Category Archives: News

Nearly $550 million in disaster assistance will be issued to producers of rice, upland cotton, soybeans and sweet potatoes who suffered losses due to excessive moisture in 2009. Through the Crop Assistance Program, producers of eligible crops on farms in … Continue reading →

A renewable energy program that will help create a national biofuels industry has received final approval and will support the Obama administration’s efforts to create jobs, mitigate the effects of climate change and promote production of fuel from renewable sources. … Continue reading →

USDA has approved the addition of 95,000 acres for conservation projects in Idaho, Kansas and Washington. The acreage will be added through Conservation Reserve Program State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement. “These additional SAFE acres will provide new opportunities for state … Continue reading →

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack hosted a meeting between the Afghan and Pakistani agriculture ministers and an Iowa family farmer to show how American farmers turn their land into income. Although it may be difficult to translate the American agricultural model … Continue reading →

USDA has settled a class action lawsuit filed by Native American farmers alleging discrimination by the government agency. The settlement, announced today by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Attorney General Eric Holder, ends litigation concerning discrimination complaints that stretch from1981 … Continue reading →

A leading regulator has warned that one of the next assets to bubble and possibly endanger the U.S. financial system is farm property. According to Sheila Bair, chairwoman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 1,500 farm banks could be in … Continue reading →

U.S. sugar output is expected to decrease by 20 percent next year if genetically modified beets cannot be planted, according to a court filing by USDA. A U.S. district judge ruled in August that the government agency had not considered … Continue reading →

NASCAR officials announced Saturday that it will utilize the 15 percent ethanol blend recently approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Beginning next season, Sunoco will provide E15 during NASCAR’s three national series — the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Trucks. Aside … Continue reading →

A new breed of celery will be hitting the grocery shelves just in time for the holidays. Duda Farm Fresh Foods unveiled red celery at a produce industry trade show on Saturday in Orlando, Fla. Nearly 20 years in the … Continue reading →

Grants have been awarded to 40 organizations to provide training and assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers to help them run successful and sustainable farms. Announced today by Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, the awards were given by USDA’s Beginning … Continue reading →