USDA’s Economic Research Service has created an online Atlas of Rural and Small Town America that you might find interesting. It’s an interactive map that allows you to select broad categories of data including people, jobs and agriculture. You can select specific counties to get information or areas like regions and states. ERS promotes the well-being of rural America through …
Ag Secretary Vilsack at Commodity Classic
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack gave the keynote address today to an audience of more than 4,500 farmers and commodity group representatives during the General Session of the 16th Annual Commodity Classic in Tampa, Florida. In his remarks, Vilsack commended American farmers, ranchers and producers for helping to lead the United States’ economic recovery by shattering agricultural trade records, creating jobs …
USDA Deregulates Corn Amylase
Syngenta Seeds announced today it has received full deregulation from USDA for corn amylase (Event 3272), the first corn output trait designed to help ethanol industry become more efficient, profitable and environmentally friendly. Syngenta Seeds plans to sell corn containing Event 3272 under the “Enogen” seed brand. “Enogen corn is a breakthrough product that provides ethanol producers a proven means …
Winter Weather Woes for Livestock
Cattle producers around the country have been busy this winter trying to care for their animals in particularly harsh weather. Ice, snow and freezing temperatures mean lots of extra work to feed and water cattle and there were lots of producers who were unable to make the trip to Denver last week for the Cattle Industry Convention because of that. …
Biotech Alfalfa Deregulated
Farmers can prepare to “grow the feed, not the weeds” once again, anywhere they want, with the complete deregulation of alfalfa that has been genetically engineered to be resistant to Roundup. USDA made the announcement today. “After conducting a thorough and transparent examination of alfalfa through a multi-alternative environmental impact statement (EIS) and several public comment opportunities, APHIS has determined …
USDA Outlook Board Chair at AFBF
Appearing at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Atlanta this week almost cost USDA Outlook Board Chairman Gerald Bange a 28 year perfect record. Gerald Bange has not missed a lockup prior to the release of a crop report since 1983, but it was a close call getting out of the snow-bound south in time after his crop …
Secretary of Ag Vilsack Addresses AFBF Annual Meeting
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack addressed the 2011 American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting this afternoon. He made a couple of comments that drew applause from the audience. One of those dealt with concerns over USDA’s pending decision on regulating GM alfalfa. He said, “We’re trying to figure out, as difficult as it might be, is there a way …
Animal Welfare Information Center
Did you know we have an Animal Welfare Information Center at USDA? I don’t think I did even though it was created in 1986. You can follow it on Twitter now. The Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) is mandated by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) to provide information for improved animal care and use in research, testing, teaching, and exhibition.
Microsoft Cloud for USDA
The future forecast for USDA is cloudy. USDA announced last week that it is on the verge of going live with a commercial cloud service offering for its Enterprise Messaging Service (EMS) which includes email, web conferencing, document collaboration, and instant messaging. USDA is the first cabinet-level agency to move its e-mail and collaboration applications to the “cloud,” a rapidly …
“Healthy Harry” is Pick in USDA’s Name the Healthy Bird Contest
The USDA has named the winner in its Name the Healthy Bird Contest. “Healthy Harry” is the name that Shelley Petersen of Glendale, Arizona and Patti Sheppard of Millville, New Jersey came up with and will be the name of the plucky mascot for the Biosecurity For Birds campaign, which raises awareness about infectious diseases that can threaten backyard poultry: …