USDA Paves Way for Widespread Use of Toxic, Systemic Pesticide
December 27th, 2011
USDA is closing out 2011 in much the same way it started the year — approving the use of genetically modified (GM) crops designed to withstand pesticide applications. On Tuesday, December 27, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) approved the use of two more GM crops and announced the availability of assessments for Read the Rest…
Healthy Food Financing Initiative FY 2012 Appropriations Funding
December 22nd, 2011
As we reported in an earlier blog post, in mid-December Congress passed a “megabus” appropriations bill that included FY 2012 appropriations funding for numerous departments including Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Included in this package is $32 million in funding for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative. HFFI aims to Read the Rest…
EPA Extends Comment Period for Proposed CAFO Reporting Rule
December 21st, 2011
On Monday, December 19, the EPA announced that it is extending the comment period on a proposed rule with requirements for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) to report specific information about the their operations to the agency. Comments are now due January 19, 2012. EPA has issued a fact sheet with information on submitting comments. Read the Rest…
Generations Bookend Rural Great Plains and Midwest
December 20th, 2011
by Jon Bailey, Director, Rural Research and Analysis Program, Center for Rural Affairs A new Center for Rural Affairs report released finds that rural areas in the Great Plains and Midwest continue to lose population and are caught between “bookend generations” – the youngest and the oldest – with a demographic valley in between. The Read the Rest…
USDA Wraps Up FY2011 Rural Energy for America Program Grants and Loans
December 20th, 2011
USDA has announced the final FY2011 loan and grant awards for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The program funds renewable energy and energy efficiency projects for farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses. REAP grants can fund up to 25-percent of a project’s costs, up to $500,000 for renewable energy systems and $250,000 for Read the Rest…
NRCS Updates Nutrient Management Standard
December 19th, 2011
Last week, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) released an updated version of its nutrient management standard, also known as conservation practice standard 590 (CPS 590). NRCS practice standards delineate the steps that a producer may or must take in order to receive payments for a particular conservation practice under NRCS conservation programs. According to Read the Rest…
Government Funding Bill Wrap Up and EPA Appropriations
December 16th, 2011
On Thursday, December 15, members of a House and Senate Conference Committee passed a nine-bill appropriations package, H.R. 2055, to fund most government functions through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2012. The House then voted, 296-121, on Friday afternoon to pass the funding package. The nearly 2,300 page package was scheduled to go to the Senate for Read the Rest…
NRCS Announces FY 2012 CSP Sign Up
December 15th, 2011
INFORMATION ALERT 2012 Conservation Stewardship Program Sign-Up On Friday, December 9, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that the fiscal year (FY) 2012 ranking period cutoff for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is January 13, 2012. Interested farmers and ranchers have until January 13, 2012, to complete the initial application form to compete for Read the Rest…
FSIS Proposed Rule for Generic Labels
December 15th, 2011
USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a proposed rule to change its generic label approval process. This new rule would allow food processing establishments to use new labels or to modify labels on a broader set of products without first submitting the labels to FSIS for approval. FSIS will still verify that labels comply Read the Rest…
New Report on Overlap in Farm Safety Net Programs
December 9th, 2011
A new report from USDA’s Economic Research Service analyzes potential overlap and duplication in federal farm safety net programs. The report, Identifying Overlap in the Farm Safety Net, clarifies competing definitions of what is meant by the terms “farm safety net,” provides an overview of where overlap can occur in these programs, and presents an Read the Rest…