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Agriculture

Pa. hog inventory up 3%

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania inventory of all hogs and pigs on Sept. 1, 2024, was 1.48 million head. This was up 3% from Sept. 1, 2023, and up 3% from June 1, 2024, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report. Breeding inventory at 155,000 head was up 7% from last year, and up 7% the previous quarter. Market hog inventory at 1.33 million head was up 2% from last year, and up 3% from last quarter. The June to August 2024 pig crop at 605,000 head was up slightly from 2023. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 50,000 head, down 4% ...

USDA invests nearly $121M into specialty crops research

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced an investment of nearly $121 million to advance research and Extension activities that aim to solve key challenges facing specialty crop and organic agriculture producers. The investment includes $70.4 million to support specialty crop production research across the United States and $50.5 million to support farmers and ranchers who grow and market high-quality organic food, fiber and organic products. Specialty crops are defined in the Farm Bill as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and ...

Final grant awards announced through meat and poultry processing investment

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding more than $35 million in grants to 15 independent meat processors in 12 states to increase processing capacity, spur competition to expand market opportunities for U.S. farmers and create jobs in rural areas. This marks the final investment in the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said the investments support a fairer, more competitive, and more resilient meat and poultry supply chain, which dedicates resources to expand independent processing capacity. “For ...

‘Fill a Glass with Hope’ helps to provide milk to the needy

Hi! My name is Ella Zimmerman, and I am a dairy maid for Juniata County Dairy Promotion. Have you heard of the “Fill a Glass with Hope” program? Fill a Glass with Hope was launched statewide at the 100th PA Farm Show in 2016. It raises funds for our local food banks so they can ...

USDA to gather farm labor data

HARRISBURG — USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct its biannual Agricultural Labor Survey in October. More than 2,000 Northeastern U.S. farmers and ranchers will be asked to participate in the survey online at agcounts.usda.gov or by mail. The survey is an opportunity for producers to provide accurate information about hired farm labor, including total number of hired farm workers, total hours worked, and total wages paid for the weeks of July 9-15 and Oct. 8-14, 2024. Survey recipients who do not respond by Oct. 18 may be contacted by NASS to arrange ...

NASS releases 2022 Census of Agriculture Web Maps application

HARRISBURG — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) launched a collection of interactive maps to allow data users to access key Census of Agriculture information. The newly redesigned Ag Census Web Maps application offers the public access to maps and accompanying data to help visualize, download and analyze Census of Agriculture data down to the county level. The application assembles maps and statistics from the 2022 Census of Agriculture in five broad categories – crops and plants, economics, farms, livestock and animals, and ...