Tag Archives: USDA

From the Capital Press Jon Wyss is back at the helm of the Farm Service Agency in Washington state. Wyss was previously state executive director from June 2019 to January 2021, during the Trump administration. He was appointed by the Biden administration in February. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From the Capital Press The Biden administration on Monday submitted to Congress its budget for fiscal year 2023, which includes plans for investments in agriculture, water infrastructure and rural America. The proposed budget includes major investments in USDA, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and other agencies that impact agriculture. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) recently sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack highlighting wheat growers’ challenges during previous iterations of ad hoc disaster assistance programs. The letter emphasized the timeliness of getting this aid rolled out and noted several past issues experienced by wheat growers in earlier programs – like WHIP+ and QLA. The ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Members of the Northwest wheat and pulse industry remember Craig Morris for his many contributions to crop quality research, and for his “nice sense of whimsy.” Morris, director of the USDA Agricultural Research Service Western Wheat and Pulse Quality Laboratory for 32 years, died Oct. 25 of natural causes at his home in Pullman, Wash. He ... Read More »

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is authorizing emergency procedures to help agricultural producers impacted by extreme drought conditions. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is working with crop insurance companies to streamline and accelerate the adjustment of losses and issuance of indemnity payments to crop insurance policyholders in impacted areas. These new crop insurance flexibilities are part of USDA’s ... Read More »

From agweb.com Farmers who insured their crops this year and made the decision to plant cover crops will now be eligible for a financial bonus from USDA. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced the Pandemic Cover Crop Program, which allows farmers who planted cover crops to be eligible for a crop insurance premium. The assistance is $5 dollars an acre crop insurance premium discount for certain producers. ... Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) just published the 90-Day Progress Report on Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry. The report represents an important step toward in President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad and shift towards a whole-of-department approach to climate solutions. The Order, signed January 27, states that, “America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners ... Read More »

County committee elections are now underway. The election of responsible agricultural producers to the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) county committees is important to ALL farmers and ranchers with large or small operations. It is crucial that every eligible producer takes part in this election because county committees are a direct link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of ... Read More »

From the Capital Press On Feb. 24 Tom Vilsack took the oath of office as the 32nd Secretary of Agriculture.It’s Vilsack’s second time as chief of the USDA. He previously served eight years in the same role in the Obama administration. Vilsack, 70, is also the former governor of Iowa, and most recently was president of the U.S. Dairy Export ... Read More »

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA is establishing new programs and efforts to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions. The new initiative—USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers—will reach a broader set of producers than in previous COVID-19 aid programs. USDA is dedicating at least $6 billion toward the new ... Read More »