USDA
NSAC applauds USDA insurance expansion for organic agriculture transition
Interest in organic products has boomed over the last several years, between 2004 and 2016 sales of organic food more than tripled (from $11.1 billion to $39 billion), but farmers are finding it difficult to... more »
USDA expands insurance options for farmers transitioning to certified organic
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the expansion of a crop insurance option to allow producers to purchase insurance coverage that better reflects their product's actual value. Producers transitioning to certified organic production can now use the... more »
USDA announces $58.25 million to protect agriculture from pests, diseases
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has allocated $58.25 million from Section 10007 of the 2014 Farm Bill. This money will support 434 projects that prevent... more »
USDA scientists using organic approach to improve carrots
Organic carrots are coming into their own. About 14 percent of U.S.-produced carrots are now... more »
USDA awards $30.1 million for plant, food safety research
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the award of $30.1 million in competitive grants to fund 80 research projects to improve food safety, reduce antibiotic resistance in food, and increase the resilience of plants in the face of climate change,... more »
USDA creating bee genebank to preserve genetic diversity
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is organizing a national bee genebank as part of the agency's response to ongoing problems facing the country's beekeepers. Average losses of managed honey bee colonies have increased to more than 30... more »
USDA extends microloans program to farmland purchases
Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin offering farm ownership microloans, creating a new financing avenue for farmers to buy and improve property. These microloans will help... more »
USDA’s GroupGAP program set to launch this spring
GroupGap, a new certification option for USDA’s Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audit program, is designed to make GAP certification more accessible to small and medium-size producers. The program allows multiple growers to work together to obtain... more »
USDA: $3.8 million available for transition to organic farming
USDA announced the availability of $3.8 million to support research, education, and extension projects that will assist current organic producers and those transitioning into organic farming. The funding is available through the Organic Transitions Program,... more »
Report: No safety concern for pesticide residues on U.S. food
The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has posted data from the 2014 Pesticide Data Program (PDP) Annual Summary, which confirms that overall pesticide chemical residues found on the foods tested are at levels below the tolerances... more »
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