USDA Announces 45th General Sign-Up for the Conservation Reserve Program
MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 16, 2013—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced at the National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct a four-week general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), beginning May 20 and ending on June 14. CRP has a 27-year legacy of protecting the nation’s natural resources through voluntary...
Read MoreUpcoming changes regarding CDLs and medical cards
If you are a farmer or rancher who also has a commercial driver’s license (CDL) then it is important to know that rules regarding medical cards will be changing very soon. Per a change in federal regulations, starting in January 2014, states will be required to start a centralize tracking of which drivers are maintaining a valid medical card via a DOT/CDL Medical information project. If the...
Read MoreAgriculture Majors – Where It’s At!
The past decade has seen an increase in public involvement in agriculture on many levels. People want to learn about where their food comes from, how it was grown and who grows it. Now too, apparently, they want to learn how to do it themselves. According to an article in USA Today, colleges across the U.S. have seen a sharp increase in the demand for agriculture degrees and there is no expected...
Read MoreUSDA Prepares for Shutdown
With no agreement between the Whitehouse, Senate and Speaker over proposed budget cuts in the current CR, the country is preparing for something that has not happened since 1994. A shutdown of the federal government. The USDA is preparing for any contingency and have been forming plans for how operations will or will not continue should funding expire at midnight tonight. USDA officials told...
Read MorePlantings Report Shows Gains in Corn, Cotton Acreage
The Agriculture Department released its prospective plantings report today, projecting an 8.4-million-acre increase in aggregated crop seeding over last year, showing big projected gains in corn and cotton acreage but less acreage devoted to rice and soybeans. With tight global stocks and strong global demand, the market was expecting the increase in both corn and cotton acreage. USDA projects...
Read MoreSalazar Wants to be Champion for Ag
State Agriculture Commissioner John Salazar says he wants to educate Coloradans about the importance of farming and ranching because many people don’t understand it. Salazar told the Pueblo Chieftain on Monday that too many people think their food comes from a grocery store, not from the people who really grow it. Many have felt the job of advocating for the industry had been lacking under the...
Read MoreLegislative Tracking 2013
