Latest News From USDA

The USDA said it is warning vendors who wish to participate in USDA food purchase programs of a possible phishing scheme.

California ranks tops among all states in USDA fruit purchases and second in vegetable purchases, according to a new report from the USDA.

Expect Russia's invasion of Ukraine to dominate the State of the Union address tonight. As for issues affecting agriculture, there may be few details offered, says USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.

With a deadline to collect data by April 4, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is conducting the 2021 Organic Survey to gather new data on certified organic crops and livestock commodities in the U.S.

Congress returns Monday, but to a very different situation due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is expected to be one of the key issues President Biden talks about during his State of the Union address.

Potato-producing states held 198 million hundredweight, or cwt, in storage on Feb. 1, down 3% from the same date a year ago, according to the USDA. 

The USDA is terminating the marketing order regulating the handling of potatoes grown in Washington state.

Rep. Garamendi says the USDA partnership with the Port of Oakland “isn’t going to solve the problem” because shippers deliver product to the U.S. and leave ports with empty containers.

The government of Canada is taking public comments on a proposed regulation to ban some single-use plastic items.

Less than 1% of fruits and vegetables tested by the USDA show pesticide residue levels outside permitted ranges.

The USDA has announced a combined purchase of more than 440,000 cartons of fresh oranges and grapefruit for distribution to nutrition programs.

Hundreds of millions in U.S. fresh produce and nut export sales have been lost because of retaliatory tariffs, USDA economists report. And the toll keeps rising.

AFBF's in-person annual convention focused on everything from H-2A workers, drought, supply chain chaos and policy changes like the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed the group Monday.

The USDA has announced in the Federal Register that the agency’s Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC) will hold a virtual meeting on Feb. 1.

The USDA is looking for suppliers offering to sell big volumes of fresh oranges and grapefruit for use in school lunches and other nutrition programs.

The USDA has extended the deadline for agricultural producers who are certified organic, or transitioning to organic, to apply for the Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP).

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Dec. 17 that his administration is providing up to $1.5 billion to states and school districts to help school meal programs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the publication of a proposed rule in the Federal Register to amend the Apple Crop Provisions.

On Thursday, a bipartisan letter was sent to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to urge the USDA “immediately reverse” its decision to suspend Section 8e grapefruit juice content standards for imported grapefruits.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has purchased 35,000 cartons of fresh oranges.

The USDA responded to the unprecedented challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic on trade by allowing importers of plant commodities to upload copies of phytosanitary certificates and forms.

Florida’s 2021/22 orange crop shrunk by 2% in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s December crop production forecast, compared with the October estimate.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the USDA is deploying $100 million under the new Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program to make available nearly $1 billion in loan guarantees.

Mexico's Department of Agriculture said Dec. 7 that the U.S. has authorized fresh avocado imports from the Jalisco, the second-largest producing region in Mexico.

U.S. exports of fresh fruit and vegetables squeezed out moderate gains in the 12-month period from November 2020 to October 2021, government trade data shows.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has purchased more than 100,000 50-pound cartons of potatoes.

The Government of South Korea has requested the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to authorize the importation of Sweet Potato for consumption into the United States and Territories.

The Government of Colombia has asked USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to authorize importation of yellow dragon fruit (Selenicereus megalanthus) for consumption into the United States.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a $1.5 million purchase of fresh apples and pears for the agency's nutrition programs.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed President Joe Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ plan, also known as the reconciliation package. This vote came after months of debate and countless rewrites to the plan.

UPDATED: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Nov. 22 said it has suspended the movement of fresh potatoes from Prince Edward to the U.S., including fresh table stock and fresh processing potatoes. 

"The good news is that the top turkey producers in the country are confident that everyone who wants a bird for their Thanksgiving dinner will be able to get one."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is inviting citrus suppliers to compete to sell fresh oranges to government feeding programs.

The USDA has imposed sanctions on three produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the PACA.

The Government of Saint Lucia has asked USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to authorize the importation of Mango (Mangifera indica) fruit for consumption into the United States and Territories.

The Government of Uganda has asked USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to authorize the importation of fresh green, mature bananas for consumption into the continental United States.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released the below statement following President Biden’s announcement of the framework for Build Back Better.

Biden's new Build Back Better plan could have a sweeping impact on ag. The plan provides a boost to biofuels and conservation efforts and expands USDA's proposed minority farmer and rancher debt relief by $6 billion.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Rep. Cindy Axne joined AgriTalk with host Chip Flory and Pro Farmer Policy Analyst Jim Wiesemeyer recently to comb through President Biden’s reframe of the Build Back Better (BBB) plan.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced an investment of more than $243 million in grants to support specialty crops.

The 'USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced today an investment of over $50 million to 140 organizations and institutions that teach and train beginning farmers and ranchers.

FarmboxRx, a first-of-its-kind nutrition program pioneering the ‘Food as Medicine’ movement within healthcare, announced it will be the first and only national online grocer to accept SNAP/EBT benefits.

USDA said late last week it’s not approving a vaccine mandate exemption for Farm Service Agency (FSA) employees, and now there are fears the next shortage farmers will face will be with FSA local field staff.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct a referendum Dec. 6–31, 2021, for California walnut growers to vote on whether to continue their federal marketing order.

With both Florida and California orange output down by double-digit percentages, the total U.S. orange crop is forecast to be off 12% in 2021-22.

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), a 15-member volunteer advisory board appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture, meets twice each year in a public forum to discuss and vote on recommendations to the USDA.

USDA's Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt today announced funding of $1.73 million for nine projects to improve the oversight capacity of the organic industry.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is rolling out a new insurance option specifically for agricultural producers with small farms who sell locally.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC) will hold a virtual meeting Nov. 3-4, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET each day.

The NGA commends Congress and the Biden administration for including an increase in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children benefits in the stopgap budget resolution passed this week.