Category Archives: News

A historic gathering of former Secretaries of Agriculture will occur at the 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum. Secretary Tom Vilsack will moderate a plenary panel of former Secretaries of Agriculture invited to speak on “Agriculture: Visions of the Future.”  At least … Continue reading →

The USDA Commodity Credit Corporation, which helps stabilize, support and protect farm income and prices, released interest rates for December 2011. The borrowing rate-based charge is 0.125, which is unchanged from November 2011, while the 1996 and subsequent crop year … Continue reading →

Producers have less than two weeks to vote in the 2011 County Committee Elections. All ballots must be turned in to local USDA Service Centers or mailed with a postmark dated no later than Dec. 5. County committee members provide … Continue reading →

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it has issued its 10,000th grain license under the United States Warehouse Act. The USWA was enacted in 1916, giving the Agriculture Secretary authority to license any warehouse operator engaged in storing agricultural … Continue reading →

Registration is now open for the 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum. The forum, which will be held Feb. 23-24 in Arlington, Va., will kick off the department’s 150th anniversary and feature 25 sessions with more than 80 speakers discussing issues related … Continue reading →

Brenda Farias is one of the youngest executive directors in the Farm Service Agency’s Santa Maria, Calif., office. At the age of 29, Farias serves as a liaison between USDA and farmers in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. With no … Continue reading →

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded more than $1 million to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Texas A&M University-Kingsville to help graduate and undergraduate Hispanic students prepare for careers in agriculture. The money will be divided between the two … Continue reading →

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking comments on a proposed rule that would allow farmers and ranchers affected by natural disasters to receive assistance faster. The rule — which will be published in the Federal Register on Nov. 14 … Continue reading →

USDA has streamlined a host of programs and processes in an effort to help farmers, ranchers and businesses continue to drive America's productive agricultural economy. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that the changes will help USDA build a better, … Continue reading →

The pay gap between federal and private-sector pay has increased 26.3 percent, according to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report was sent to the Federal Salary Council last week, which is responsible for submitting locality pay … Continue reading →