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Agriculture

USDA to gather data about farm labor

HARRISBURG — Currently the biannual Agricultural Labor Survey is underway. The survey collects information about hired labor from more than 2,000 farmers and ranchers. The survey results will be published on May 24 in the Farm Labor report available on the NASS website. In the survey, producers are asked to answer a variety of questions about hired farm labor on their operations, including total number of hired farm workers, the total hours worked, and total wages paid for the weeks of Jan. 8-14 and April 9-15. Survey participants can respond online at agcounts.usda.gov or by ...

USDA announces steps to enhance organic markets

WASHINGTON, D.C — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking additional steps as part of its commitment to strengthen the market for domestically grown organic goods, and to support producers seeking organic certification. These funding opportunities are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Organic Transition Initiative, launched in fall 2022, which is a suite of offerings to help existing organic farmers and those transitioning to organic production and processing. “As USDA works to help make our nation’s food system more resilient and create more ...

Dairy Miss Julianna Campbell

Hello, I am Julianna and I am a Dairy Miss. I want to remind everyone to get three servings of dairy every day! Fun Dairy Facts: • Cows can smell something up to six miles away. • A Holstein’s spots are like fingerprints- no two cows have exactly the same pattern of black ...

Farmers invited to Ag tour in Snyder County

MIDDLEBURG — The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) will hold a conservation practice tour for farmers on Wednesday, June 28. It starts at 10 a.m. at the Whispering Pines Fruit Farms parking lot, 1652 Martin Brothers Rd. in Mt. Pleasant Mills. The tour will visit several farms that had conservation practices, called best management practices (BMPs), installed on their farms to prevent nutrient and sediment pollution. Participants will see actual BMPs such as stream riparian buffers, stream cattle crossings, poultry manure storages, roofed heavy use areas, roof gutters and ...

USDA announces stops to enhance organic markets

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking additional steps as part of its commitment to strengthen the market for domestically grown organic goods, and to support producers seeking organic certification. These funding opportunities are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Organic Transition Initiative, launched in fall 2022, which is a suite of offerings to help existing organic farmers and those transitioning to organic production and processing. “As USDA works to help make our nation’s food system more resilient and create more ...

STATE COLLEGE — Pennsylvania Farm Link has announced the Founders Award has been presented to John Vogel, founder of PA Farm Link, during the recent board meeting at ReFarm Café. The award was presented to commemorate Vogel’s devotion to PA Farm Link’s mission and acknowledge his vital role in Pennsylvania agriculture. The award celebrates the valuable services PA Farm Link has provided since its founding over 27 years ago where it began under the Center for Rural Pennsylvania in 1993. Vogel has provided continuous support to PA Farm Link as both founder and board member. He ...