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Agriculture

USDA announces planned trade missions

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced next steps in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s efforts to bolster U.S. agricultural trade, including the department’s planned trade missions for 2024 and the opening of a public comment period for the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP). These efforts will help to support further growth in U.S. agricultural exports and introduce high-quality U.S. agricultural products to new markets. “Market diversification is an important tool for maximizing growth opportunities for U.S. agriculture, as well ...

USDA invests nearly $28M to train new farmers, ranchers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small has announced an investment of $27.9 million across 45 organizations that teach and train beginning farmers and ranchers, including programs for U.S. veterans who are entering into agricultural careers and starting new farming businesses. “The next generation of farmers and ranchers hold the promise for future American agriculture and rural prosperity,” said USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. This investment is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) ...

USDA announces key staff appointments

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the names of individuals who will hold senior staff positions in Washington, D.C. Eric Womack has been named Deputy General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel. Most recently, Womack served on detail as an Associate Counsel for the Litigation Group in the White House Counsel’s Office. In this role, he provided legal advice on issues of critical importance to the administration, including the debt ceiling, artificial intelligence, and competition policy. Before his detail, Womack served as Assistant Director ...

FEELING THE PINCH

MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Justin Ralph estimates he’s made about 200 trips delivering grain from the fields he farms with his brother and uncle this year. They’re accustomed to using their four semi-trucks to take the harvest from a total of about 800 acres each of corn, soybeans and wheat to market. What they’re not used to are the distances they’ve had to drive the past couple years, a consequence of bad weather that’s only expected to increase in their area as a result of climate change. They used to take advantage of a grain elevator in Mayfield, Kentucky — a massive ...

2023 Pa. State 4-H Horse Show held in Harrisburg

By ANDREA KOCHER Equine Extension Specialist HARRISBURG — The 63rd annual Pennsylvania State 4-H Horse Show was held Oct. 26-29 at the Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. More than 600 youth from over 50 counties participated in 80 performance classes throughout the weekend. There were over 1400 entries shown by youth who qualified for the show. The State 4-H Horse Show is the final competition of the year for 4-H horse members enrolled in performance horse projects. To be eligible for the show, members must advance through qualifying competitions at ...

USDA invests more than $1.2 billion in rural cooperatives

DENVER — U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA is investing more than $1.2 billion in loans and grants to spur economic development, catalyze rural prosperity and advance equity through rural cooperatives in 36 states and Puerto Rico. Last month, USDA celebrated its 59th annual National Cooperative Month and the vital role cooperatives play in helping people build bright futures in rural America. “Cooperatives serve as one of our most important partners in delivering critical goods and services to rural communities,” Secretary Vilsack ...