Entries by Tracy Mumma

Third Regulatory Reform for Contract Livestock Producers Finalized by USDA

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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the third installment in a series of regulatory reforms intended to level the playing field for farmers who raise chicken, turkeys, hogs, cattle, and sheep under contract or foUr sale to meat and poultry processing companies. Under the Packers and Stockyards Act, this new reform will give chicken farmers […]

USDA Advances Guidelines for Climate-Smart Agriculture Crops Used as Biofuel Feedstocks

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USDA has published an interim rule on Technical Guidelines for Climate-Smart Agriculture Crops Used as Biofuel Feedstocks that establishes guidelines for quantifying, reporting, and verifying the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of corn, soy, and sorghum. USDA says these guidelines will facilitate the recognition of climate-smart agriculture within clean transportation fuel programs, creating […]

Bilingual Toolkit Aids with Field Day Success

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Organic Farming Research Foundation has introduced a comprehensive Field Day Toolkit available in both English and Spanish. The downloadable resource provides a step-by-step roadmap and customizable materials to plan, host, and follow up on a successful event. The guide includes practical tips, checklists, and resources to streamline the process, and maximize the impact, of your […]

USDA Announces Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program Advisory Council Members

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USDA named 36 members to serve on the newly formed Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program Advisory Council, informally referred to as to the Growing Climate Solutions Act Advisory Council. The council will support the Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program in facilitating the participation in voluntary environmental credit […]

Web-based Tool Helps Optimize Soil Sampling

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USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), and the ARS’s Partnership for Data Innovations (PDI) have launched the Soil Sample Planning Organizer Tool (SSPOT), a new web-based application to facilitate digital soil mapping and optimize soil sampling. SSPOT is a user-friendly tool with integrated algorithms to help users determine the optimal placement […]

Scientists Call for Better Understanding of Pollination Science

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Scientists at the German University of Göttingen published an article in Trends in Plant Science that highlights the roles that pollinator behavior and plant species distribution play in fruit quality. The authors suggest that focusing merely on the promoting the number of pollinators for crops overlooks how the specifics of pollination can factor into the […]

Minnesota Food-Supply-Chain Projects Receive Funding

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USDA Agricultural Marketing Service partnered with Minnesota to award $9.5 million in Infrastructure Grants to 11 projects, through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI). This program aims to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems. It is offering technical assistance in the middle of the […]

Minnesota Beginning Farmer Tax Credit

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Tax credits are funded in a first-come, first-served manner. The Minnesota Beginning Farmer Tax Credit provides state tax credits to landlords and sellers (asset owners) who rent or sell farmland, equipment, livestock, and other agricultural assets to beginning farmers in the current tax year. Funding is limited to $4 million, and tax credits are funded […]

Trained Dogs Aid in Spotted Lanternfly Detection

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The spotted lanternfly is an invasive, destructive insect found in 18 states that feeds on and can kill grapes, apples, hops, and maple and walnut trees. A study in New York, led by Cornell University, tested how trained dogs would do at detecting overwintering egg masses in vineyards and adjacent forested areas. The researchers found […]

‘Living Mulch’ Cover Crops Benefit Soil Health

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The journal Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment published research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, highlighting the soil health benefits of a “living mulch” cover crop actively growing between rows of corn. The researchers found in field testing that legume cover crops increased dissolved organic carbon and available nitrogen in the soil, altering the microbial community […]