At the start of USDA’s 2020 Agriculture Outlook Forum on Thursday, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the Agriculture Innovation Agenda, a new initiative to stimulate innovation so American agriculture can achieve the goal of increasing production by 40 percent while cutting the environmental footprint of U.S. agriculture in half by 2050. Secretary Perdue outlined the four components of the …
Crop Insurance Update from USDA RMA at CIRB
USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) Administrator Martin Barbre gave an update to Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) members during their annual meeting last week. One of the big topics of discussion was the recently announced availability of two programs that protect hemp producers’ crops from natural disasters. “We’re trying to get to a level where we can insure producers’ …
USDA’s McKinney Optimistic About Ethanol Exports
USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney says he will leave “no stone unturned” in his quest to increase U.S. agricultural exports, including ethanol. McKinney spoke to the Renewable Fuels Association National Ethanol Conference Wednesday about the markets where he sees the most potential for ethanol, including China, Mexico, Brazil, and India. Listen to his remarks: …
USDA Announces Hemp Crop Insurance Details
USDA has announced the availability of two programs that protect hemp producers’ crops from natural disasters. A pilot hemp insurance program through Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) provides coverage against loss of yield because of insurable causes of loss for hemp grown for fiber, grain or Cannabidiol (CBD) oil and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage protects against losses …
USDA Secretary Chats with NCBA President
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue sat down with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Jennifer Houston on Wednesday to talk about issues important to the thousands of cattle industry representatives attending the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, in San Antonio, TX. The new trade deal with China and the signing of USMCA were big topics of discussion, …
USDA Trains Dogs to Hunt Citrus Greening
Dogs specially trained by Agriculture Research Service (ARS) scientists have proven to be the most efficient way to detect huanglongbing, better known as citrus greening. Currently, the only solid hope of curtailing the spread of citrus greening is to eliminate trees with the disease as quickly as possible to prevent further spread. Early detection of the citrus greening pathogen is …
Secretary Perdue Press Call from Rome
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has been traveling Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy this week to engage with his counterparts on important issues facing agriculture at home and abroad. The Secretary, along with Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney has been participating in events with government officials and agricultural leaders. As President Trump was preparing to …
USDA Supporting International Year of Plant Health
USDA is kicking off efforts to create awareness in the U.S. for this International Year of Plant Health. The international campaign was declared by the U.N. at the end of 2019. A conference on plant health is planned for later this year with details to come. To bring worldwide attention to this challenge, the U.N. has declared 2020 as the …
USDA Deputy Secretary Talks Trade at Iowa Biofuels Summit
USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky had the pleasure of announcing the Senate passage of USMCA to the crowd at the 2020 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit Thursday in Altoona, Iowa. “Just about 20 minutes ago, I’m proud to say that the Senate finally passed the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement on a vote of 89 to 10,” said Censky as the crowd …
USDA Under Secretary Visits SE Fruit and Vegetable Growers
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney visited the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference on Friday and talked trade issues with members of the GA Fruit & Vegetable Association before touring the trade show. With the China Phase One trade deal slated to be signed next week, and USMCA getting one step closer to …