Commodity Credit Corporation Releases Lending Rates for November

Posted on November 1, 2012 by tanya brown

The USDA Commodity Credit Corporation, which helps stabilize, support and protect farm income and prices, released interest rates for November 2012. The borrowing rate-based charge is 0.125, unchanged from October, while the 1996 and subsequent crop year commodity and marketing assistance loans dispersed during November 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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Most FSA Offices Along the East Coast Remain Open, Operational After Sandy

Posted on November 1, 2012 by tanya brown

Several Farm Service Agency county offices in areas where Superstorm Sandy hit have resumed operation while others remain closed as recovery efforts continue. All state offices are open and operational.

Connecticut: All five service centers are open. 

Delaware: All offices are open and operational.

Maryland: The Garrett County Service Center is closed due to excessive snow. Maryland has 21 county offices and although the state office and the Wicomico County office received water damage, they are open and operational. Continue reading →

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USDA to Release Crop Report Oct. 31

Posted on October 31, 2012 by tanya brown

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has rescheduled the Oct. 29, 2012, releases of Rice Stocks, Peanut Stocks and Processing and Crop Progress for Wed., Oct. 31. Rice Stocks will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET, Peanut Stocks and Processing at 3 p.m. ET, and Crop Progress at 4 p.m. ET. The reports were delayed on Oct. 29, 2012, due to the hurricane-related closures of Washington, D.C., federal government offices.

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Highlighting County Offices: Tuscaloosa/Pickens FSA

Posted on October 30, 2012 by tanya brown

The Staff pictured (l to r): James Currington, farm loan manager; Cliff Warren, management systems analyst; Lila Chambers, program technician; Belinda Bryant, program technician; Debra Montgomery, program technician; Charles Thomas, county executive director; Gretchen Thomas, district director.

The Tuscaloosa/Pickens Farm Service Agency office is located in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in the west central part of the state. The office serves more than 1,400 producers and 200 borrowers.  Many agricultural enterprises exist in the counties including row cropping of cotton, corn, soybean, peanut, wheat, rye, oats and sunflower, along with poultry, cattle, catfish, tilapia, and timber.

This office administers a variety of programs that include the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program, Conservation Reserve Program, Disaster, Dairy and Price Support Program. The farm loan team serves nine counties — Fayette, Lamar, Greene, Sumter, Hale, Perry, Bibb and Tuscaloosa/Pickens.

One highlight the office is proud of is Farm Loan Program Technician Debra Montgomery who recently met President Obama and received a tour of the White House and Camp David. Montgomery’s son serves as a presidential guard with the U.S. Marine Corps and earned a Presidential Guard Badge and invited Montgomery to the ceremony.

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Halloween May Have Roots in Agriculture

Posted on October 30, 2012 by tanya brown

The last day of October is consumed with costumes, parties and trick-or-treaters, but Halloween got its start in agriculture. For ancient Celtic cultures, Oct. 31 was the last day of the year and a day to bring animals in for the winter and prep meat for the colder days. Many latter day historians believe that day was the spooky, ritualistic practice of sacrificing livestock; however, Oct. 31 was also a day the Celts believed unsettled spirits roamed the countryside playing tricks. Costumes were a way to scare them off. Listen to more.

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Silos Prove Deadly for Young Workers on American Farms

Posted on October 29, 2012 by tanya brown

Fourteen teenage boys and 80 farmworkers have died in silo accidents since 2007. Although the number of farm accidents has dropped, the rate of grain bin and silo entrapments remain steady, leaving experts blaming flaws in worker safety laws and rules designed to protect young farmworkers. Read more (The New York Times).

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Hurricane Sandy Delays USDA Crop Progress Report

Posted on October 29, 2012 by tanya brown

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), has delayed the Oct. 29, 2012, releases of Rice Stocks, Peanut Stocks and Processing and Crop Progress due to the hurricane-related closures of Washington, D.C., federal government offices. The rescheduled release times will be announced as soon as offices reopen.

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Trade Agreement Will Lift Tariffs on Agricultural Goods Starting Oct. 31

Posted on October 25, 2012 by tanya brown

Nearly half of U.S. agricultural goods will become duty-free on Oct. 31 when Panama eliminates tariffs on more than 86 percent of American industrial and consumer goods. Earlier this week, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Panamanian Minister of Commerce and Industry Ricardo Quijano signed a letter exchange setting a date for the entry-into-force of the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement. Based on the agreement, all tariffs on industrial goods will be eliminated within 10 years, and most of the remaining tariffs on agricultural goods will be eliminated over the next 15 years. Learn more.

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Young Farmers Find Niche With Goat Milk Caramels

Posted on October 25, 2012 by tanya brown

Louisa Conrad and Lucas Farrell have found their niche. After facing a tough job market, the two jumped into farming as apprentices with a Vermont cheese maker. They fell in love with the goats and later met a couple that allowed them to use their land to raise goats of their own. That gave them the opportunity to start their goat milk caramel business. With a USDA guaranteed loan the couple bought Big Picture Farm and has seen their business grow. They recently secured their largest customer – Anthropologie clothing store will be carrying the caramels in more than 140 stores. Read more (Vermont Public Radio).

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Prickly Plants Might Cleanse California Soil

Posted on October 25, 2012 by tanya brown

Studies show prickly pear cactus could be a useful tool for absorbing unwanted selenium from soils in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

It’s hard to believe that ancient seas once covered a large part of California’s San Joaquin Valley—until you check the soils.

That’s when you’ll discover that those seas left behind marine sediments, shale formations and deposits of selenium and other minerals in the soil.  Crops grown in the valley must be irrigated, but the runoff irrigation water can carry high levels of selenium that can be toxic to fish, migratory birds and other wildlife that drink from nearby waterways and drainage ditches Read more (USDA blog).

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