The U.S. Department of Agriculture will delay the publication of the 2012 Census of Agriculture due to the recent lapse in federal funding. The publication was originally scheduled to be released on Feb. 4, 2014. A new release date had not been set. Learn more.
A man has been sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay $163,000 for selling cattle, hay and other equipment pledged as collateral for several loans from the Farm Service Agency. Patrick Charles Thomas, 55, pleaded guilty to unlawful conversion of property. Thomas sold the collateral property without consulting FSA and without using the money to repay the loan. Read more (Associated Press).
Cement forms encircle the new Wyoming Sugar silos.
By Paul Lehman, West Region FSA Public Affairs
This is a story of Wyoming tenacity, teamwork and stepping up to the plate when called on to save a company that was worth saving. The story began in 1916 in the Big Horn Basin when the Wyoming Sugar Company (an Ogden, Utah firm) built a sugar factory in Worland, Wyo., processing its first beets in the 1917 crop year. Prior to that time, Wyoming growers shipped their sugar beets via rail to Montana for processing. The new plant provided new opportunity for Big Horn Basin beet growers to expand acreage and output.
Fast forwarding to today, this year the company sought to make additional factory improvements during the off season, including a major increase in the storage capacity to hold their processed commodity for more effective marketing. Currently the factory has to rely on rail cars and outside storage for the processed sugar. Building new concrete sugar storage silos is costly, so the company decided to seek financing. Continue reading
The USDA Commodity Credit Corporation, which helps stabilize, support and protect farm income and prices, released interest rates for October 2013. The borrowing rate-based charge is 0.125, which is unchanged from September 2013, while the 1996 and subsequent crop year commodity and marketing assistance loans dispersed during October 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.
As we get back to work following the lapse in appropriations, USDA remains focused on sharing the importance of Farm Bill programs for all Americans. A Food, Farm and Jobs Bill is critical to growing the rural economy, providing nutrition to families in need, strengthening agricultural research, growing a biobased economy and much more. Read more (USDA blog).
The Farm Service Agency is in the process of an orderly start-up of farm program and loan activities. The Congressional lapse in funding created a backlog in requests and service delivery. We are committed to a proactive and customer-focused approach to prioritize activities so that we can provide the service our customers expect and deserve as quickly as possible. We encourage producers to contact their local FSA office if they have any questions or need additional information. Find a local FSA office.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the World Agricultural Outlook Board have canceled or postponed several statistical reports due to the lapse in federal funding. The Crop Production and Cotton Ginnings reports along with the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates scheduled for Oct. 11 are canceled. The next release date is Nov. 8. The Crop Progress Reports scheduled for Oct. 7 and Oct. 15 are canceled while the Cattle on Feed and Peanut Prices reports scheduled for Oct. 18 are postponed. Learn more.
Twelve-year-old Coby Hudson is an FSA Youth Loan recipient who raised a grand championship pig.
Coby Hudson is an ambitious pre-teen who understand the concept of farming.
“Sometimes living on a farm means less sleep to make sure everything like chores, schoolwork and other stuff gets done, but it’s just a part of the life,” said the 12-year-old.
But learning that concept early in life is what made Coby a grand champion.
The sixth-grade student from Fruita, Colo., won the grand championship swine competition at the Mesa County fair in July. It was his first grand championship as a 4-H’er since he was a 5-year-old cloverbud. Continue reading
Photo courtesy of Lemelson-MIT Program
A former Department of Agriculture chemist who played a major role in the development of wrinkle-free cotton has died. Ruth Benerito passed away Oct. 5 at her home in Metairie, La., at the age of 97. In the late 1950s, Benerito led a team of researchers that developed a chemical treatment that reinforced cotton fibers, making them less likely to wrinkle. The innovative chemical changed the world and the cotton industry. Cotton was a main staple in everyday living, with the only drawback being its ability to wrinkle so severely that it could be uncomfortable to wear or use as bedding. The chemical alleviated this problem and further refinements allowed cotton fabric to hold creases and be stain and flame resistant. Benerito worked for the Agriculture Department from 1953 to 1986 and received 55 patents. Read more (Washington Post).
The U.S. Forest Service is offering free access to national forests throughout the country on Saturday, Sept. 28 as part of the 20th annual National Public Lands Day. This is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands. Fees will be waived for day-use areas such as picnic grounds, developed trails and visitor centers. This is one of six fee-free days the U.S. Forest Service offers annually. Last year, about 175,000 volunteers worked at 2,206 sites across the United States, collecting nearly 500 tons of trash and 23,000 pounds of invasive plants. Volunteers also planted 100,000 trees and built or maintained 1,500 miles of trails. Learn more.
