USDA Announces Listening Session on Impacts of COVID-19 on New Farmers

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, May 4, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a virtual listening session for beginning farmers and ranchers to learn how COVID-19 impacted their farming operations and to get their feedback on USDA assistance.  The listening session will take place on May 6, 2021, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Eastern time.

USDA Announces 2021 Signup Period for its Soil Health and Income Protection Program

Contact: FPAC.BC.Press@usda.gov

FARGO, N.D., May 10, 2021 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that agricultural producers in the Prairie Pothole states can now sign up for the Soil Health and Income Protection Program (SHIPP), which provides a short-term option to plant cover on less productive agricultural lands while improving soil health and carbon sequestration.

USDA Provides $5 Million in Second Round of Payments to Help Organic Dairy Producers Cover Increased Costs

WASHINGTON, September 20, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing a second round of payments for dairy producers through the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP), providing an additional $5 million to help dairy producers mitigate market volatility, higher input and transportation costs, and unstable feed supply and prices that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry.

USDA Designates 19 Wyoming Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts.

USDA Announces Additional Program Payment for Rice Producers in California

Second production payment for rice farmers impacted by record high input costs in 2022

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that rice producers will receive an additional payment through the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Rice Production Program, which provides up to $250 million in assistance to rice farmers based on 2022 rice acres. 

USDA Designates Three Texas Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts.