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Agriculture

Plan outlined to improve US bioeconomy

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released a plan that will boost biomass supply chain resiliency for domestic biobased product manufacturing, while also advancing environmental sustainability and market opportunities for small and mid-sized producers. The report — Building a Resilient Biomass Supply: A Plan to Enable the Bioeconomy in America (PDF, 2.8 MB) — is one of the key USDA deliverables of President Biden’s Executive Order 14081, which was issued in 2022 and defined bold goals and new priorities meant to catalyze action inside and ...

Juniata County Dairy Promotion seeking princess candidates

MEXICO, Pa. — The Juniata County Dairy Promotion Committee is seeking members to serve on the 2024-2025 Juniata County Dairy Promotion Court. Qualified young women and men engage in a year of service through the Dairy Promotion Program on behalf of Juniata County’s dairy industry. In the state of Pennsylvania, approximately 300 youth with dairy industry connections publicly represent dairy foods and farmers while learning career and communication skills through promotion events and training at the county and state level. Serving as a diary promoter is an honor and an ...

$3M investment to fight hunger, support apple growers

PEACH GLEN, Pa. — Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Feeding Pennsylvania CEO Julie Bancroft visited Knouse Foods in Adams County recently to see how a $1 million state investment is turning surplus Pennsylvania apples into applesauce and apple juice to feed hungry families across the state. The Shapiro Administration's investment of $1 million of Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) funds, and $2 million of federal funds offered apple growers a tangible solution to meet the challenge of keeping a bumper crop of apples from going to waste. "Pennsylvania ...

USDA to measure quarterly bee colony loss in honey industry

HARRISBURG — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be collecting information about colony loss in the honey industry throughout the United States. The next Quarterly Colony Loss survey will be conducted during April of 2024. This survey collects information about colony inventory and loss from more than 400 producers with honeybee colonies in the Northeastern Region of the United States. “The information from these surveys directly impacts our region’s beekeepers and honey producers,” said Charles Butler, acting director of ...

Varner named fellow of CCAP

UNIVERSITY PARK — Jill Varner, Penn State Extension food, families and communities educator, was appointed as the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania Extension Fellow, effective Jan. 1. During her two-year term, Varner will work with the association in Harrisburg, providing expertise to commissioners in the state's 67 counties to enhance the statewide partnership between the association and Penn State while learning more about county and state agencies and offices. "This fellowship is an opportunity to continue to foster a collaborative relationship between Penn State ...

Soil Health Bucket service offered

MIDDLEBURG — The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) is offering an on-farm soil health service to Snyder County farmers. This is a free opportunity for farmers to bring the "Soil Health Bucket" and conduct soil health tests and discuss opportunities and options for future improvements. While the SCCD is willing to help, the technician with the "Soil Health Bucket" is not a substitute for your local agronomic consultant or Extension field crops educator.) If you are interested in having a SCCD technician stop by on your farm with the "Soil Health Bucket," contact Barry ...