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Agriculture

USDA announces $7.5 million in grant funding to increase access to real food

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced $7.5 million in grant funding available through the Cold Chain Grants for Emergency Food Assistance Program. The Program will fund projects to support cold chain equipment investments that help food assistance entities temporarily store, effectively package, and distribute fresh, frozen, and minimally processed foods. “The Trump Administration continues to prioritize providing Real Food for Americans. Over the past year and a half, we have worked hard to incentivize healthier options for Americans and today’s ...

Ranchers First Initiatives to rebuild the Great American Beef Herd

Ranchers First Initiatives to rebuild the Great American Beef Herd WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced the Ranchers First Initiative, a sweeping package of actions to continue rebuilding the Great American Beef Herd and put America’s ranchers back at the center of our nation’s food supply. Building on USDA’s October 2025 Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry, the Trump Administration is delivering again. American ranchers embody the independent spirit that drove the founding of America, 250 years ago. For more than two centuries, their ...

Resilience on the vines: A Farm to Table Gala

BELLEVILLE — With its scenic backdrop of the rolling countryside dotted with horse-drawn buggies and farms, Brookmere Winery and Vineyard Inn in Belleville played not just host for a legislative tour and Farm to Table Gala organized by the Mifflin County Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership ...

Penn State Extension to offer workshop on egg safety for small flocks

SELINSGROVE — Whether individuals have an established small poultry flock or are considering starting one, knowing how to manage a surplus of eggs is essential, according to organizers of an upcoming Penn State Extension workshop. “Small Flock Egg Production: From the Coop to the Kitchen” will teach participants about best management practices for food safety and product quality, covering everything from the chicken coop to the kitchen. The workshop will be Oct. 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Christ Community United Methodist Church, 3939 Park Rd., Selinsgrove. ...

Pennsylvania invests more than $9.1 million in forever farms

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is investing more than $9.1 million to purchase development rights for 2,565 acres on 34 farms in 16 counties. The investment will protect prime farmland from future residential or commercial development and help ensure that farm families have the fertile land they need to produce food, fiber, and fuel to feed our economy in the future. “Pennsylvania leads the nation in farmland preservation because farm families, communities, and the Commonwealth are working together to protect the land that feeds us,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. ...

USDA announces Harvest to Hallways initiative

WASHINGTON — United States Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced sweeping new efforts to strengthen school meals by connecting more American farmers with local schools, investing in school kitchen infrastructure, and giving states and school districts new tools to serve healthier, more nutrient-dense meals to America’s children. Kennedy joined Rollins at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, alongside farmers, students, school nutrition leaders, athletes, chefs, and parents, to announce the next phase of the ...