Author Archives: tanya brown

Farm Service Agency staff in Kansas are reaching out to women and minority farmers to get them involved in farm programs. “We’re in the business of helping our farmers and ranchers — all of them,” said Adrian J. Polansky, state … Continue reading →

USDA and the Department of Justice have joined together to host a public workshop to explore competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture industry. The workshop — which will be held March 12 in Ankeny, Iowa — is the first … Continue reading →

A resurvey of farmers and their unharvested corn and soybeans resulted in USDA lowering its crop estimates for 2009. Corn was down 20 million bushels but still remains at record levels with a total of 13.1 billion bushels, according to … Continue reading →

The Florida citrus crop was virtually unharmed by freezing weather that hit the state in January, according to the global crop supply and price forecast released yesterday by USDA. Based on the report, the Florida orange crop will be 1.6 … Continue reading →

Ziebach County in South Dakota has been designated a natural disaster area by the USDA due to the effects of freezing rain, snow, excessive rain, high winds, tornadoes, flash flooding and grasshopper infestation. Several other counties that are contiguous to … Continue reading →

USDA has designated 98 counties in Georgia as natural disaster areas due to excessive rainfall that began last September and has continued through the first quarter of 2010. Counties affected by the rainfall experienced the loss of several field crops … Continue reading →

The latest global crop supply and price forecast to be released Wednesday will show some interesting numbers, according to USDA Board Chairman Gerry Bange. Due to a slow harvest last year, the National Agricultural Statistics Service went back and resurveyed … Continue reading →

Staying true to his mission to revive rural America, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that utilities in seven states will receive funding through the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program to create jobs and new business opportunities. “Providing … Continue reading →

The appeal for locally grown fruits and vegetables has made it possible for new farmers to get started without the huge costs or 1,000 acres of land. Iowa residents Matt Russell and Patrick Standley own a 110-acre farm they bought … Continue reading →