USDA
Michigan growers to be surveyed about chemical practices
A sample of vegetable growers across Michigan will soon be contacted by the USDA NASS Great Lakes Region to participate in a set of surveys focusing on nutrient and fertilizer use, pesticide applications, and pest... more »
USDA halts plans for new organic marketing board
The USDA has ended a proposed rule to establish a national research and promotion program for certified organic products. The decision also terminates the proposed rule on referendum procedures. USDA based the termination on lack... more »
USDA has ‘no plans to regulate’ innovative plant breeding
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue March 28 issued a statement providing clarification on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) oversight of plants produced through innovative new breeding techniques which include techniques called genome editing.... more »
$8.4 M for growers who are veterans or disadvantaged
Growers who are veterans of the armed forces or who are socially disadvantaged will have access to up to $8.4 million of USDA funding, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office announced March 26. The funding... more »
Michigan ag director headed for national USDA post
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Jamie Clover Adams has been hired as an advisor in the office of the secretary of the USDA. Top: U.S. Agriculture Secretary... more »
Ag secretary talks of options for labor reform
Growers may feel discouraged about ag labor policy, but the country’s top agriculture official is upbeat about the future. During a Feb. 1 visit to Michigan, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue discussed legislative work that’s... more »
Farmers.gov unveiled by US Ag secretary
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue Thursday morning debuted Farmers.gov, a grower-friendly, “one-stop shop” maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Purdue unveiled the website Feb. 1 at a breakfast hosted by the Michigan... more »
Soil at the root of organic growing, grower group argues
The Organic Farmers Association (OFA) is raising concern with the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) recent statement that “Certification of hydroponic, aquaponic and aeroponic operations is allowed under the USDA organic regulations, and has been... more »
‘MARS,’ a new digital platform for market reporting, launched
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) this spring will launch a new electronic data platform to deliver market price information to the commodities industry. The new web-based platform, Market Analysis and Reporting Services (MARS), uses... more »
USDA’s Farm Bill priorities, legislative principles revealed
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue Jan. 24 spoke about the USDA’s Farm Bill and Legislative Principles for 2018 during a town hall at Reinford Farms in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania. “Since my first day as the... more »
