USDA Providing $1 Million to Jump Start Citrus Response Framework

Posted on December 13, 2013 by tanya brown

Citrus growers now have multiple agencies working together to help combat the threat of Huanglongbing (HLB), a serious disease affecting citrus crops. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday a multi-agency emergency response group that will provide a framework to better coordinate resources, share information and develop strategies to maximize the effectiveness of combating HLB. The newly formed group will provide the citrus industry with a single contact for all federal and state entities that work on citrus issues and better enable a collaboration on policy decisions, establish priorities, allocate critical resources, and collect, analyze, and disseminate information. Learn more.

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Crop Report Shows Decrease in Cotton and Oranges

Posted on December 13, 2013 by tanya brown

The latest crop production report released this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows cotton production slightly down from last month and 25 percent lower than last year. Yield is expected to average 806 pounds per acre, down 81 pounds from last year. The U.S. orange forecast for the 2013-14 season is 7.78 million tons, down 2 percent from the previous forecast and down 7 percent from the 2012-13 final production. Review the crop report.

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Newly Released Ballots Extend County Committee Voting Deadlines

Posted on December 6, 2013 by tanya brown

Producers can expect to see new 2013 County Committee Election ballots in their mailboxes this month.

Due to a printing error on the original ballots mailed in November, new ballots will be sent to eligible producers beginning Dec. 20. The deadline to return ballots has been extended to Jan. 17, 2014.

Producers who may have completed and returned the original ballot, mailed Nov. 4 must vote again and resubmit the new ballot. Any original ballots already submitted by producers to county offices will remain unopened and will be destroyed to ensure the secrecy of their vote. Continue reading →

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S.C. StrikeForce Meeting Reaches More Than 100 Producers

Posted on December 5, 2013 by tanya brown

By Amy Melissa Overstreet, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist and SC StrikeForce Coordinator

It was a collaborative effort to bring more than 100 producers and seven U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies together in one StrikeForce county in South Carolina to reach farmers and ranchers who may not know about the services each agency has to help producers.

“Assessing the needs of our clients is top priority,” said Ann English, South Carolina NRCS State Conservationist. “Our goal is to extend our outreach beyond our traditional client base and reach those potential customers that perhaps we have not made contact with before.” Continue reading →

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Modern-Day Land Grab: Expiring CRP Contracts Create Opportunity For Fledgling Farmers

Posted on December 4, 2013 by tanya brown
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Michael, Cali and Carmen Van Voast and Kelli, Tyson and Colter Cederberg represent a fresh start for the aging community of Turner.

Courtesy Martha Mintz, John Deere’s THE FURROW Magazine,

There was no shotgun start or race to stake a claim, but when Conservation Reserve Program contracts started expiring, a good old-fashioned land rush kicked off in Blaine County, Mont.

“Ten years ago there wasn’t any land to buy,” says newly minted Turner, Mont., farmer Michael Van Voast. “Expiring CRP contracts changed that, creating new opportunities for guys like me that want to come back to the area and give my kids the same opportunities and experiences I had.”

In the past six years, 9.7 million acres of CRP contracts across the United States expired and were not renewed. Thirty-year-old Van Voast and his wife, Carmen, snapped up 2,200 of the 1.47 million acres of well-rested land that came available. Continue reading →

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One Day of Gleaning Brings Joy to Thousands of Children

Posted on December 3, 2013 by tanya brown
Children from Emerson Elementary School in Albuquerque, N.M., were treated to their own pumpkin, compliments of the New Mexico Farm Service Agency. More than 8,500 pumpkins were donated to schools, children’s hospitals and local food banks.

Children from Emerson Elementary School in Albuquerque, N.M., were treated to their own pumpkin, compliments of the New Mexico Farm Service Agency. More than 8,500 pumpkins were donated to schools, children’s hospitals and local food banks.

What started out with just a handful of FSA employees trying to do the right thing has turned into an annual event that spans six New Mexico counties.

Ten years ago John Perea, county executive director for Torrance County, N.M., started a project to glean pumpkins from farmers John and Dianne Aday.

“We started it as an effort to take pumpkins that were left in the field and still in good shape, and try to get them to needy children,” said Perea, who along with other FSA employees coordinates the event each year. “We try to find schools in areas, which demographically have families that are lower income and in neighborhoods with a history of drug abuse and various social problems.” Continue reading →

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USDA Conducting Irrigation Survey as Part of Census of Agriculture

Posted on December 3, 2013 by tanya brown

USDA is conducting a survey to gain a better understanding of irrigation practices. The 2013 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey is conducted every five years and is a supplement to the USDA Census of Agriculture and that producers were asked to complete earlier this year. Although irrigation questions were asked on the Census form, this survey delves into more critical information about irrigation practices and helps USDA publish comprehensive information. Because this survey is part of the Census of Agriculture, U.S. law requires all those who receive it to respond by the Feb. 10, 2014, deadline. Learn more.

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Enrollment Opens for Conservation Stewardship Program

Posted on December 3, 2013 by tanya brown

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is open for new enrollment for fiscal year 2014. The program, facilitated by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), helps established conservation stewards take their natural resource management to the next level to help improve agricultural production and provide valuable conservation benefits like cleaner and more abundant water, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat. Now in its fifth year, the Conservation Stewardship Program has enrolled 59 million acres across the nation. Applications must be submitted to a local NRCS office by Jan. 17. Locate a service center or learn more about CSP.

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CommodityCredit Corporation Releases Lending Rates for December

Posted on December 3, 2013 by tanya brown

The USDA Commodity Credit Corporation, which helps stabilize, support and protect farm income and prices, released interest rates for December 2013. The borrowing rate-based charge is 0.125, which is unchanged from November 2013, while the 1996 and subsequent crop year commodity and marketing assistance loans dispersed during December is 1.125, unchanged from last month. Interest rates for Farm Storage Facility Loans and discount rates for the Tobacco Transition Payment Program also are available. Read more.

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USDA Announces $10.5 Million in Grants to Producers

Posted on November 26, 2013 by tanya brown

About $10.5 million in grants is available to producers through the Value-Added Producer Grant program. The program strengthens ties between agricultural producers and their local communities by creating and expanding marketing opportunities, developing specialty or niche products and creating new income opportunities. The grants can be used for planning or working capital. The maximum working capital grant is $200,000; the maximum planning grant is $75,000. Applications are due by Feb. 24, 2014. Learn more.

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