USDA
Inflation Reduction Act brings $20 billion for climate-smart ag
The Inflation Reduction Act will deliver $19.5 billion in new conservation funding to support climate-smart agriculture. This historic funding will bolster the new steps that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced Aug. 15 to... more »
USDA expands funding of produce as medicine programs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is using $8 million to support “prescription” programs that pay for fresh fruits and vegetables to improve the health of consumers. The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) is part... more »
USDA program boosts local crops from California’s underserved farmers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding a program in California that will buy and distribute locally grown, produced and processed food from underserved producers. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the program July 27 during... more »
USDA-APHIS lab earns recognition for pandemic response
The staff members at a U.S. Department of Agriculture lab in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service have been recognized for their response during the pandemic. The Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program’s staff... more »
APHIS extends comment period on five-year plan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is giving farmers and other industry stakeholders another month to comment on a five-year strategic plan for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. APHIS extended its comment period to... more »
USDA adds specialty crops to market news app
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has added specialty crops to the USDA Market News App 2.0 update. The free app gives producers and others in the supply chain instant access to market information about conventional... more »
National Organic Standards Board seeks comments for fall meeting
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is accepting comments in preparation for its fall meeting. The board reviews comments before its two annual meetings; the fall meeting is scheduled for Oct. 25-27 in Sacramento, California. The board... more »
USDA looks at ports to increase export-import capacity
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced plans to increase capacity for exporting chilled and frozen agricultural commodities at the Port of Houston, to help improve service for shippers of U.S. agricultural commodities. The U.S. Department... more »
USDA extends comment deadline on fertilizer costs, supply
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is again extending the deadline for comments and information from the public about its “Access to Fertilizer: Competition and Supply Chain Concerns.” The notice was originally published in the Federal Register... more »
USDA specialty crop program offsets up to $200 million in food safety costs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing specialty crop growers up to $200 million to offset certain expenses incurred to receive food safety certification. The USDA’s new Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program... more »