News

Over $305,929 in grants to benefit Vermont specialty crop producers

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) announces grants totaling $305,929 for eight projects to benefit Vermont fruit, vegetable and value-added producers and increase consumer access to locally produced food. These grants, ... more

Apples lead the way in total US fruit consumption

In 2017, 113.8 pounds of fresh and processed fruit per person were available for U.S. consumption after adjusting for losses, according to USDA Economic Research Services's (ERS) loss-adjusted food availability data. This data series takes per cap... more

Organic plant health, sustainability are Organic Grower Summit topics

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="245"] Bryan Duarte[/caption] A pair of educational sessions focused on the future of organic plant health and an examination of how to effectively promote sustainability reporting have been announced as part o... more

$7.3M given for spotted lanternfly research

A $7.3 million grant awarded to Penn State will support an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional team of researchers as they conduct research and develop strategies to combat the spotted lanternfly. The grant, from the U.S. Department of Agricult... more

Califonia ag department employee remembers fighting Pierce’s Disease

Bob Wynn, who worked for the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for more than 40 years, recently revisited the onset of Pierce’s Disease in a video series put out by the department. The video series, Centennial Reflections, thi... more

Socially disadvantaged, veteran farmers aided by USDA grant allocation

On Oct. 7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will issue $16.2 million in grants to provide training, outreach, and technical assistance to underserved and veteran farmers and ranchers. This funding is available through the USDA�... more

Michigan has new Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division director

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Gary McDowell has selected Michael Philip as the new Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division Director effective Oct. 7 [caption id="" align="alignright" width="198"] Michael Ph... more