The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has waived certain notice of loss requirements for 2023 for the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP) and Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). In an effort to streamline assistance to support access to critical 2023 natural disaster recovery assistance, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is waiving the requirement to submit ELAP or LIP notices of loss within …

On November 29th, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the first tranche of funding under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP). USDA is providing up to $300 million in funding in its first year to support eligible projects that enable exporters to break into new markets and increase market …

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) celebrated the strengthening of organic animal welfare standards by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), saying the long-awaited action by the department is a major win for producers and consumers who have steadily advocated for the more robust regulations. “The organic sector and organic consumers have been clamoring for stricter animal welfare standards for 20 …

The U. S Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide more than $3 billion to commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2022. Eligible impacted producers can apply for financial assistance through the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) 2022. The program will help offset the financial impacts of crop yield and value losses from qualifying disasters occurring in 2022. “2022 was …

The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the application deadline for the Milk Loss Program (MLP) to Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, allowing more time for eligible dairy farmers to apply for much-needed, weather-related disaster recovery assistance. Administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), MLP compensates dairy producers who, because of qualifying weather events, dumped or removed milk without compensation from the …

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has unveiled two new grant opportunities plus a training and technical assistance partnership to help schools continue to invest in nutritious school meals. This announcement helps to reach the goals released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022 to increase access to healthy foods for students at schools across …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is beefing up crop insurance options for specialty crop and organic producers, including rolling out new and expanded options based on feedback from America’s agricultural producers. To achieve this, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) accelerated its outreach efforts to hear directly from producers across the country by hosting in-person and virtual roadshows and making investments …

The Organic Center is thrilled to announce it is the recipient of almost $900,000 in federal funds through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) research program. The funds will enable The Organic Center to collaborate in four new important OREI research grant projects. The projects announced by USDA will address a host of vital …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for October 2023, effective Oct. 2, 2023. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures or meet cash flow needs. Operating, Ownership and Emergency Loans FSA offers farm ownership and operating loans with favorable …

On September 21, Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-22) joined Representative Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to introduce H.R. 5589, the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act. This bipartisan, bicameral bill establishes a new mechanism for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to purchase a wide variety of U.S.-grown fresh fruits and vegetables for distribution to those in need. …