USDA
Virginia nutrient-trading program is praised and panned
A nutrient trading program has saved the state of Virginia more than $1 million while constraining runoff of phosphorus, a fertilizer, into the Chesapeake Bay, said EPA.
Bird flu found again in Pacific Northwest states
All the birds in a non-commercial flock in Port Angeles, Wash, were killed to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, said Capital Press, which said bird flu also was reported in a backyard flock in Idaho.
Biomass program thins national forest of dead, diseased trees
More than 200,000 tons of dead or diseased trees were removed from national forests this summer through a program that offsets the harvest and transport cost for delivering plant materials to biomass refineries, said USDA.
USDA conservation program “misses the mark”-farm groups
The biggest USDA conservation program, the Conservation Stewardship Program, slights ongoing work by farmers in favor of operators who are new to the program or agree to take on additional land, water and wildlife work, say two small-farm groups.
USDA approves GE cotton and soy that tolerate dicamba
The government approved cultivation of genetically engineered cotton and soybean varieties from Monsanto that tolerate the weedkillers dicamba and glufosinate. So-called super weeds that are resistant to glyphosate, a widely used herbicide known as Roundup, have prompted work on biotech plants that can be matched with other herbicides.USDA said a Federal Register notice of its decision was scheduled to appear on Tuesday, the effective date for deregulation of the new Monsanto strains.
Corn prices “firm to slightly higher” after harvest-time dip
Corn futures prices are the highest in five months and "are expected to remain firm to slightly higher" for the near term, says economist Darrel Good of U-Illinois.
Record exports for biggest-ever US soybean crop
U.S. soybean exports are headed for a record 1.77 billion bushels this marketing year, nearly 45 percent of the largest crop ever grown by U.S. farmers, says USDA. If the estimate proves true, exports would be 7 percent larger than last season.
Back as top exporter, Thailand to set record for rice sales
Back as the No 1 rice exporter in the world, Thailand will export a record 11 million tonnes of rice during 2015 due in part to higher demand from Indonesia, whose population is growing more rapidly than rice production, said the Agriculture Department in...
USDA would ban food-frying for meals at day care centers
Day care operators would be barred from frying food for meals served to children and adults under rules proposed by USDA. The government says the proposal, published in the Federal Register, would align day-care meals with school lunch reforms.
USDA offers more protection against loss of specialized crops
The Agriculture Department announced an expansion of the Noninsured Crop Disaster Program (NAP) to cover more crops and at higher levels of protection. NAP operates like insurance for crops not covered by the federally subsidized insurance program.
Artisanal beer can be good for a barley farmer
U.S. beer consumption is headed in two different directions. So-called craft beer from brewpubs and micro-breweries is rising in popularity while people are drinking less of the light lager produced by the big beer companies.
USDA funds $370 million in projects from dead zones to birds
Swamped by proposals, USDA selected 115 "high impact" projects to receive $370 million in funding in the initial awards through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The projects range from improving habitat for endangered birds to preventing a "dead zone" in Long Island Sound and reducing runoff in the lush wheat-growing Palouse regionof the Pacific Northwest. Federal funds will be matched by $400 million from "partners" that include governmental units and conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited.
New pesticide-tolerant crops close to USDA approval
Cotton and soybean varieties genetically engineered by Monsanto to tolerate the herbicide dicamba should be approved for use by farmers, said USDA in issuing its final environmental impact statement (EIS) on the strains.
A recap: Congress constrains whole-grain rule, beef checkoff
The government funding bill approved by Congress would relax a requirement for schools to use more whole-grain rich foods and block USDA from creating a new beef checkoff program.
USDA chief economist Glauber moves to think tank
USDA chief economist Joe Glauber, whose job required him to translate dry data into the story of U.S. agriculture for policymakers, is leaving USDA to become visiting senior fellow at a Washington think tank. His deputy, Robert Johansson, "will assume the duties of chief economist beginning January 1," said USDA. Glauber is shifting to International Food Policy Research Institute after 32 years with the federal government.
Obama to boost high-speed Internet in rural and urban areas
President Obama is to visit Cedar Falls, Iowa, today to promote widespread availability of high-speed Internet service, including in rural areas with poor or no service. As part of its efforts, the White House says USDA will re-open its Rural Broadband program with $40-$50 million in loans "to eligible rural carriers that invest in bringing high-speed broadband to unserved and under-served rural areas." USDA also is accepting applications through its Community Connect program, which provides grants for broadband projects.
Maximum EQIP payment to rise to $450,000, says USDA
The maximum payment through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program will rise to $450,000 from the current $300,000, said USDA ahead of publishing an interim final rule that would incorporate changes made by the 2014 farm law.
“We’re stuck” on revising meat-origin labels, says Vilsack
Congress will have to resolve the international snarl over U.S requirements for labels on beef, pork and chicken meat that identify where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. U.S. law requires the so-called country of origin labels (COOL) but the World Trade Organization has ruled three times that U.S. regulations discriminate against Canada and Mexico.
Ten RECs get $4.4 billion in New ERA clean energy funding
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $4.37 billion in grants and loans to 10 rural electric cooperatives on Thursday for clean energy projects that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1.1 million tons a year. With the awards, the USDA has allocated nearly $9 billion of the $9.7 billion available in the Empowering Rural America program.