The Obama administration today announced new investments in the biofuels industry as part of the Defense Production Act (DPA). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Navy and Department of Energy jointly announced $30 million in federal funding to match private investments in commercial-scale advanced drop-in biofuels. The Energy Department is also announcing a total of $32 million in new investments …
USDA Teams Up with GE for Renewable Energy
General Electric Aviation plans to buy $5 million worth of biofuels for its jets beginning in 2015, thanks to a partnership with the USDA. The two are collaborating with the Ohio Aerospace Institute, air carriers and producer groups to develop a Midwest-regional strategy to provide renewable-jet fuel at GE Aviation’s Cincinnati-area facilities. This USDA press release features Agriculture Secretary Tom …
NRCS Chief David White Receives ASTA DSA
The American Seed Trade Association presented their Distinguished Service Award this morning to NRCS Chief David White, pictured on right with ASTA Chairman Mike Gumina. Mike says the award recognizes people who have gone above and beyond or made some special contribution to the industry. He says that in the area of conservation ASTA has had very good success. Chief …
New Mississippi River Basin Conservation Projects
Today Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that $8.4 million in financial assistance is available to support 23 new partnership projects in several Mississippi River Basin states under USDA’s Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI). On the phone with reporters to talk about it this morning was NRCS Chief David White, seen here talking with participants in the recent Conservation …
NRCS Chief Dave White on CTIC Tour
The Chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is Dave White. Dave was our lunch speaker during the 2012 Conservation in Action Tour. He also participated in the tour and talked about NRCS’ voluntary, incentive-based conservation work with private landowners. I recorded Dave’s remarks for you and also interviewed him at the end of our lunch. He said there are …
USDA Ponders Future of Crop Report Release Times
USDA is pondering the future of crop report release times in light of movement toward 24-hour trading. USDA is reviewing release times for several major statistical reports due to recent changes in market hours by major commodity exchanges. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and the World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB), the USDA entities responsible for the reports, will seek …
USDA Invests in Mississippi River Basin Water Quality
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and its partners will invest nearly $32 million this year in financial and technical assistance for five water quality and wetlands improvement projects in seven Mississippi River Basin states. When fully implemented, the projects will prevent sediment and nutrients from entering waterways, decrease flooding and improve bird and …
USDA Celebrates 150 Years Live
I’m a little late to the live webcast but right now USDA is celebrating 150 years of service. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, is commemorating the event with a variety of people on stage. When President Abraham Lincoln founded the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1862, he called it “the People’s Department,” a sentiment that still rings true today as …
Top 5 Largest Agriculture Cooperatives in 2010
The nation’s 100 largest agriculture cooperatives reported near-record revenue of $118 billion in 2010, announced USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager. This was an increase of 4 percent over 2009 figures. Net income for the 100 top agriculture co-ops was also up more than 10 percent in 2010, reaching $2.39 billion, up from $2.16 billion in 2009. Here are …
USDA Confirms BSE Case
The U.S. Department of Agriculture today confirmed the nation’s fourth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from central California. “The carcass of the animal is being held under State authority at a rendering facility in California and will be destroyed. It was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk …