U.S. Department of Agriculture

The hybrid conference seeks to impart thought-provoking advancements and updates from the USDA’s 29 agencies, with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack leading the event.

U.S. agricultural exports reached $196 billion, with sales in seven agricultural export markets setting records, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s new initiatives lean into science-based nutrition updates to school lunches that tackle added sugar and sodium and support domestic and locally grown sourcing options.

The Strengthening Organic Enforcement Final Rule, filed unofficially by the USDA on Jan. 18, represents the biggest update in the program’s history and bolsters organic integrity according to industry leaders.

The organic enforcement final rule is expected to publish Jan. 18, the USDA has confirmed with The Packer, which separately met with Jonathan Veley of the USDA to discuss organic produce.

Less than 1% of food tested for pesticide residue in 2021 showed results exceeding EPA tolerance levels, according to an annual Pesticide Data Program report.

Small producers and underserved farmers and ranchers are leading the second round of Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program project investments.

The bipartisan group of 14 senators is seeking help for farmers and ranchers to conserve water, improve water infrastructure and efficiency, protect lands at risk of erosion, and more.

The University of Florida, Texas A&M University and The Organic Center have been awarded over $2 million for a multi-year grant to find citrus greening solutions for organic producers, with hopes for broader application.

Food stamp participants will be able to select and pay for their groceries online during a new pilot in New York.

Grants totaling more than $40 million have been awarded to programs to give food stamp consumers incentives to eat more fruits and vegetables.

The United States Department of Agriculture plan to eliminate broad-based categorical eligibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is drawing tons of comments and criticism.

Families who are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are less likely to purchase fresh produce when buying groceries online compared to in-store, according to a new study.

Rhode Island lawmakers are creating a program that will invest $11.5 million in a pilot program to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

The National Organic Program has updated the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances to include paper pots and low acyl gellan gum as acceptable for organic production.

The National Organic Program published integrity and enforcement dashboard for 2022 that outlines trends and enforcement statistics.

The U.S. Trade Representative has declined a 301 investigation request from Florida lawmakers and instead will form an advisory panel to explore ways to assist Southeastern producers.

California-based Elevated Foods granted $20 million from USDA to support farms and working lands with climate-smart ag practices and expand markets.

Scammers are using the COVID-19 situation to steal personal information from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned March 24.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits to low-income households will increase by 18% this year, according to new projections from the Congressional Budget Office.

A big increase in benefits is on the way for Americans receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

Nearly a dozen retailers are currently going through the approval and testing process for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Online Purchasing Pilot.

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.

A new 43-page USDA report measuring the growth of the National School Lunch Program provides an overview and documents major changes since 2008.

Recipients include a Minnesota dairy company that will receive $8,040 to help offset the cost of producing electricity from two anaerobic digesters.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program provided assistance to farmers who delayed silage harvest to help the rare birds.

CHRISTOPHER DOERING, Gannett Washington BureauWASHINGTON -- Farmers and ranchers suffering through the worst drought to hit the United States in more than 50 years will receive additional help from the government, but Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warned on Monday the department does not have the necessary tools to adequately help producers.USDA’s latest assistance package will allow for haying and grazing to occur on Wetlands Reserve and Conservation Reserve land that have been impacted by the drought, including acres that are abnormally dry or suffering from moderate drought conditions. Until now only areas deemed to be in severe to extreme drought were eligible.

The race to create a better, less controversial biofuel has spawned plenty of research into a variety of potential new sources - including switchgrass, cornstalks and algae. One goal behind the next generation of ethanol fuel is to end the debate over whether crops that could be used for food or animal feed are being converted into fuel. It’s a debate that’s dogged traditional ethanol, made from corn. A team of Wisconsin researchers say they may have found an abundant and eminently Dairyland ingredient for ethanol - cow manure from the state’s dairyfarms. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a coalition of state firms have been awarded $7 million for bioenergy research that would use a manure byproduct to produce ethanol at a dairyfarm in Manitowoc County.The funding was awarded by the U.S. Energy and Agriculture departments through their joint biomass research-and-development initiative.

USDA has announced the opening of the application period for proposals to conduct feasibility studies on prospective renewable energy systems, including anaerobic digesters, under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

Emission reductions roughly equivalent to removing 408,000 cars from California highways