Tag Archives: USDA

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 »

American farmers and rural businesses need continued investment in the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program to make up for lost export opportunities in the pandemic and to fight foreign competition. That is the message the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports sent March 9, 2021, in letters to House and Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee ... Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the deadline from March 5 to April 9 for agricultural producers to apply for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program because of recent winter storms and some clarifications to program rules. This program assists producers who suffered crop quality losses due to qualifying 2018 and 2019 natural disasters. “Because of recent winter ... 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) are pleased with the bipartisan U.S. Senate vote approving the appointment of former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to that important post again under the Biden-Harris Administration. “We welcome Secretary Vilsack’s return to USDA in a year ... Read More »

By Trista Crossley At this time of year, most of the farm action is happening inside as growers are reminded of rapidly approaching farm program deadlines. State leaders from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) reviewed programs and deadlines and answered growers’ questions during a webinar last week as part of the Agricultural Marketing ... Read More »

From the National Association of Wheat Growers Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a confirmation hearing for President Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, and followed with a quick committee vote that afternoon. National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) Chief Executive Officer Chandler Goule made the following statement in response: “Secretary Vilsack demonstrated ... Read More »

From agweb.com Tom Vilsack enjoyed bipartisan support in his Senate Agriculture Committee confirmation hearing today as he seeks to return to USDA. The committee voted unanimously to recommend his confirmation as USDA Secretary to the full Senate. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced it is extending crop insurance flexibilities for producers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, relief provided for electronic notifications and signatures is extended through July 15, while organic certification, replant self-certification and assignment of indemnity are extended through June 30. “We recognize that American agriculture continues to face challenges due ... Read More »