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Oklahoma and Texas form one of the nation’s most abundant agricultural regions. According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, these two states accounted for 8% of total U.S. agricultural sales. The market value of agricultural products from Texas came to $32.2 billion, 6% of U.S. agricultural sales. In Oklahoma, the market value of agricultural sales reached $8.5 billion, 2% of total U.S. agricultural sales.
When purchasing food, many consumers look for information on where the food came from and how it was produced. No antibiotics, cage-free, and grass-fed are a few marketing claims consumers find on protein-based food packaging. To provide assurance to customers of the validity of these and other claims, producers often enlist the services of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today it intends to establish the Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program Advisory Council (informally known as the Growing Climate Solutions Act Advisory Council) and is seeking nominations for Council membership. USDA made the announcement in a Federal Register notice published today.
In Miami, crops grow 365 days a year. This fact spurred Dr. Maruthi Sridhar Balaji Bhaskar of Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida, to take action to help his students. “We have lots of interest in agriculture here,” said Bhaskar, an associate professor in the FIU Department of Earth and Environment. “I want my students to know what different opportunities are available to them, especially with USDA.”
The seeds of digital transformation are taking root as application reviews for our agency’s first Digital Service (DS) Fellows cohort are in progress. By establishing a dedicated fellow team at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), we will be able to improve access to USDA resources and programs across the country. Once onboarded this fall, our USDA Digital Service (DS) Fellows will work to accelerate the design, development, and delivery of customer-centric services.
WASHINGTON, August 9, 2024 – On August 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will invest $400 million with at least 18 irrigation districts to help farmers continue commodity production while also conserving water across the West. The funding is expected to conserve up to 50,000 acre-feet in water use across 250,000 acres of irrigated land in production, while expanding and creating new, sustainable market opportunities.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is moving forward in the awards process with a new clean energy project through the Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program. Secretary Vilsack announced that SE Municipal Solar LLC in Nebraska has been selected to move forward to receive nearly $30 million to build eight solar photovoltaic generation facilities totaling 18.72 megawatts.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
press@sustainableagriculture.net
Tel. 347.563.6408
Release: New Lending Rule Signals More Savings for FarmersWashington, DC, August 7, 2024 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Zach Ducheanauex for the announcement of a new final rule: Enhancing Access and Delivery for Farm Loans.
“It is clear that the rule, in addition to a suite of actions from the agency in the last three years, aims to address challenges farmers experience by improving loan accessibility and flexibility to keep farmers on the land,” said Billy Hackett, Policy Specialist. “The provisions will act together to make FSA more responsive to the needs of farmers at the beginning of a lending relationship, invest in farmers’ long-term financial health, and reduce instances of default.”
Specifically, the final rule includes provisions that:
- Support farmers with optional business plans tailored to their farm and flexible repayment terms which include smaller interest-only payments for one year with longer loan terms;
- Lower collateral requirements from a maximum of 150 percent to 125 percent of direct loan amounts and reduce scenarios where a farmer needs to pledge their home as collateral; and
- Establish the Distressed Borrower Set-Aside Program, which will allow a borrower to defer one annual loan installment per existing loan at a reduced interest rate.
In announcing the rule, Administrator Ducheanauex remarked: “The changes in this rule signal a producer-centric approach to finance. Our tools can now be used to provide borrowers the financial freedom and flexibility to improve profitability and resilience. Allowing the borrower the opportunity and means to save for long-term needs and make strategic investments from their existing production income can help demonstrate that when the terms of finance meet the “actual needs” of the producer, everybody wins; it’s akin to giving our producers a raise.”
USDA is seeking public comments on the final rule, which goes into effect on September 25, 2024. The comment period will end on October 7.
The full text of the final rule can be found here.
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The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net
The post Release: New Lending Rule Signals More Savings for Farmers appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
WASHINGTON, August 7, 2024 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to aid recovery efforts for farmers, ranchers and residents affected by Hurricane Debby, which continues its track up the East Coast. USDA staff in offices across the country are ready to respond with a variety of program flexibilities and other assistance to producers and communities in need.
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