A small but lively crowd of people clapped excitedly as John Keene, president of the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust, cut the red rope Tuesday, signaling the opening of the Martha’s Vineyard Seafood Collaborative. The red rope was a significant symbol because it is a weak line that’s mandatory for fishermen to use for traps […]
Last year was the second highest year for U.S. agricultural exports, according to USDA s Foreign Agricultural Service s (FAS) 2020 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook. Total exports were nearly $146 billion, an increase of approximately 7%. This is the second highest level on record, after 2014.
FAS said the primary factor for the increase in exports was the increased shipments of soybeans, corn and pork to China.
Soybeans were the United States number one agricultural export at $25.7 billion, an increase of 38% over 2019. Soybeans represented nearly 18% of total U.S. agricultural exports in 2020, with China accounting for 55% of total soybean exports.
Corn exports were $9.2 billion, an increase of 20% over 2019, led by a $1.1 billion increase in exports to China. Mexico and Japan were the top two markets.
Along with her husband and two kids, Ross grows certified organic vegetables at Sweet Acre Farm in Lebanon. She saw first-hand how beneficial the UConn Extension program is and she is now a program coordinator for Solid Ground.
“A lot of first-generation farmers often don’t have or aren’t connected to all the resources they need to not only start their farms but make them sustainable,” Ross said.
Solid Ground got its start thanks to a grant through the USDA’s Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development program. The vast majority of the courses offered are free and accessible to anyone interested in farming or people who have been in business and want to learn more.
serkanozalp/ThinkstockPhotos Nebraska farmer Anne Meis will chair the board; new members hail from Culvers, McDonald s and Native American Agriculture Fund.
Mar 02, 2021
Three women have joined the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action board. New board members include Julie Fussner from Culver’s Franchising System, LLC, who was also appointed to USFRA’s Executive Committee; Janie Simms Hipp from the Native American Agriculture Fund; and Hope Bentley from McDonald’s.
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA), formerly the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, represents farmer- and rancher-led organizations as well as other leaders throughout the agriculture sector with a shared vision of co-creating sustainable food systems.