The Hemme family has been rooted in the dairy business in Saline County, Missouri, for the past 22 years. When David Hemme’s four sons approached him about coming back to the farm and being a part of the business, they started Hemme Brothers Creamery.

by Dana Rogge, Public Affairs Specialist, Farm Service Agency

David Hemme of Sweet Springs, Missouri, scrolls down through a German webpage on his smartphone. The insignia of “Hemme Milch” anchors the top of the page, a company owned and operated by Hemme’s distant relatives in Germany.

“You see what it says at the top?” said Hemme. “Established in 1589. I think it is in our DNA.”

The Hemme family has been rooted in the dairy business in Saline County, Missouri, for the past 22 years. When David’s four sons approached him about coming back to the farm and being a part of the business, they figured they had two choices. In order to support five families, the dairy was going to need to significantly expand its herd, or they could get creative.

That’s how Hemme Brothers Creamery was born. Continue reading →

Aaron and Laura Briner’s farm, Laughing Lab Acres, is located in Henderson County, Kentucky. The operation is named for the Briner’s Labradors, Bindi, Bodie, Britt and Jake.

By Michael Miller, Farm Loan Manager, Kentucky Farm Service Agency

Aaron and Laura Briner live on their 24-acre farm, Laughing Lab Acres, located in Henderson County, Kentucky, where they raise Heritage livestock to be sold through farmer’s markets and by word of mouth.

The idea for Laughing Lab Acres was born out of a business plan Aaron created as a requirement for his college degree program. The operation is named for the Briner’s Labradors, Bindi, Bodie, Britt and Jake. After two years of working full time off the farm, Aaron quit his job in 2016 and became a full-time farmer. Continue reading →

Fires blaze from the Blacktail Fire, located in the Blacktail Creek area, east of Loco Mountain in the Crazy Mountains, in Montana. The Blacktail Fire engulfed a little over 5,000 acres, with over 1 million acres impacted across Montana through various wildfires.

by Dana Rogge, FSA Public Affairs Specialist

Dry conditions plagued Montana this summer, with multiple wildfires torching over 1 million acres throughout the state. The largest fire, the Lodgepole Complex fire, impacted over 270,000 acres. Recent rain and snow, and the forecast for continued precipitation, help to suppress the fires and provide welcome relief for Montana residents.

Fires aren’t too uncommon in Montana, but this year’s fire season has been different. Spring brought plenty of moisture from an abundant snow-pack and provided adequate moisture for grass growth. The moisture quickly depleting leaving most of the state in drought condition.

“Ranchers saw this as great grass and feed. Firefighters saw it as fuel,” said Dennis Garcia, Farm Service Agency (FSA) county executive director for Glacier County, Montana. Garcia was activated to serve in the National Guard during the wildfire suppression efforts near Lolo, Montana.

FSA provides assistance to farmers and ranchers who have been impacted by natural disasters, including wildfires, by administering a suite of safety-net programs to help producers recover from eligible losses, such as the Livestock Indemnity Program, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program, and the Tree Assistance Program. The programs can assist farmers and ranchers who lost livestock, grazing land, fences or eligible trees, bushes and vines as a result of the qualifying natural disaster.

The Lolo Peak Fire, southwest of Lolo, Montana, has impacted over 53,000 acres. The National Guard was activated to help with evacuation efforts near the wildfire.

In addition, the FSA Emergency Conservation Program provides funding and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters. Low-interest emergency loans are available to help producers recover from production and physical losses. Compensation is also available to producers who purchased coverage through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, which protects non-insurable crops (including native grass for grazing) against natural disasters that result in lower yields, crop losses or prevented planting.

As a result of the ongoing drought conditions, all Montana counties were approved for emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres. Due to drought and fire conditions, 53 of the state’s 56 counties have been declared either primary or contiguous disaster areas.

“The short term impact is FSA can do a lot of good for producers. Producers can get some relief, fix fences and get feed purchased,” Garcia said.

Garcia said hay donations came into the state from other areas to help out ranchers in need. Additionally, FSA employees from other states, including Missouri and Oklahoma, have spent time helping Montana producers enroll in FSA disaster programs.

“It is proof that the agriculture community is one big small town where you have a lot of folks that have camaraderie,” he said.

Detailed information on all of these disaster assistance programs can be found online at: www.fsa.usda.gov/disaster. Or at the USDA Disaster Resource Center.

Continue reading →

Ryan’s YouTube channel, “How Farms Work,” currently has over 110,000 subscribers. The purpose of the channel is to educate viewers about life on their Midwest farm.

