credit Corporation, which helps stabilize, support and protect farm income and prices, released interest rates for June. The borrowing rate-based charge is 0.375, unchanged from June, while the 1996 and subsequent crop year commodity and marketing assistance … Continue reading →