A Mississippi man has been sentenced to five years in prison for defrauding the USDA out of $3 million to keep his biodiesel plant running. Tommy Tacker was convicted in a federal court in Aberdeen, Miss., of 10 counts of conspiracy, fraud and wrongful profiting. Tacker filed false documents with the USDA in order to obtain money for his failing biodiesel plant. (WTAV.com) Read more.
Milk production across the U.S. saw a 2.4 percent increase last month despite a drop in dairy herds. An increase in production per cow made up for the 1.2 percent drop in dairy herds in 23 major states, according to the USDA Milk Production report. The average cow produced 1,790 pounds of milk last month, compared to 1,726 in June 2009. Read the report.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have requested that USDA partially deregulate Roundup Ready alfalfa to allow planting of inventoried seed in the fall. Seventy-five members of the House signed the letter nearly one month after the Supreme Court reversed a district court’s decision barring the USDA from carrying out a partial deregulation and prohibiting the planning of the seeds, pending a study. The letter requests an interim permit for the fall planting season while USDA completes its final Environmental Impact Study. (AgriPulse) Read the letter.
With the installment of Microsoft Office 2007, many employees may find that navigating the new software can be a bit daunting. If that’s the case, AgLearn has provided a one-stop shop for all issues and concerns regarding the Microsoft office suite. From introductory courses to chatting and e-mailing experts directly, AgLearn provides instruction for all levels at no charge to USDA employees. Learn more.
A West Virginia farm loan manager in the FSA Martinsburg Service Center died last Thursday after the motorcycle he was riding was hit by a car. David Edward Kessel, was riding his 2008 Triumph to a local dairy farm to perform an inspection when a car crossed the center lane, striking him head-on. Kessel worked for the USDA Farm Service Agency for 24 years. Read more.
Some teenagers in Iowa and Illinois have been laid off from jobs detasseling corn because they are unable to reach the tops of the plants. An early planting season and warm growing conditions may have contributed to the tall corn crop that has exceeded 7 feet. Detasseling is an annual ritual for many Midwestern teens that allows one line of corn to fertilize the other, producing a high-yielding hybrid.(DesMoines Register) Read more.
A Minnesota Farmer was charged in U.S. District Court with two counts of causing the issuance of false official grain inspection certificates. Matthew Chisholm brought 300 metric tons of kidney beans in four lots to the USDA to be inspected for an international food program. After one lot passed inspection, the government alleges that Chisholm resubmitted the same batch two more times and received two more inspection certificates. Allegedly, Chisholm instructed his employees to substitute uninspected, moldy beans for those two lots. The lots were sent to Honduras and were moldy and spoiled. (Star Tribune) Read more.
More than $13 million in disaster assistance will be issued to livestock, honeybee and farm-raised fish producers that suffered losses in 2009 due to disease and adverse weather. The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program, or ELAP, includes $7 million to compensate beekeepers. Payments will be issued beginning this week. Learn more.
A new feature added to the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food website will provide real-world examples of the dedication, entrepreneurship and support for agriculture that is taking place every day across the country. It also will serve as a clearinghouse for USDA resources aimed at linking local producers with consumers and promoting a national conversation about food and agriculture. “By developing our local and regional food systems, we can spur job growth in our rural communities and ultimately strengthen American agriculture,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. View the website.
USDA and all 16 crop insurance companies have signed the 2011 Standard Reinsurance Agreement, ending nearly seven months of negotiations. The latest agreement is expected to save $6 billion within the next 10 years that will go toward paying down the federal deficit and supporting high-priority risk management and conservation programs. The possibility of windfall government payments based on high commodity price spikes has been eliminated in the new agreement and the projected average long-term return for the insurance companies was reduced to 14.5 percent. Learn more.
