USDA announced that it is awarding $120 million in Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants for 516 projects in 39 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This program helps farmers and small business owners make energy efficiency improvements and expand their use of wind, solar and other forms of clean energy. […]

USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production announced the availability of $2.5 million in Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) grants. According to USDA, recipients of UAIP competitive grants, including community gardens and nonprofit farms, will increase food production and access in economically distressed communities, provide job training and education, and allow partners to […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]