USDA
USDA to assist farmers with environmental assurance
USDSA is making financial assistance available to Michigan farmers seeking to have their operations environmentally verified through the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP). MAEAP is a voluntary program created in Michigan that allows producers to... more »
Enforcement protects organic integrity
The mission of the National Organic Program (NOP) – part of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service – is to protect the integrity of the USDA organic seal. Consumers look for and trust the organic seal because they... more »
USDA to fund food safety training programs for small farms
USDA has made $4.7 million available in grants for food safety education, training, and technical assistance projects that address the needs of owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially-disadvantaged farmers, small processors,... more »
USDA launches first local foods survey
The USDA has begun conducting the 2015 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is conducting this first-time survey to produce official benchmark data on the local food sector in the United States. The... more »
GroupGAP program now available
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the official launch of GroupGAP, a new certification program that helps small and mid-sized growers and cooperatives meet retailers' on-farm food safety requirements. "We know that GAP certification can... more »
USDA announces $5.2M for nanotechnology research
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an investment of more than $5.2 million to support nanotechnology research at 11 universities. The universities will research ways nanotechnology can be used to improve food safety, enhance renewable fuels,... more »
Secretary Vilsack announces US-Cuba ag sectors agreement
While in Cuba, Secretary Vilsack announced that USDA will allow the 22 industry-funded Research and Promotion Programs and 18 Marketing Order organizations to conduct authorized research and information exchange activities with Cuba. These groups, which... more »
$62M in specialty crop grants available to growers
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is making more than $62 million in grant funding available to support specialty crop producers through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). SCBGP grants are allocated to U.S.... more »
Public-private partnerships crucial in crop insurance safety net
Farming is in my blood, and I’m proud of that. I grew up on my family’s sheep ranch in northern Utah and managed our raspberry farm before coming to USDA. For the past three years,... more »
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to join president on trip to Cuba
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will join President Obama when he travels to Cuba later this month, the USDA announced. This historic visit - the first by a sitting U.S. President in nearly 90 years -... more »
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