Researchers at the University of Zurich published the results of a comprehensive field study showing that crop damage from plant-eating insects can be reduced by utilizing biodiversity within a plant species. Scientists already recognized that when different genetic types of the same plant species are mixed and planted together, some combinations are more resistant to […]

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service has released a two-page highlights publication, Organic Agriculture, with data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The publication shows significant growth in organic product sales compared to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, but it also reveals a drop in the number of organic producers over that time period and a […]

USDA’s National Agroforestry Center recently updated its Agroforestry Note 7, Forest Farming: An Agroforestry Practice. The free, 12-page publication focuses on the production and management of herbaceous, understory nontimber forest products. It points out some of the benefits and limitations of forest farming and offers examples of nontimber forest products for culinary, medicinal, decorative, and […]

USDA is investing $104 million in loans and grants that will support more than 300 clean energy projects in 34 states through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). REAP enables agricultural producers and rural small business owners to expand their use of wind, solar, geothermal and small hydropower energy and make energy efficiency improvements. […]

USDA has announced an investment of $1.7 billion for purchase of locally and regionally produced foods and domestically produced foods for emergency food assistance. These investments, made possible by the Commodity Credit Corporation, will help American producers by ensuring they have the certainty of access to local and regional markets as well as the financial […]