The USDA made changes to the federal crop insurance program in 2016 intended to increase farmers’ flexibility in managing their land. These changes particularly increase coverage for farmers who add new land to their operations or who “double crop”, rotating crops on the same field within a single year. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse … Continue reading 2016 Changes to the Federal Crop Insurance Program
Tag: EIMGrants
Accessing Free Information about Your Farm’s Soil
With the click of a few keys, you can access a wealth of information from the USDA NRCS website to provide soil data for most of the United States. The popular Web Soil Survey (WSS) website was recently updated to provide improved access to land use information. According to the website, this “provides access to … Continue reading Accessing Free Information about Your Farm’s Soil
“Women in Ag” Rep returns from China and Hong Kong
Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, Alexis Taylor, returned from a trade mission to China and Hong Kong last week. The theme of the trip and the dialogue was “Women in Ag”. Ms. Taylor was accompanied by seven state department of agriculture leaders and representatives of twenty-three US agricultural organizations and businesses … Continue reading “Women in Ag” Rep returns from China and Hong Kong
Organics and the USDA
Because the USDA wants organic agriculture to grow and thrive, they promote organics in several ways, including the following: Leveling the playing field with clear standards Offering organic certification so farmers can receive premium prices for products Investigating consumer complaints Taking action against those that violate the law Offering funding opportunities According to the website … Continue reading Organics and the USDA
USDA Notice
About six months ago the USDA prioritized 5.6 billion dollars to new farmers and ranchers. They also implemented a new web tool available at http://www.usda.gov/newfarmers. The USDA feels it is important to provide new farmers with programs and resources to help them get started because of the rapidly aging farming community. “The average age of … Continue reading USDA Notice