USDA
USDA pauses plans for new organic marketing board
The USDA has ended a proposed rule to establish a national research and promotion program for certified organic products. The decision also terminates the proposed rule on referendum procedures. USDA based the termination on lack... more »
USDA clarifies stance on plant breeding, genome editing
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue March 28 issued a statement providing clarification on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) oversight of plants produced through innovative new breeding techniques which include techniques called genome editing.... more »
$8.4 M given for veterans and disadvantaged growers
Up to $8.4 million of funding will be available for training and technical assistance for socially disadvantaged growers and veterans growers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Partnerships & Public Engagement (OPPE) announced... more »
Michigan ag director hired as advisor to USDA secretary
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Jamie Clover Adams is stepping down from her current job and headed for a position as an advisor in the office of the secretary of the... more »
USDA clarifies organic label use for hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics
Let there be no doubt: hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics growers can earn organic certification. The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) on January 25, 2018, clarified some longstanding issues for the National Organics Program, announcing that... more »
$17.5M of emergency funds tapped for fighting spotted lanternfly
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue Feb. 7 announced $17.5 million in emergency funding to stop the spread of the spotted lanternfly in southeastern Pennsylvania. "We've seen a dramatic expansion in the range of this... more »
Perdue addresses legislative options for ag labor reform
However discouraged growers feel about ag labor policy, the country’s top agriculture official is upbeat about the future. During a Feb. 1 visit to Michigan, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue discussed legislative work that’s shaping... more »
Perdue unveils Farmers.gov, a government ‘one-stop shop’
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today unveiled Farmers.gov, a grower-friendly, “one-stop shop” maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Purdue unveiled the website Thursday morning, Feb. 1, at a breakfast hosted by the... more »
Growers group argues soil essential for organic growing
The Organic Farmers Association (OFA) is raising concern with the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) recent statement that soilless growing techniques are allowed in the National Organic Program. The statement, released by the USDA’s Agriculture... more »
USDA launches ‘MARS,’ a new digital platform for market reporting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced the launch of a new electronic data platform to deliver market price information to the commodities industry. The new web-based platform, Market Analysis... more »
