A group of lawmakers wants USDA to provide flexibility and revenue protection for producers who will likely be planting past their crop insurance final planting dates. USDA also on Thursday opened up some expiring CRP ground a little earlier and offered some flexibility on cover crops in other conservation programs.
Citing the Biden administration s efforts to promote competition in the economy, Agriculture Secretary released details on the multiple announcements to open up new loans for small packers while also proposing new rules for major poultry processors that contract with farmers to raise chickens.
A small cattle producer in Michigan was told he can t sell his beef or cattle because his farm was contaminated with PFAS chemicals that were in the waste-water sewage sludge that was applied to his fields. A Maine lawmaker warns that sewage sludge was a common fertilizer in her state and it has affected small farms. One of the problems with PFAS contamination is there are no real national standards.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack testified before a Senate Ag Appropriations Subcommittee for USDA fiscal-year 2023 spending plans. Vilsack told senators disaster aid is coming soon, but a plan to boost double cropping by U.S. farmers may now be off the table.