Stories by USDA Newswire on Federal Newswire

Release: Summary:The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has added Cambodia to the list of regions affected by African swine fever (ASF). On April 3, 2019, the Cambodian veterinary authorities reported an ASF occurrence to the World Organization of Animal ...

USDA Designates Nine Washington Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

News Release: Washington - Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated nine Washington counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers in Clallam, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Thurston, and Wahkiakum counties who suffered losses due to a recent drought may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.

USDA Designates 102 Illinois Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

News Release: Washington - Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated 102 Illinois counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers who suffered losses due to excessive moisture, flooding and flash flooding that has occurred since Sept. 1, 2018, may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.

APHIS Adds Vietnam to the List of Regions Affected by African Swine Fever

Release: Summary:The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has added Vietnam to the list of regions affected by African swine fever (ASF). The Vietnam veterinary authorities confirmed an ASF outbreak to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) on February ...

Secretary Perdue Swears In USDA’s Principal Deputy Chief Financial Officer Scott Soles

By USDA Newswire | Aug 13, 2019

News Release: (Washington, D.C., Aug. 13, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today administered the oath of office to swear in Scott Soles to serve as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Principal Deputy Chief Financial Officer.

USDA Highlights Success of Rural Summer Meals Delivery Project in Texas

By USDA Newswire | Aug 13, 2019

Release: Dallas, TX, Aug. 13, 2019 - Children’s nutritional needs do not take a summer break. This summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) partnered with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and Baylor University’s Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) to help keep Texas children in several low-income rural areas fed during the summer through a summer meals demonstration project.

Chair Fudge: Public Charge Changes “Discrimination in Regulatory Form”

News Release: CLEVELAND - Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, Chair of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations in a statement Monday blasted the Administration’s rewrite of the nation’s “public charge" rule. The announced changes will allow federal officials to deny green cards to legal...

Report: Farmers Prevented from Planting Crops on More than 19 Million Acres

News Release: Washington - Agricultural producers reported they were not able to plant crops on more than 19.4 million acres in 2019, according to a new report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This marks the most prevented plant acres reported since USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) began releasing the report in 2007 and 17.49 million acres more than reported at this time last year.

APHIS Announces Plan to Use Farm Bill Funding to Support Animal Disease Prevention and Management

Release: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing initial plans to carry out new animal health activities using resources provided by the 2018 Farm Bill. Section 12101 of the 2018 Farm Bill established a three-part program to comprehensively ...

USDA Designates 16 Ohio Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

News Release: Washington - Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated 16 Ohio counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers who suffered losses due to five separate disaster events may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.

USDA Designates Nine Tennessee Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

News Release: Washington - Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated nine Tennessee counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers in Claiborne, Giles, Grainger, Hamblen, Lake, Lincoln, Montgomery, Shelby, and Tipton counties who suffered losses due to excessive rain and flooding that occurred from Aug. 1, 2018, through March 5, 2019, may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.

Peterson, Costa Comment on Implementation of Farm Bill Animal Health Programs

News Release: WASHINGTON - House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Chairman Jim Costa of California issued statements Monday afternoon following USDA’s announcement of implementation by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of animal health programs authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill.

USDA Invests in Rural Electric Infrastructure Improvements in 10 States

News Release: Investments will Benefit 213,295 Residents and Businesses WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2019 – U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service Administrator Chad Rupe today announced that USDA is investing $181 million to upgrade rural electric systems in 10 states. The funding includes $7.7 million to finance smart grid technologies that improve system operations and monitor grid security.

Field Evaluation Continues into New Oral Rabies Vaccine for Raccoons, Other Wildlife

Release: WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2019-The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced it will continue field evaluation of an oral rabies vaccine (ORV) bait called ONRAB in five states. This year’s field evaluation is part of a multiyear study addressing operational ...

National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee Meeting Scheduled for September 18-19, 2019

Release: Summary:USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announces that it is holding a meeting of the National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee on September 18-19, 2019, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. Attendees should arrive at the Jamie L. Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, ...

USDA Invests in Rural Electric Infrastructure Improvements in 10 States

News Release: Washington - U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service Administrator Chad Rupe today announced that USDA is investing $181 million to upgrade rural electric systems in 10 states (PDF, 98 KB). The funding includes $7.7 million to finance smart grid technologies that improve system operations and monitor grid security.

USDA Invests in Rural Water and Wastewater Infrastructure in 24 States

News Release: Investments will Benefit 133,000 Residents in Rural Communities WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2019 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service Administrator Chad Rupe today announced that USDA is investing $135 million in 49 projects to improve rural water infrastructure in 24 states.

USDA Announces Deregulation of Increased Yield, Herbicide-Resistant GE Soybean

Release: Date: August 6, 2019 Dear BRS Stakeholder, The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is deregulating a soybean variety, developed by Verdeca, LLC (Verdeca), genetically engineered (GE) for increased yield potential and resistance to the herbicide glufosinate.

USDA Invests in Rural Water and Wastewater Infrastructure in 24 States

News Release: Washington - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service Administrator Chad Rupe today announced that USDA is investing $135 million in 49 projects to improve rural water infrastructure in 24 states (PDF, 170 KB).

APHIS Adds Scotland to Controlled Risk List of Regions for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy