The latest U.S. Agricultural Trade Outlook Forecast has reported the second highest agricultural trade surplus in history. According to the report, trade surplus is estimated to reach $28 billion, while U.S. farmers and ranchers are set to achieve $104.5 billion in sales, an $8 billion increase over last year. “Today’s strong economic report is good news for communities across the country, not only because of the increasing opportunities for America’s farmers and ranchers to sell their products overseas, but also because of the importance of agricultural exports to the American economy,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Read more or view the report.

USDA scientists believe they have found the cause for a decline in bee colonies over the past few years. A combination of fungus and a family of viruses, when combined “there is a significant correlation with colony decline,” said Jay Evans, USDA Agricultural Research Service. Since 2007, some beekeepers have lost up to 90 percent of their bee population, with a steady decline on average of 30-35 percent being reported each year. Bees play a vital role in agriculture by pollinating plants, vegetables and fruits, which allow them to propagate and grow. (BBC News). Learn more.

The Obama administration has offered $1.3 billion to settle complaints from female and Latino farmers who said they faced discrimination from USDA. As part of the proposal, the government would reach out to female and Latino farmers to make them aware of the settlement, which could put a maximum of $50,000 into the hands of each claimant. The proposal comes as Congress is set to approve a $1.25 billion settlement with African-American farmers over claims of discrimination. (Associated Press). Read more.

Dairy farmers in Vermont who are struggling to make ends meet are being offered a crisis hotline to help deal with the stress of low milk prices, increased debt and a down economy. The “Farm First” program places licensed mental health clinicians on-call 24-hours a day to help farmers dealing with interrupted sleep, anxiety, insomnia, persistent worries or depression. Although the hotline is designed to enhance the lives of farmers, getting farmers who have relied on themselves for so long to use it, is a challenge. (Addison County Independent). Read more.   

A compliance guide for mobile slaughter units has been released by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. The document, which offers recommendations and not regulatory requirements, is intended for owners and managers of new or existing mobile slaughter units who want their facility to come under federal inspection and continue operations in accordance with Food Safety and Inspection Service regulations. Mobile slaughter units are self-contained facilities that can travel from site to site. The units can help small producers expand their businesses and create wealth in rural communities. Learn more or view the compliance guide.

Dairy farmers trying to stay afloat amid the volatile fluctuation of milk prices are turning to co-ops to take advantage of the benefits that come with being part of a larger pool. Farmers have been producing more milk than needed by processors. Cooperatives solve that problem by buying all of their member’s milk, freeing dairy farmers from having to market excess milk themselves. (Kansas City Star). Read more.

USDA awarded $1.1 million to three Alabama institutions to help reach socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and improve their participation in USDA programs. “These grants will help develop programs to ensure that African-Americans and other minority land owners have access to a full range of USDA programs, to increase their profitability and to keep farmers on the farm,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The grants were awarded through the USDA 2501 program that enhances the coordination of outreach, technical assistance and educational efforts to reach minority farmers and ranchers. Read more.

U.S. exporters sold 118,000 tons of corn and 120,000 tons of soybeans for delivery to China during the 2010/2011 marketing year, according to a report by USDA. The marketing year begins Sept. 1 with corn delivery scheduled before Aug. 31. Read more. Related stories: Bloomberg Businessweek.

USDA has designated Camp, Franklin, Morris, Rains and Titus counties in Texas as natural disaster areas due to losses caused by excessive rain that occurred last October through March 2010. Farmers and ranchers in 11 counties in Texas also are eligible for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Producers have eight months from the date of declaration to apply for low interest loans to help cover parts of their losses. Learn more.