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After graduating from Iowa State University in May with bachelor’s degrees in agriculture and rural policy and international agriculture, I was excited to join NASDA as a policy intern for the fall semester. Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research on school meal programs.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced grower, understanding these methods can help you expand your garden, preserve plant genetics, and boost crop productivity. This video includes a number of subjects: * When and how to divide plants for optimal success. Essential tools and techniques for effective grafting.
On May 1, Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee introduced her version of this year’s delayed farm bill: The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act. A full summary of the bill is here. Note: it’s vague on details) A section-by-section is here.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Specialty Crop Block Grant Program awards funds to projects to enhance the competitiveness of Michigan specialty crops. Applications close on February 6, 2025.
After Floridas farmers harvest a wide array of summer crops, the fields do not lie dormant for long. This period is ideal for growing crops that thrive in cooler weather, including leafy greens, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, and blueberries.
The combination of programs ensures they each have permanent funding and encourages coordination between the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and RuralDevelopment. This new application seeks to simplify applications and reporting processes to increase the accessibility of the program for small and rural organizations.
Dear Secretary Vilsack and Director Young: As the Administration develops its budget proposal for FY 2025, we respectfully urge you to once again protect crop insurance from harmful cuts. USDA and Congress have taken extraordinary ad hoc measures over the past few years to ensure the financial security of rural America.
Whether you’re designing a small farm, optimizing crop layout, managing pests and nutrients, or utilizing advanced tools like drones for precision agriculture, AI has a role to play.
Kava has endured a long history of adversity, said Lakea Trask, a Hawaiian farmer and local activist who cultivates kava and other Native crops for Kanaka Kava , his familys farm-to-table restaurant in Kailua-Kona, on the Big Island. As kavas allure grows, so, too, have local restrictions. In Florida, the so-called U.S.
In this video, we delve into the heart of food-forest design, exploring the importance of plant diversity, thoughtful crop arrangements, and the application of permaculture principles.
This podcast was also produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA RuralDevelopment.
[link] This video was filmed in partnership with the Berkshire Conservation District and was produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA RuralDevelopment.
However, this hasn’t stopped the pair from adopting conservation practices like cover crops, such as sunn hemp, to help fix nitrogen and produce biomass. Mowing the cover crop leaves the roots in the soil allowing those air pockets and pores to be intact and for water to be captured. .” ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
Will widespread adoption of regenerative agriculture automatically lead to the rejuvenation of rural communities? By Derek Leahy I have been given this amazing opportunity to travel Canada and interview agricultural producers about regenerative agriculture for the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast. What is it going to take?
Letter Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Speaker Johnson, Minority Leader McConnell, and Minority Leader Jeffries: The undersigned agricultural organizations are deeply invested in the well-being of our rural and agricultural communities, and we write today to urge you to prioritize and support the swift passage of a bipartisan farm bill this year.
Michigan Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment (MDARD) announced the Michigan recipients of USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. These grants up to $125,000 enhance the competitiveness of the state’s specialty crops.
campaign has returned for the 2025 planting and growing season to promote proper stewardship efforts around the safe usage of crop protection products. This milestone brings the BioLumic proprietary light-based Genetic Expression Trait technology to the global seed industry, enabling new opportunities for enhanced crop performance.
They are documenting Lincoln’s living cover crop system, where he undersows Dutch white clover into vegetables after the last cultivation in July. He would let the cover crop grow and overwinter and then plow down the following spring for green manure. Periodic mowing keeps it under control and adds a green manure mulch to the crops.
I want to grow crops that are calorie- and nutrient-dense, and store well, like beans, winter squash, sweet potatoes, and dent cornbut these require a lot of land. With these crops in mind, my farming partner and I have started the journey to transition part of our land to tractor farming. Another barrier is knowledge.
Farmers deal with a complex web of processes in diverse areas that may be under their purvue, including crops, livestock, finance, recordkeeping, harvesting, marketing, etc. If we strategically focus on improving processes in the highest two categories, we could potentially reduce the causes of low crop yield by 72% on this farm.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Specialty Crop Block Grant Program awards funds from federal allocations to projects to enhance the competitiveness of Michigan specialty crops. The application period closes February 8, 2024.
As a quick refresher, the Farm Bill governs a significant majority of food policy in the United States, from agricultural commodity crop programs and crop insurance to ruraldevelopment to nutrition and food relief programs like SNAP. Farm Bill season isn’t over yet. You can read the House summary here. Is it perfect?
