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Agriculture

Producers are being called to help build their county crop estimates

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service is asking selected producers to complete the USDA’s annual County Agricultural Production Survey. Information reported through the survey helps USDA produce the nation's only official yearly county crop estimates. “Every year, producers across the country use USDA's county crop estimates to compare local yields, understand growing conditions, and make better business decisions,” said Joseph L. Parsons, NASS Administrator. “Those estimates start with information provided by producers ...

New steps to put farmers first

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced several steps that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking to support America’s farmers in response to ongoing challenges across the agricultural sector. These actions include a series of data modernization, payment flexibility, and enhanced crop insurance options to benefit farmers. “When I travel across farm country, I hear the same message over and over: producers want a USDA that works for them. The Trump USDA is focused on making changes that improve the livelihood of our great farmers. I am pleased ...

USDA asks partners to develop AI solutions to accelerate crop innovation

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking steps to speed up progress in plant science by calling on universities and stakeholders to help build new AI tools that can translate the huge amount of germplasm data the agency collects. Through the Genesis Mission and the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority, USDA is expected to launch an Agricultural National Science & Technology Challenge later this year. The Challenge will ask innovators to create practical solutions that pull together different types of information—like images, field data, and lab ...

Shapiro Administration celebrates opening of Keystone Animal Diagnostic Center

MONACA, Pa. — Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Penn State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences Dean Dr. Troy Ott marked a milestone for Pennsylvania farmers earlier this year, cutting the ribbon to open the Keystone Animal Diagnostic Center at Penn State University’s Beaver Campus. Funded by a $6 million investment from Governor Josh Shapiro’s bipartisan 2024-25 budget, the lab expands Pennsylvania’s capacity to respond to animal disease outbreaks, speeding diagnoses for farmers in the western part of the state, lowering their business costs, and helping ...

Rollins announces creation of USDA Office of Seafood

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins alongside Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, and Maine Senator Susan Collins recently announced the creation of the new U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Seafood. This first of its kind office will prioritize customer service and ease of navigation for American seafood cultivators, producers, and processors to access USDA programs. “President Trump is the first President to recognize fishermen ...

Juniata County Dairy Promotion pointers

Hi, I’m Jayde Sweger, a Juniata County Dairy Miss. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 was enacted on Jan. 14, 2026. The law allows whole and reduced-fat milk in federally-funded school lunches and exempts milk from federal saturated fat limits. Whole milk is excellent for ...