News and reports from the Department of Agriculture.

News Release: Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with Wyoming for more than $325,000 to increase their purchase of nutritious, local foods for school meal programs.

USDA Hosts Second African Swine Fever Action Week October 10-14, 2022

News Release: Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it will purchase up to $50 million in domestically produced rice for distribution to a variety of domestic food assistance programs, including charitable institutions. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has approved the purchase of rice to assist the U.S. rice industry through USDA’s authorities under the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act.

News Release: Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). Through LFPA, the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska seeks to purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.

News Release: Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with Rhode Island for more than $500,000 to increase their purchase of nutritious, local foods for school meal programs.

News Release: Washington - U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Mae Wu was joined by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Chief Deputy Commissioner David Smith in Durham, N.C., today to announce the...

News Release: Washington - In a complaint filed on Sept. 30, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) alleged that New York Mart Group Inc. (NYMG), Long Island City, N.Y., failed to make full payment promptly in the total amount of $896,107 to 23 sellers for multiple lots of produce in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).

News Release: Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with Nebraska under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). Through LFPA, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) seeks to purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.

News Release: Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entered into a stipulation agreement with Panola Livestock Enterprise Inc., doing business as Panola Livestock Company Inc. (Panola) and Randall Lowery (Lowery) of Carthage, Texas, on Sept. 15, 2022, for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act. Under the terms of the stipulation, Panola and Lowery waived their rights to a hearing and paid a civil penalty of $5,000.

News Release: Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entered into a stipulation agreement with Nacogdoches Livestock Exchange Inc. (Nacogdoches) of Nacogdoches, Texas, on Sept. 15, 2022, for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act. Under the terms of the stipulation agreement, Nacogdoches waived its rights to a hearing and paid a civil penalty of $6,625.

News Release: Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) negotiated an administrative Consent Decision and Order with Abdelkader Fedhal a/k/a Abdelkader Fedal a/k/a Ali Fedal (Fedhal) and Westminster Meat Packing Inc. (Westminster) of Westminster, Vt., on Aug. 29, 2022, for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act.

News Release: Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on two produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). These sanctions...

News Release: Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with North Dakota under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). Through LFPA, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture seeks to purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.

News Release: Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with Michigan under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). Through LFPA, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) seeks to purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.

News Release: Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with Georgia under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). Through LFPA, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) seeks to purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.