Wet weather and above average temperatures contributed to a 5 percent drop in corn production in 2010, according to the USDA 2010 crop report. Although Wisconsin and Minnesota set record yields in 2010, the rest of the Corn Belt saw decreased production. Iowa remained the nation’s top corn producing state. (Associated Press) Read more.
Applications are being accepted for the USDA/1890 National Scholars Program that offers scholarships to students attending one of the 1890 historically black land-grant universities and pursuing a degree in agriculture. Each award provides annual tuition, room and board, books and employment with benefits. Applications must be postmarked by Feb. 1. Learn more or complete the application.
A USDA grant is supporting additional education and training for beginning farmers at Virginia Tech. The $740,000 grant will help build a coalition of organizations that will help beginning farmers enter and expand markets that will enhance the viability of farm communities. “Virginia’s beginning farmers situation reflects a national trend where we see an overwhelming concern of a steady decline in the number of individuals entering into agriculture,” said Kim Niewolny, assistant professor of agriculture and extension education. (Cattle Network) Read more.
U.S. Farmers harvested the third largest crop on record during the 2010 growing season, according to the USDA Crop Production 2010 Summary report. The report, which was released this week, showed corn production down 5 percent from last year’s record and soybean production missing the mark by 1 percent. Cotton production was up 50 percent from 2009, while wheat production was less than 1 percent lower than last year’s numbers. Learn more or read the report.
USDA officials are assessing the damage of thousands of acres of crops hit by a series of freezes that covered the Sunshine State late last year. About 13,800 acres are estimated to be a total loss along with 5,250 jobs interrupted or lost. The total economic loss is estimated to be $155 million in cash receipts. Read more.
On a recent December day, Earl and Clarisse Snell, of Skipperville, Ala., proudly showed off the summer squash and tomatoes they were still growing at the start of winter thanks to the seasonal high tunnel they built earlier in the year. Also called hoop houses, seasonal high tunnels look a lot like greenhouses but require no artificial energy source — all they need is natural sunlight to grow vegetables, fruits, and other crops. (USDA blog) Read more.
Sign-up for the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program opens today, Jan. 10, for farmers and ranchers who suffered losses caused by natural disasters during the 2009 crop year. “SURE is part of the safety net that assists farmers and ranchers who provide food and fiber to America and the world,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Farmers and ranchers interested in signing up must do so before July 29. Learn more.
States are spending millions of dollars to preserve America’s farmland, despite tough economic times. The goal is to stop the rapid loss of land to development and to make sure food is available locally should the national supply be disrupted. Between 1982 and 2007, more than 11 million acres of cropland, seven million acres of pasture and five million acres of range land were lost to development. (Los Angeles Times) Read more.
The Farm Service Agency has issued a final rule that will help eliminate waste and abuse of farm program payments. “With this final rule we are codifying improvements that have allowed the FSA to reduce the error rate in the percentage of payments from 2 percent to under 0.1 percent,” said FSA Administrator Jonathan Coppess. At issue in the past is payments sent to producers who have died. Although FSA is legally obligated to pay the estates of producers for a certain time period, additional safeguards were implemented to strengthen data reconciliation procedures to avoid unnecessary payments. Learn more.
Sugar beet growers aren’t sure what to do once the spring planting season comes in. A lawsuit by environmental groups was successful in getting a judge to halt the planting of the genetically altered sugar beet seed until USDA completed an environmental impact study. “It’s a real dilemma for the industry. First, we need to get seed ordered and processed. We’re right up against those deadlines now,” said Luther Markward, executive vice president of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association in Washington, D.C. Read more.