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment is inviting the public to share input on Michigan’s Specialty Crop Block Grant program by November 27, 2023, to ensure practical program priorities. The program awards funds to projects to enhance the state’s specialty crops competitiveness.
Cover crop experiment at Rogers Farm Forage and Crop Research Facility in Orono, Maine. On June 11, 2024, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee advanced the Agriculture, RuralDevelopment, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2025 on a party-line vote.
Well, annual crop farmers have been using cover crops to build soil health and increase diversity for eons. Annual cover crops add carbon to the soil to improve soil aggregation and conserve water, and graziers can add cover crops, and graze them, to get the same benefits. Sorghum-sudan pasture.
We write to express our gratitude for your efforts to advance the 2024 farm bill within your jurisdictions and to seek your continued support for passing this critical legislation before the end of the year. If Congress does not come together this year to enact a bipartisan farm bill, the legislative process will begin anew in the 119th Congress.
Bobby gives us a quick overview of how he got into farming and talks about the winter turnip green crop NNFC markets via the farm-to-school network in Alabama.
They avoid using excessive chemicals, rotate crops, and plant cover crops to keep the soil healthy. Local fiber systems are being revitalized, supporting rural economies by providing stable employment opportunities. Some farmers use special practices to take care of the soil while growing cotton. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
NASDA’s first Emerging Markets Program trade mission took place in Vietnam on January 9-13, 2023 during which the delegation met with the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, covering topics such as the progression of the Vietnamese economy and market access for agricultural products such as animal feed and specialty crops.
As farmers who work in unpredictable climates, we know the importance of growing a diverse range of foods and harvesting various parts to make up for times when cash crops are scarce. These products are best marketed directly to consumers, local chefs, or specialty markets, although I hope this will change. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
I love direct seeding crops; it feels like an act of faith that the seeds won’t fail, or the weeds won’t choke them out. I use a silage tarp to break down plant matter from previous crops. Personally, this crop is what made me upgrade to a more precise seeder. Then, I decrease the seedbed. I’m rooting for you!
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) commends the subcommittee for its work in support of farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. FSIS cooperates with state agencies in developing and administering the State MPI and Cooperative Interstate Shipment programs for small and very small establishments.
By Lee Rinehart, NCAT Agriculture Specialist In my past two blogs, I reflected on planting cover crops on small plots and gardens. And since cover cropping is scalable to just about any size farm or garden, it made sense to conduct some field experiments of my own. Diversity of food crops and flowering annuals. Give it time.
This video was produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA RuralDevelopment. Croix, US Virgin Islands, delves into the innovative market diversification strategies that have propelled him to his farming success.
Cultivation over an existing crop is possible as long as the crop is established enough to withstand the impact of the tines. This video is produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA RuralDevelopment.
This story was originally published by Barn Raiser , your independent source for rural and small town news. Sean Park is the program manager of the Value-Added Sustainable Development Center (VASDC), a unit of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University in Macomb.
In this episode of Voices from the Field, Milton and Diann Woods of Milliesbarn Veggie Farm in Eagle Lake, Texas, talk with NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Justin Duncan about how they overcame various risks on their farm by choosing the right crops – both for their environment and in accordance with the needs of their clientele.
Or it could lead to less use of inputs and, without the use of pesticides, farmers can lose up to 80% of their crops annually due to pests and disease. manufacturing and research and development. agriculture chemical industry would also become less competitive as these savings are no longer being invested into strengthening U.S.
NSAC hopes that Congress can ultimately see the wisdom of funding state and tribal soil health programs through RCPP, as proposed in the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act in the Senate. 5102, 5103, 5019, 5110, 5202, 5503, 5402, 112205 ) Title 6 – RuralDevelopment Includes the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program.
This video was also produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA RuralDevelopment.
This podcast is produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA RuralDevelopment.
Red and blue light spectrums are particularly beneficial, with red light promoting stem growth and blue light encouraging strong leaf development. This high margin makes microgreens a lucrative crop, especially when grown efficiently. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
Other posts explore how the next farm bill can tackle issues in regional market development, crop insurance access, and more. A review of the research projects awarded through the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) and AFRI from 2009-2023 shows that the allocation for organic research does not meet the ongoing need.
for most crops). A key point that came out of our conversation was that no matter what the native soil is, and no matter what nutrient you’re looking at, having healthy soil that you nurture with cover crops, biodiverse plants, organic matter inputs, and mulch or living roots for protection is essential to sustainable nutrient management.
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