Tag Archives: USDA

By Farm News Media It’s time to “think anew,” said Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack Monday during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 104th Annual Convention. He said western droughts, COVID and the war in Ukraine are just a few barriers the American farmer has overcome in recent years to obtain record farm income. Yet, he said there’s reason to pause and think ... Read More »

From the National Association of Wheat Growers and U.S. Wheat Associates The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) welcomes the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Alexis Taylor to serve as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agriculture Affairs. Yesterday, the Senate confirmed Taylor by a voice vote. “NAWG applauds the ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Last November, longtime USDA official Marcia Bunger became the first woman to hold the role of administrator at the Agriculture Department’s Risk Management Agency, which manages federal crop insurance. Before becoming RMA administrator, Bunger worked for decades in USDA’s Farm Service Agency. She is also an owner and operator of a 2,000-acre family farm. Dec. 16, ... Read More »

From Bloomberg American farmers have a message for the Agriculture Department: Fill the empty chairs plaguing your local offices. A wave of retirements and an inability to keep pace with private-sector salaries have caused staffing to plunge at key offices. The Farm Service Agency, which provides front-line help to farmers nationwide, now has 2,000 fewer workers than it did in ... Read More »

The 2022 Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections began on Nov. 7, 2022, when ballots were mailed to eligible voters. The deadline to return ballots to local FSA offices, or to be postmarked, is Dec. 5, 2022. County committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and USDA. Farmers ... Read More »

Agricultural producers can now change election and enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage programs for the 2023 crop year, two key safety net programs offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Producers have until March 15, 2023, to enroll in these two programs. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has started issuing payments totaling ... Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will gather information about production practices from producers across the Northwest Region as part of the 2022 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). “ARMS is a vital survey that tracks how Idaho, Oregon and Washington farms use technology to manage production,” said NASS Northwest Regional Deputy Director Dennis Koong. “The ... Read More »

From the Farm Service Agency The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced appointees who will serve on the Washington FSA state committee. Members of the FSA state committee are appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and are responsible for the oversight of farm programs and county committee operations, resolving program delivery appeals from the agriculture community, ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The climate deal reached last week by Senate Democrats could reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that American farmers produce by expanding programs that help accumulate carbon in soil, fund climate-focused research and lower the abundant methane emissions that come from cows. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is now accepting nominations for county committee members. County committee members make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2022 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by Aug. 1, 2022.  Producers who participate or cooperate in a ... Read More »