By Lauren Moore, FSA Public Affairs Specialist

Ryan Kuster uploaded his first video to his YouTube channel, “How Farms Work,” in June of 2008. The video, about chopping hay, raked in over 20,000 views.

“It wasn’t supposed to be anything serious. At the time, there weren’t many videos about farming on YouTube,” said Ryan.

The videos on the YouTube channel take place on his family’s beef and crop operation, Kuster Farms, in Grant County’s Potosi, Wisconsin. “How Farms Work” currently has over 110,000 subscribers. Continue reading →

Christian Baran sorting oysters at an oyster farm on Hooper’s Island, Maryland

 By Wayne Maloney, FSA Public Affairs

As efforts continue to improve the water quality of Chesapeake Bay, oyster farming is being looked at as a way to filter bay waters, while also creating a viable shellfish industry that augments traditional “wild” oyster harvesting operations.

Oysters are among the most valuable fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay.  According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the value of oysters was $15.7 million in Maryland and $28 million in Virginia in the most recent complete reporting year. Continue reading →

The Johnsons have saved on labor cost and increased their daily milk production by purchasing two milking machines, which has allowed them to spend more time with their family. Pictured from left to right: Kurt, Kaleb and Kyle Johnson.

By Mary Kirby, Illinois FSA Communications Coordinator

While most of the country is still sleeping at 4 a.m. every morning, the Johnson brothers, Kyle and Kurt, of Villa Rosa Farm in Bond County, Illinois, are up and milking their herd of 90 Jersey cows.

The Johnsons are dedicated to their family dairy, but they felt the daily milking process had consumed their lives. Kyle and Kurt’s grandfather Bill Schrage, who started the family dairy in 1957, encouraged the two to look into automatic milking machines. They spent hours researching and visiting Wisconsin dairy farms to see the robotic milking machines at work.  Continue reading →

The golden wing warbler depends on thick, shrubby habitat, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is helping owners and managers of working lands to enhance habitat for them. USDA photo by Greg Lavaty.

By Beverly Preston, USDA Farm Service Agency

North America is filled with people who appreciate birds.  Many watch them, some hunt them for food and others just value their beauty and song.  Wild birds of all types are a sign of a healthy ecosystem.

That’s why it was so heartening to read in the just-released 2017 edition of the State of the Birds, produced yearly by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, that populations of wetland birds, forest birds and grassland birds are on the upswing, and it is due to a large part to voluntary USDA programs like the Farm Service Agency’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Continue reading →

Today, Orion has 350 taps from which he collects 1,500 gallons of sap. The collected sap is filtered three times, netting 30 gallons of syrup.

By Dawn Pindell, Connecticut FSA Outreach Specialist and Dana Rogge, FSA Public Affairs Specialist

In 2013, on a drive to the local farm supply store, 16 year old Orion Newall-Vuillemot’s mother posed a question to him – “Why don’t we boil our own syrup?” That sparked his interest and inspired the creation of Sap Happens Farm.

The Woodstock, Connecticut, youth started with five buckets, collecting sap and processing it on his parent’s kitchen stove. When looking to expand his business, Newall-Vuillemot learned about USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Youth Loan Program. FSA Youth Loans provide young people, ages 10 to 20, financing to start and expand income-producing projects. Newall-Vuillemot received a $5,000 loan to purchase a maple syrup evaporator to help increase production. Continue reading →

Products from Heartland Meats are sold at Illinois farmers markets located in Evanston, Oak Park, Mount Prospect and Chicago.

USDA Celebrates National Farmers Market Week

By Lauren Moore, FSA Public Affairs Specialist

John and Pat Sondgeroth, owners and operators of Heartland Meats in Mendota, Illinois, have been selling their meat products at farmers markets in the Chicago area for 17 years.

This week, USDA is joining farmers, like the Sondgeroths, in celebrating National Farmers Market Week. Farmers markets give consumers access to locally grown and farm-fresh products, while giving farmers the platform to grow and connect with their customer base. Continue reading →

The Morenos sell their organic vegetables at a local farmers market in the Puyallup Valley in Washington State to connect to their community.

USDA Celebrates National Farmers Market Week

 By Cassie Bable, FSA Public Affairs Specialist

Four Elements Farm in the Puyallup Valley in Washington State is a vendor at the Orting Valley Farmers Market every Friday in June, July and August.

Amy Moreno-Sills and Agustin Moreno started Four Elements Farm in 2014 after working for other farms, gaining valuable experience in the field. The couple met while working on a 200-acre organic farm in the Snoqualmie Valley. Amy, Agustin and their children, nine-year-old Gabriela and five-year-old Hector, grow 50 different varieties of organic vegetables on 16 acres. Continue reading →