A strong harvest has resulted in a record number of grain storage licenses this year in North Dakota. According to state regulators, nearly 406 million bushels of storage have been licensed, up from the record 343 million set in 2007. All grain storage in the state must be licensed, bonded and insured to protect farmers from losses due to a disaster or insolvency. (AgWeek) Read more.
The Kansas Farm Service Agency wants more women and minority farmers involved with farm programs. So they are reaching out to inform underrepresented groups about available FSA resources. “We’re in the business of helping our farmers and ranchers—all of them,” said Adrian J. Polansky, state executive director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Kansas. (Louisburg Herald) Read more.
A USDA scientist is using a “see-saw” to find new ways to enhance farm-raised catfish production. Les Torrans, a fish biologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, discovered the precise amount of oxygen levels needed to affect catfish egg development and hatching. With that knowledge he built a vertical-lift egg incubator, or see-saw, that provides a mix of dissolved oxygen to boost hatching rates. Learn more.
Young Pennsylvania residents are getting into the farming business, but it’s not because they expect to make a lot of money. “It’s not the most profitable industry around,” said Charlene Berg, Farm Service Agency loan officer. “It’s a lifestyle choice. It’s debt management.” For Paul Critchlow, Jr., the last dairy farmer between Pittsburgh and Erie, the decision to take over a farm was not an economic one. It was where he and his wife wanted to raise their children. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Read more.
Mike Wooden, deputy administrator for field operations served up chili during FSA’s annual County Fair for CFC.
About $4,000 was raised for the Combined Federal Campaign last week during the Farm Service Agency’s annual County Fair. The event — held at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C. — included a chili contest, a competition for the best booth, a live auction and plenty of food and entertainment. The award for best tasting chili went to Rick Pinkston in DAFO while best overall chili went to David Taylor and Matt Ponish in DAFP. The game square, sponsored by PECD/CEPD won first place in the booth competition followed by the free throw booth by DAFP, which took second. The pie booth, sponsored by OBF came in third.
Nearly $18 million is being made available to private forest landowners to help restore land damaged by natural disasters. “Restoration activities promote rural resiliency, forest health and support sustainable economic development,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The Obama Administration is committed to helping forest landowners restore property damaged by floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters.” Read more.
School kids from Baltimore will plant, feed and harvest a People’s Garden in Patterson Park — a grassy oasis in the middle of an inner city neighborhood. The area, currently known as a food desert because it’s void of supermarkets and fresh produce, is a prime spot to allow school-aged kids to learn gardening skills and understand where their food comes from. Harvested food from the garden will be sent to the schools to provide for healthy lunches. (WJZ-13).
USDA has tapped a Hmong chicken farmer to sit on a 19-member committee that will advise the agency on ways to help beginning farmers. Maykia Yang is a farmer by night and provides Web support for American Express during the day. A native of Laos in Southeast Asia, Yang moved with her family to the U.S. at age nine. Today she calls North Carolina her home and has been well noted in her community for helping to find resources for minority farmers, especially those of Hmong descent. (NewsObserver.com) Read more.
From l to r: Mitchell W. Whittle, farm loan chief; Earl Reynolds, farm loan manager; Colette Bivens, farm loan officer; Phyllis Holleran, farm loan officer; Sharon Meyer, program technician; John W. McCauley, FSA state executive director; Steve Pratt, district director; and Jimmy Jett, farm loan officer trainee.
The Cynthiana, Ky., farm loan team has been recognized for its outstanding work during fiscal year 2010.
With 136 loans made — the highest number in the state — and one of the nine loan teams in the state to meet all of its goals for the year, the group has been awarded the Kentucky Outstanding Farm Loan Team award.
Tannins, generally known for their role in making quality red wine, could also be beneficial for soils, forests and farmland, according to USDA researchers. A four-year project by the USDA Agricultureal Research Service has shown tannins to be important components of the agroecosystem that affect production and environmental quality. Tannins, which are common in many plants, enter the soil as a tea made from rain and melted snow that runs down tree bark or drips off of leaves. Read more.
