This week kicks off a series of events leading up to the celebration of National Agriculture Day. Coffee with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, mix and mingle luncheon and National Ag Day dinner and cocktails are schedule to happen in Washington, DC, as part of the annual event — to be held March 20 — that recognizes and celebrates the abundance provided by American agriculture. Learn more.
A South Dakota man pleaded guilty yesterday for giving false information to the Farm Service Agency in order to get benefits to which he was not entitled. Thirty-nine year old Brian Randall faces up to 10 years in prison for money laundering. Read more (KTIV Channel 4).
In an industry traditionally dominated by men, a recent trend is showing that more women are choosing to own and manage their own farms. At the 7th Annual Women Managing the Farm Conference in Kansas, more than 300 women were given the opportunity to obtain the tools they need to remain sustainable.
Funding to promote biomass and bioenergy are once again available through three USDA programs. According to an agency press release, applications for the remaining fiscal year 2009 funding are being accepted for the Biorefinery Assistance Program, Repowering Assistance Program and the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels. Learn more.
The Obama administration is cracking down on concentration within agriculture, a practice where the processing of meat, milk and seeds are dominated by a few companies. Attorney General Eric Holder told hundreds of farmers attending the first ever joint USDA/DOJ workshop on agriculture that one issue being looked at by the Justice Department is how companies are using patents. The comments come as Monsanto, a St.Louis-based crop biotechnology plant, is being criticized by the industry for using seed licenses to suppress competition. Read more (Wall Street Journal).
The first in a series of panel discussions to be held today during the joint USDA, DOJ agriculture workshop in Iowa was mostly made up of elected officials who focused on the importance of the workshop and challenges in the industry.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder along with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today launched the first joint public workshop to discuss competition and regulatory issues in agriculture.
“We all know that one of the biggest threats to our economy is the erosion of market competition,” said Holder. “We’ve learned the hard way that long periods of non-regulation can lead to a lack of competition.”
Hosted by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Justice, the workshop — held at the Des Moines Area Community College FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny, Iowa — is expected to promote dialogue and develop an understanding of the legal and economic impact of agricultural issues. Read more (The Iowa Independent).
Sixteen counties in Minnesota have been designated a natural disaster area by the USDA due to the combined effects of excessive rain, flooding, unseasonably cool temperatures, frosts, freezes and drought that occurred during the 2009 growing season. Producers suffered losses to various crops including corn, soybeans, wheat and blueberries. Several contiguous counties in Minnesota and one county in the adjacent states of North Dakota and Wisconsin are also natural disaster areas and are eligible to receive emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency. Learn more.
Farm Service Agency staff in Kansas are reaching out to women and minority farmers to get them involved in farm programs. “We’re in the business of helping our farmers and ranchers — all of them,” said Adrian J. Polansky, state executive director of USDA FSA in Kansas. Polansky said the agency doesn’t need to promote the programs to those who traditionally use them, “but there may be producers, especially among women, minority, beginning and limited resource farmers who still are not aware of our programs and the benefits that may be available to them,” he said. Read more (Miami County News).
USDA and the Department of Justice have joined together to host a public workshop to explore competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture industry. The workshop — which will be held March 12 in Ankeny, Iowa — is the first joint program held by these agencies to promote dialogue, foster learning regarding legal and economic issues and listen to others with experience in agriculture. The workshop is free and open to the public. Learn more.
