Breaking News

Agriculture

Rollins strengthens SNAP retailer stocking requirements

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is proposing changes to strengthen the stocking requirements for retailers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These changes would protect the program, participants, and taxpayers by mitigating fraud, waste, and abuse and ensuring additional healthy food options for recipient families. “Retailers participating in SNAP need to sell real food, plain and simple. Right now, the bar for stocking food as a SNAP retailer is far too low, allowing people to game the ...

Big Valley FFA members fare well at Fall Career Development Event

HUNTINGDON — Members of the Big Valley FFA chapter traveled to the Huntingdon County Fairgrounds on Sept. 25 to compete in the Fall Career Development Event. This year, the Fall CDEs consisted of seven different events that the members of Mifflin County — along with the Juniata and East Juniata FFA chapters from Juniata County and four schools from Huntingdon County — could compete in. The events that the members of these seven different FFA chapters could participate in were FFA knowledge, wildlife and forestry, milk quality and products, safe tractor driving, ...

Farm to School grants to support American farmers and children

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is delivering on its commitment to support child health and American agriculture by opening applications for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants. Through this grant opportunity, USDA will invest up to $18 million in farm to school projects that connect farmers to USDA’s child nutrition programs through local food procurement, agricultural education, school gardens and more. New this year, USDA reimagined the Farm to School Grant program, implementing several improvements, including streamlining the ...

Carson sworn in as national nutrition advisor at USDA

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced that Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., was sworn in as the National Advisor for Nutrition, Health, and Housing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “There is no one more qualified than Dr. Carson to advise on policies that improve Americans’ everyday quality of life, from nutrition to healthcare quality to ensuring families have access to safe and stable housing,” said Secretary Rollins. “With six in ten Americans living with at least one chronic disease, and rural communities facing unique challenges ...

Juniata County Dairy Promotion pointers

What did the teenage cheese yell at its parents? Leave me provolone! What do you say to someone who is trying to steal your cheese? This is nacho cheese. If that didn’t get you laughing, I have plenty more to share, but did you know that October is national cheese month? This is dairy princess Kera Bentz here to share with you some fun facts about cheese in celebration of national cheese month. Pizza Hut is the largest cheese-using fast food giant, it uses approximately 300 million pounds of cheese annually, mostly on pizza. Cheese production around the globe is more than the ...

Shapiro Administration announces 2026 Pa. Farm Show Theme

PHILADELPHIA — Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding recently announced the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show theme, “Growing a Nation” at historic Wyck House Farm and Garden in Philadelphia. The 2026 Farm Show — Pennsylvania’s State Fair™ — will kick off a year of America250PA special events and celebrations bringing millions of visitors to the Commonwealth recognizing Pennsylvania’s leading role in the founding of our American democracy. “America was born in Pennsylvania, with its identity deeply rooted in agriculture,” said Secretary Redding. “Two hundred and fifty ...