Latest News From USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending flexibilities to allow free meals to continue to be available to all children throughout the entire 2020-2021 school year. 

Multi-million dollar federal contracts have been awarded to three firms to provide fresh produce to military customers and select schools.

With Florida groves showing the biggest declines, the 2020-21 U.S. orange crop is forecast 11% lower, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first crop production report. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is allowing the import of blueberries from two regions in Chile without methyl bromide fumigation for pests.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking comments on establishing a Pecan Promotion, Research and Information Order.

Mexican avocado production and exports to the U.S. will increase again in 2020-21, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

Exports of U.S. fresh produce showed mixed trends over the past year, U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers show.

Comments submitted by the Produce Marketing Association, the United Fresh Produce Association and Western Growers support the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Strengthening Organic Enforcement Rule.

The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Agriculture are inviting communities to apply for technical assistance to help promote local foods.

The end of the comment period for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed rule to cut down on organic fraud is approaching.

As plant-based diets become more trendier, is the next phase plant-based fashion?

The COVID-19 pandemic has created new federal feeding programs and put strains on existing programs, and industry advocates at the United Fresh'’s virtual Washington Conference said the need isn’t over yet.

Michael Muzyk, president of Bronx, N.Y.-based Baldor Specialty Foods, opened the second day of the virtual United Fresh Washington Conference with a message of the importance of the restaurant industry.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended application deadlines for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program for farmers and ranchers in Texas and Louisiana affected by Hurricane Laura.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Standards Board’s fall meeting will be online, and meeting materials, proposals and other information is available for viewing.

The Trump administration plans to take steps to protect U.S. growers of seasonal produce against what it calls threats of increased imports.

Consumer prices for food sold at grocery stores declined 1% from June to July but still are running 4.6% higher than a year ago.

The USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program gets mixed reviews from sweet potato growers across the country. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering a web seminar on electronic filing requirements in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Automated Commercial Environment.

While some organic grower-shippers seem to favor the stricter enforcement of the USDA's organic regulations proposed, they seem less willing commit to higher fees and stricter enforcement of the rules.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has scheduled a web seminar on the Farm Service Agency’s Organic Cost Share Program.

Organic fraud and traceability techniques are the focus of two new courses offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Organic Integrity Learning Center.

2020 total apple production is off 3.4% compared last season’s output, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated on Aug. 12.

Federal agencies must work together to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among all Americans, according to a Produce Marketing Association-led industry task force.

A proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture aims to bolster the National Organic Program’s oversight and enforcement of the production, handling and sale of organic products.

A USDA pilot program designed to allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients to buy groceries online could expose them to unwanted data collection and manipulative online marketing.

(UPDATED, July 16) Getting children under the age of two to consume a healthy diet with fruits and vegetables is critical to establish life-long habits.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has removed a Mediterranean fruit fly quarantine in San Bernardino County, Calif.

U.S. imports of fresh fruits in May were down 10.4% compared with a year ago, while fresh vegetable imports jumped 17%, according to newly released statistics.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture web seminar will provide an overview of proposed changes to enforcement regulations of organic agriculture.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement became effective July 1, but it brings no sweeping changes to North American produce companies who have operated with the NAFTA for more than two decades.

The National Pecan Federation has petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a research and promotion program to expand markets for pecans.

Fresh carrots from South Korea have been approved for shipment to the U.S.

Drought conditions in Mexico’s citrus regions have cut the country’s 2020 orange crop potential by nearly half, but fresh citrus shipments to the U.S. will only suffer minor reductions, according to the USDA.

Led by grapes, avocados and berries, U.S. imports of fruits and vegetables rose 6% from May 2019 through April, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture trade statistics.

U.S. fresh oranges and tangerines showed the best year-over-year growth of any major fresh commodity in export sales in the year from May 2019 through April this year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions against CKF Produce Corp. for Perishable Agricultural Act violations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and other groups have invested nearly $47 million in research over the past six years through the Huanglongbing Multiagency Coordination Group.

April prices for food purchased at grocery stores were up 2.7% from March and 4.1% above year-ago levels, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported.

Public comments are due June 1 to the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and procrastinators are peppering the committee with plenty of last-minute directions about what they should do next.

U.S. blueberries grown in 11 states and California avocados now have access to the Chinese market as a result of the U.S.-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement.

The Justice Department is seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to allow hydroponic operations to be certified organic.

U.S. fresh produce imports are exceeding expectations.

Nearly $10 million has been awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to 11 multi-state projects that seek to boost the competitiveness of specialty crops.

California table grape acreage for the 2019 crop, at 121,000 acres, was unchanged from the previous season’s acreage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is easing country-of-origin requirements to allow fresh produce that has been packed for foodservice operators to be diverted to retailers as demand shifts during the pandemic.

Import requirements for Chinese fragrant pears have been relaxed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is conducting a survey about grants awarded through its Agricultural Marketing Service.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking comments on a pest risk assessment on U.S. imports of pummelo from Vietnam.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed an administrative complaint against Trinity Fresh Distribution LLC, alleging the company owes almost $4 million to produce suppliers.