Category Archives: Atop the Fence Post
Lead Your FSA: Third Generation of Local Service
By Lauren Moore, USDA The nomination period for the USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) annual county committee election began June 15 and continues through Aug. 1, 2020. Throughout the nomination period, we’ll be introducing county committee members across the nation. This week … Continue reading
Nomination Period for FSA County Committee Elections Opens June 15
The nomination period for USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees opens on June 15. Each county office is looking for producers to serve on the local county committee. County committee elections are held annually in every county when FSA … Continue reading
USDA Now Accepting Applications for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
Online Tools and Call Center Available to Assist Producers By: Richard Fordyce, Farm Service Agency Administrator You can now apply for USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, which provides direct payments to farmers and ranchers to offset impacts from the coronavirus … Continue reading
Roots Run Deep
By Chris Groskreutz, NRCS, Michelle Stone and Buford Sanders, Georgia Forestry Commission Meet Johnny Bembry of Pulaski County, Georgia. The Bembry family has made a living on their farm for over 200 years, adapting and evolving how they manage the … Continue reading
Meadowlark’s Market Advantage
By Jessica Claypole, FSA Meet Eric and Amy Kinman, owners of Meadowlark Farm, a regenerative farming operation located in rural Gasconade County, Missouri. Rooted on eight acres, Meadowlark Farm began with just six head of heritage breed feeder pigs in … Continue reading
Transforming with Conservation
By: Aaron Blackburn and Hanna Collins, FSA Bill Cooper, is a cattle farmer from Wythe County, Virginia, where he raises Angus cattle on the same land that his family has operated since 1941. Bill lives on the farm with his … Continue reading
Steward of the Land
By: Anna Kearney, FSA Christopher Sumpter Jr. is a fourth-generation farmer from Borden, South Carolina, where he raises Hereford and Black Angus cattle. Chris is continuing his family’s legacy, running a cow-calf operation and working daily in the pastures. Preserving … Continue reading
Trailer Made for Farmers Markets
By Lynnette Wright, FSA Phil and Dawn Keppler of SK Herefords in Medina, New York, raise registered and commercial Hereford beef cattle on their farm, as well as corn and hay. Located about halfway between Rochester and Buffalo, their location … Continue reading
Pushing Forward to Live the Dream
By Danny Hoots, FSA Tommy Turner Jr., is a new farmer who operates near Eudora, Arkansas. Many doors of opportunity opened for Tommy when he graduated college, but it was the dream of farming that called him back home. Where … Continue reading
Keeping the Momentum
By Leila Naylor, FSA Ian and Stesha Campbell are siblings and owners of Mooresfield Oyster Farm located in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Ian starts off every morning commercial fishing, followed by an afternoon of helping his sister tend to their oyster … Continue reading